Afghanistan Cash and Voucher Working Group Co-Coordinator at Danish Refugee Council

WHO ARE WE?

The Danish Refugee Council assists refugees and internally displaced persons across the globe: we provide emergency aid, fight for their rights, and strengthen their opportunity for a brighter future. We work in conflict-affected areas, along the displacement routes, and in the countries where refugees settle. In cooperation with local communities, we strive for responsible and sustainable solutions. We work toward successful integration and – whenever possible – for the fulfillment of the wish to return home. The Danish Refugee Council was founded in Denmark in 1956, and has since grown to become an international humanitarian organization with more than 7,000 staff and 8,000 volunteers. Our vision is a dignified life for all displaced. All of our efforts are based on our value compass: humanity, respect, independence and neutrality, participation, and honesty and transparency.

ABOUT THE JOB

The Afghanistan Cash and Voucher Working Group (CVWG) is a formal working group of the Inter-Cluster Coordination Team (ICCT) set up to ensure Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) programming in Afghanistan is coordinated, follows international best practices and standards, is context specific and are undertaken in a manner that does not inflict harm or exacerbate vulnerabilities of the affected population. The working group was initially established in 2012 under the Food Security and Agriculture Cluster (FSAC), but become an inter-cluster working group in 2014. In 2019, the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) requested a more strategic and comprehensive approach to cash coordination based on which the current ToRs was developed.

DRC Afghanistan on behalf of the Afghanistan CVWG is looking for an experienced and technical coordinator who will provide coordination, strategic guidance, capacity, and leadership to the broader humanitarian and development communities in the realm of CVA programming. This role will co-coordinate the CVWG alongside WFP and support the work of CVA partners, assist in improving the quality and scope of CVA, and thus contribute to improved relevance, and effectiveness of CVA programming in Afghanistan. The Co-lead will promote CVA use among humanitarian stakeholders, where and when feasible, and will co-create the vision for CVA and assist in implementing the vision, with a view to position cash and voucher assistance as an integral component of the humanitarian and development response in Afghanistan. The successful candidate will work closely with key humanitarian and development partners across sectors to ensure that partners work collectively, and actions are coordinated. The Co-Lead will also engage with Cluster and Inter-Cluster mechanisms and other relevant coordination bodies to promote quality cash and voucher programming.

Key Objectives:

· Operational coordination of CVA partners – including implementation standards and processes, common reporting platforms, harmonized assessment, and monitoring tools.

· Evidence-based advocacy including through joint advocacy around national or private sector regulations impairing effective CVA; and information sharing on key CVA data, practices, learning, based on global initiatives and implementation across sectors and partners.

· Mainstreaming of protection and accountability to affected population concerns in CVA.

· Capacity building of partners in CVA.

· Establish a common platform for engagement with Government (advocacy) and private sector (contracting), and support harmonized strategic communications around CVA;

· Share information, lessons learned and best practices from Afghanistan (and beyond);

Responsibilities:

Leadership & Coordination:

· Provide leadership to the CVWG; organize and chair regular CVWG meetings; ensure CVA is coordinated, harmonized, and in line with best practice. Share secretarial role with the WFP hosted Co-Lead, alternating in calling for meetings, taking notes, etc.

· Maintain regular communication with other INGOs, local NGOs, donors and government working on CVA interventions.

· Ensure appropriate representation in the CVWG, including Government, national partners, private sector, and other relevant actors to the context of Afghanistan.

· Advocacy (advise RC/HC, Cash Working Group Partners, Clusters, communication and advocacy, donor advocacy, advocacy on concerns of affected people).

· Facilitate and maintain a community of practice for CVA programming in Afghanistan through regular meetings, information sharing, mapping of activities (4Ws or similar), and prioritization and planning of needed guidance, technical support and capacity building.

· Support the establishment of standardized data management, data sharing and data sharing systems to facilitate data collection, efficiency in assessment and referral.

Technical support: developing standards; harmonizing approaches; mainstreaming

· Coordinate the provision or provide direct technical advice and/or network technical requests with potential solutions to CVWG members, and clusters on efficient, effective and context- appropriate CVA.

· Draft MPC and sector specific CVA guidelines, key messages as needed.

· Support feasibility and assessment processes including market analysis; participate in assessments as necessary and ensure CVA is an integral part of multi-sectoral assessments.

· Collate, review and make available information on financial infrastructure and available delivery mechanisms and advise implementing agencies on opportunities and constraints.

