Project description

Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are currently facing a challenging global geopolitical and economic environment characterised by uncertainty and a series of crises. The region is struggling to recover from the social and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and return to the financial levels of 2019. According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC, 2022), inflation rates are high, and labour informality is growing. Fiscal space remains limited. The pandemic added almost 50 million more people to the poverty line, and the region is trying to reduce poverty and inequality while experiencing a precarious recovery of jobs. The region continues to face high levels of inequality, particularly regarding income, making it one of the most unequal regions in the world. To collaborate in addressing these challenges, this Project aims to promote social cohesion, gender, socio-economic equality and tackle social issues.

This Project based on the long-standing strategic partnership of the European Union (EU) and Latin America and the Caribbean, aims to foster the social dimension of the Global Gateway (GG) in LAC, bringing a participatory and multistakeholder approach to the GG Investment Agenda (GGIA) and providing an opportunity for collaborations among the public, private, and non-profit sectors in their respective roles.

The Project main objective is to contribute to tackle gender and other inequalities, reduce poverty and social exclusion, and enhance social cohesion within and between LAC countries, through 3 specific objectives:

1. Improving equal access to social rights, social services, and justice for vulnerable groups in all their diversity, notably women, children, and youth, and the bottom poorest 40% income or wealth households.
2. More inclusive, accountable, and transparent public institutions promoting equity-driven and gender-responsive public finance models to reinforce social policies and protection systems, with special emphasis on women, children, and youth, and the bottom poorest 40% income or wealth households.
3. New solutions able to foster and unblock investments that boost social innovation, the resilience of social systems, and just, socially responsible, and inclusive green and digital transitions.

The Project is funded by the EU (DG INTPA) and implemented by six partners that have a strong commitment to work together with other EU Member States and partner countries to address global challenges, mitigate their consequences and allow a social, green, and digital transition while upholding human rights, democracy, good governance, the rule of law and gender equality. The members of the consortium are:

• The Spanish Cooperation (AECID and FIIAPP) – with FIIAPP as the leader of the consortium;
• The French Cooperation (AFD Group with Expertise France as main implementing agency);
• The German Cooperation (GIZ);
• The Italian Cooperation (IILA and AICS).

The Project started on December 17^th 2024 for a duration of 4,5 years. It aims to cover the LAC region with a focus on some strategic countries, with a total budget of 43M EUR.

Assignment description

Presentation of the Coordination Unit:

The Coordination Unit (CU) will be a central component of the Inclusive Societies project, providing comprehensive support to the entire project team, composed of members from various implementing agencies within the consortium, all working together under the principle of « delivering as one team ». The CU’s primary role will be to define and, more importantly, ensure the proper implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). These SOPs will detail for each of the key business processes, the critical stages, roles and responsibilities within the team, the reference documentation to use, and the validation processes to follow. The CU will facilitate strategic decision-making, integrate operational planning, and manage a robust information system to enhance coordination and accuracy. It will also offer support in administration, finance, quality control of cross-cutting issues, and the planning and execution of monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL) for actions and activities in target countries and regions. Additionally, the CU will address critical issues such as gender and other inequalities, ensuring all project activities align with specific markers/objectives. Operating in a decentralized manner, the CU will enhance project efficiency and ensure effective implementation across all project facets, promoting sustainable and successful outcomes through informed and cohesive strategies.

Objective of the HCU role:

The objective of the Head of the Coordination Unit (HCU) is to oversee and ensure the effective and efficient operation of the Coordination Unit, providing leadership and strategic guidance to support the Inclusive Societies project.  In close collaboration with the Action Coordinator from FIIAPP, the HCU will manage, supervise, and guide the members of the Coordination Unit and provide advice to the rest of the Management Team on support and cross-cutting issues.