· Ensure that all activities and products that are relevant to multiple clusters are catalogued in the ICCT and advocate for action where inter-cluster/sector collaboration would add value to improved CVA programming in Afghanistan.

· Continue to ensure and strengthen harmonized approaches and associated technical support for the following:

• Up to date price data-based and inter-agency agreed minimum expenditure basket (MEB) of basic needs items and services ­– as perceived and prioritized by crisis-affected populations and according to their circumstances and habits.
• Harmonized and inter-agency agreed transfer values for MEB-based multipurpose and sector-specific CVA.
• Support to joint CVWG market analysis and market monitoring.
• Mapping of financial service providers for CVA, with a specific focus on scaling up use of digital payments.
• A harmonized and appropriately legally compliant Data Sharing Agreement for agencies using the same Financial Service Provider.

Research, advocacy, representation and promoting learning

· Facilitate and ensure inter-agency data and information-sharing, problem-solving, and collaborative lesson learning, dissemination of findings, and evidence-based improvements on the diverse CVA modalities and projects being implemented across the sectors and partners in Afghanistan.

· Liaise with relevant government authorities on acceptance and use of CVA for emergency assistance and recovery activities, in coordination with humanitarian and recovery partners – including understanding existing government approaches to cash-based assistance (e.g. social protection).

· Support discussions and facilitate inter-agency programmatic development on:

(i) Complementary / integrated / companion / cash+ programming.

(ii) Connecting emergency basic needs-oriented multipurpose cash assistance with graduation to support for sustainable livelihoods, self-reliance, and resilience.

(iii) Exit/‘phase out’ strategies for emergency assistance with the ultimate aim of identifying sustainable support structures beyond cash-based interventions.

Strengthening capacity for CVA

· Coordinate mapping of CVA training and capacity strengthening needs and gaps across CVWG member agencies; update/develop a training and capacity building plan

· Coordinate, support – and co-lead as needed – targeted CVWG-specific training and capacity building activities, directly, and adopting a Training of Trainers (ToT) methodology

· Facilitate links and exchanges with regional and global technical networks and communities of practice to connect with CVA learning and professional development opportunities for CVWG member agency staff

· Convene and deliver specific strategic and policy-related workshops or forums for discussion with senior management/decision makers of CVWG member agencies on a case-by-case basis/according to needs.

ABOUT YOU

To be successful in this role you must have:

Experience and technical competencies:

Professional technical experience evidencing and demonstrating ability to deliver against the above-mentioned key tasks and responsibilities – and in line amongst others with the CaLP Competence Framework:

· Six to nine years progressive experience in the humanitarian and/or development field, of which at least three years on CVA programming.

· Experience in rapidly changing humanitarian contexts, and of working with displaced people.

· Significant experience working with multiple actors and organizations in coordinating, designing and implementing CVA programming.

· Demonstrated experience in and ability to advocate for CVA programming at a senior level and with a variety of relevant stakeholders; ability to liaise (e.g. with cluster/sector coordinators) and to work in partnership to build consensus on mutually supportive objectives and achieve results.

· Strong practitioner knowledge of CVA: across CVA modalities; payment systems/transfer mechanisms; technical guidance and tools; SOPs – including relevant global guidelines and toolkits on cash- and market-based programming.

· Experience in uses of cash and vouchers for sectoral outcomes (e.g. protection, food security, livelihoods, shelter, education).

· Experience delivering targeted and high-quality technical training and capacity building, including in settings with remote technical management.

· Experience in market assessments, market analysis, and cash and voucher feasibility assessment.

· Ability to conduct financial service provider and delivery mechanism/payment system mapping, assessment, and identification/selection/contracting.

· Strong understanding of monitoring methodology and requirements for cash programming, and of strengthening accountability to and participation of people assisted.

· Analytical skills with respect to context, technical options and application of best practice within a given operating environment.

· Excellent and confident interpersonal, coordination, representation and communication skills, including demonstrable ability to work effectively with multiple stakeholders and different groups, partners and nationalities.

· Effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organisational and prioritisation skills

· Flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving.

· Previous technical advisory and implementation experience in, and understanding of, the Afghanistan context is highly desirable

Education/qualifications:

· Masters in Social Sciences, Economics, Development Studies or other relevant field

Languages:

· English (fluent)

· Pashto or Dari (desirable)

We Offer:

· English – Fluent writing/speaking

· Dari and/or Pashto – added value