The HCU will report directly to the Action Coordinator and be placed under the line management of the EF’s Head of Project. He/she will be a part of the Management Team, thus participating in the program’s governance with a dual focus:

• Technical: Promoting, monitoring, and evaluating the joint implementation of the project and its performance indicators, with special emphasis on Gender and Others Inequalities Mainstreaming and Geographical Coordination, in accordance with the business processes defined in the SOPs.
• Financial and Administrative: Ensuring compliance with EU requirements, consolidating, and supervising the production of regular financial reports, and maintaining up-to-date execution records.

More specifically, the HCU will be responsible for the following non-exhaustive responsibilities and tasks:

Responsibility 1: Strategic Planning and Operational Management

• Develop and refine SOPs, ensuring they are detailed and clear for guiding all project processes.
• Oversee the management, planning, and implementation of project activities across various components, ensuring they are properly integrated, monitored, and reported within the information system.
• Develop, review, and adjust the project’s work plans and performance plans to ensure consistency between budget and operational planning, identifying discrepancies and implementing necessary adjustments.
• Organize and lead coordination and consultation meetings with project teams and stakeholders to facilitate effective activity planning and implementation.
• Contribute to quarterly project review exercises and steering/monitoring committee presentations with the Action Coordinator.
• Supervise the implementation of the Information Management systems in collaboration with competent service providers and under the supervision of the Action Coordinator.
• Ensure that all the data related to the Gender Help Desk are integrated into the Information management systems

Responsibility 2: Financial, Administrative, and Compliance Oversight

• Collaborate with the Administrator/finance team to monitor budgets, ensuring compliance with donor and organizational procedures.
• Ensure that all programming, financial, and administrative matters are managed transparently and effectively in accordance with established processes and regulations.
• Supervise the development and revision of budget forecasts whilst ensuring consistency between budget planning and operational planning. Identify any discrepancies and propose and implement necessary adjustments.
• Identify and mitigate risks associated with MPCA implementation, including financial, operational, and compliance risks.
• Ensure adherence to reporting requirements and oversight of programmatic aspects.
• Constantly check the integrity and robustness of financial procedures, possible mismanagement and suggest corrective actions to minimize losses.
• Ensure a smooth and compliant administrative working environment at all levels of the TEI, through solid internal controls and reporting, sound coordination between MS agencies, and internal audits.
• Ensuring that agreed measures for safety and security are in place and adhered to by all staff, in link with the Action Coordinator.

Responsibility 3: Cross cutting issues and Quality Insurance

• Collaborate with the Head of Components to develop and implement cross-cutting activities, focusing on creating synergies and addressing gender and other inequalities issues.
• Supervise the Gender Help Desk to ensure its smooth and correct functioning, regularly reviewing and updating operational protocols to effectively apply the CAD2 marker and other gender markers, ensuring accurate reporting across all project activities
• Develop and integrate specific methodologies to effectively target the poorest 40% of the population throughout the program, thereby enhancing the project’s impact on vulnerable groups, and effectively apply the Inequality Marker 2;
• Identify gaps in cross-cutting expertise and coordinate the engagement of short-term specialists to ensure high standards of quality assurance across all activities.
• Provide recommendations to ensure complementarity and a comprehensive approach across the project, contributing to technical reporting on cross-cutting issues in close coordination with leadership.
• Support the development and refinement of methodologies and processes for identifying demands and balancing interactions between partners and themes.

Responsibility 4: Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL)

• Contribute in building and maintaining the operationality of the MEAL system, adapting existing tools and monitoring instruments while introducing new tools as necessary to enhance data collection, analysis, and reporting efficiency.
• Supervise the MEAL & KD Officer in systematically collecting and analyzing data collection, focusing on quality control, database development, analysis flowcharts, and result measurement frameworks.
• Support the development and implementation of a comprehensive knowledge management and learning strategy, in collaboration with the MEAL & KD Officer.
• Participate in and support necessary monitoring, learning, or evaluation exercises to enhance project outcomes and knowledge management.
• Compile and distribute detailed reports on project progress to the board of directors and other stakeholders, using data to highlight achievements and areas for improvement.