Country director, Iraq (Erbil)

Job Profile

Country Director – Iraq (Erbil)

Position: Country Director

Country: Iraq – Kurdistan region of Iraq

Duration: 7 months – possibly renewable

Location: Position currently based in Erbil, could be relocated in Mosul. Visits to various offices and operations across the country.

Place in the org. Chart: reporting to the HQ-based Desk Manager

Starting date: January-February 2024

Conditions:

• Executive status
• monthly gross salary from €3,400 to €4,120 according to experience in the similar position
• monthly per diem 650 USD
• medical coverage of 100% + repatriation insurance
• accommodation, international and local transportation as part of the mission
• break every 3 months. Non-family duty station

TGH has chosen a deliberately simple and transparent remuneration policy, accessible on our website www.trianglegh.org. The salary levels advertised in our job offers are set within the framework of the salary scale and are not open to negotiation.

More information on www.trianglegh.org under “Participate”.

Presentation of TGH

“Actor in a sustainable and shared solidarity”

Founded in 1994, TGH is a French association for international solidarity based in Lyon. It designs and implements emergency, rehabilitation and development programmes in the fields of water, hygiene and sanitation, food security and rural development, socio-education and psychosocial support. TGH is currently active in 10 countries in Africa, Europe and Asia.

Context:

The year 2023 marks a new chapter for humanitarian actors in Iraq. With the de-activation of the humanitarian cluster system and a substantial decrease in international funding for humanitarian assistance in the coming year, humanitarian actors are repositioning themselves and – more than ever – need to prioritize. Humanitarian, development, and stabilization planning is also relevant considering the scale and persistence of humanitarian needs in Iraq. Violence, displacement, livelihoods, youth integration, Socio-political conflicts, and access to services remain key challenges.

Iraq has endured consecutive crises over the past two decades, including the US-led war on terror in 2003, incidents of sectarian violence, the conflict with the Islamic State that has created significant internal displacement, and most recently, the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent economic slowdown. The Kurdish region of Iraq continues to experience security tensions in areas bordering countries, while northwestern and central governorates continue to be at risk of violent attacks initiated by the Islamic State.

Iraq, a water-vulnerable country, has experienced difficulty cultivating crops amid climate-induced difficulties and water mismanagement. Iraq remains acutely vulnerable to climate-induced shocks, predominantly related to rising temperatures and water scarcity. If things continue as normal, the report warns that the widening gap between water supply and demand will increase from around 5 billion to 11 billion cubic meters by 2035. Concurrently, Iraq’s carbon emissions are one of the highest in the region, and despite extensive oil revenues, the country’s development indices have not kept pace with the growth and demand of its population.

There are approximately 1.14 million IDPs in Iraq, representing a decrease of 15.101 IDPs since the previous round. Some of those displaced in these districts returned home, while others engaged in internal movements or went abroad. Meanwhile, Salah al-Din, Ninewa and Baghdad Governorates saw the largest increase in IDP figures since May 2023 due to multiple factors as drought and desertification, economic conditions and hate speech against the Yazidi community. As of 31 August 2023, around 4.8 million IDPs had returned to their areas of origin, which represent an increase of 10,278 individuals since May 2023. Iraq also hosts more than 270,479 refugees from Syria and 29,000 from other regions, mostly Iran, Palestine, and Türkiye. In the last Humanitarian Needs Overview of 2022, 2.5 million person face humanitarian needs and 991,000 people intended to Receive Assistance in February 2023 according to humanitarian transition overview.

TGH Iraq Mission: A long-standing program, that evolved through three decades. TGH’s analysis of the country’s situation considers the following sets of issues including Stabilization efforts, involving returns and social cohesion challenges. A more significant role for civil society organizations and more responsibilities for public institutions to address social, political, economic, and environmental issues. TGH at present, has its coordination office in Erbil (KRI) and field offices in Ninewa and Salah Al Din governorates of Iraq.

Ongoing activities include:

• Construction and rehabilitation of water supply systems/irrigation services, and capacity building of community-based committees and local authorities in sustainable management
• The strengthening of food security and livelihood, through the distribution of agricultural inputs, promotion of farming best practices, sustainable natural resources management, and development of income-generating.
• Climate-smart agriculture, and awareness.
• Child Protection activities including, PSS activities, Child-friendly space rehabilitation and case management.
• Social cohesion, with a focus on communities and youth to prevent violent extremism.

TGH in Iraq is currently funded by a range of different donors: AFD, ECHO, and SILM (GIZ). Negotiations are ongoing with AFD for additional funding and the CDCS for new projects.

Job description

Under direct supervision of the HQ-based Desk Manager, the Country Director has overall responsibility for TGH’s operations in Iraq including KR-I and Federal Iraq (GoI). They supervise 1 or 2 international staff and 30 to 50 national employees.

The main responsibilities include:

General coordination of the mission

• Represent TGH in Iraq, act as TGH’s legal representative in the country, and promote positive image of the organisation
• Nourish and develop TGH’s participation in forums, networks, consortiums, partnerships and wide visibility, paying particular attention to Iraq’s transition from humanitarian to development and to TGH’s added value towards durable solutions
• Enhance partnerships with public authorities (line ministries, directorates) by promoting TGH’s vision of sustainability and capacity building
• Accomplish TGH’s mandate and Country Strategy, with operational partners, institutions and/or donors, and steers organisational transformation through the development and implementation of the Programme’s Operational Strategy
• Actively monitor and analyse context developments, in order to identify risks and opportunities. Including the political, humanitarian and socio-economic context
• Ensure compliance with the budget framework, policies and frameworks (safeguarding, commitment thresholds, security, human resources, risk management, etc.)
• Ensure accountability mechanisms are in place, and are managed well. This includes responsibility for managing any and all reports of corruption, behaviour not in line with the code of conduct and the policy of prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse.
• Ensure the implementation of all internal TGH policies.

Programs

• Ensure coherence between projects, overall programme in Iraq and organisational strategy and overall coordination, follow-up and quality of the ongoing projects
• Support the Program Coordinator and Project Managers in achieving project objective and project quality
• Coordinate the production of quality and timely reports (narrative and financial)
• Maintain existing, and establish new, partnerships with National NGOs
• Ensure that communication on ongoing projects is properly done with the authorities and any other relevant stakeholders and the communities

Fundraising

• Pursue fundraising efforts with the coordination team in country and relevant colleagues at HQ
• Initiate, supervise and coordinate (and conduct if needed) assessments and exploratory missions

Security management

• Ensure compliance with institutional safety & security policy and the application of normative frameworks and standard operating procedures (context classification chart, Security plans, etc.)
• Participate in updating of the mission’s security, evacuation and contingency plans and in security assessment missions as needed
• Ensure that each employee has a safety and security briefing and that everyone knows, understands and respects the safety rules
• Monitor the security context and maintain regular communication with HQ
• Ensure that TGH is fully included in the existing security information and coordination mechanisms, such as the UN, INSO and the French Embassy
• Manage security incidents and crises, in coordination with HQ

Human resources and support departments

• In coordination with the HQ-based Desk Manager, define the setup of the team
• Ensure performance management for staff under direct supervision according to the internal guidelines
• Provide active support to all departments and play coordinators’ role ad interim as needed
• Set up a team spirit and team functioning guaranteeing synergies and exchange of good practices between the different actors in the Programme and with head office colleagues

This list of responsibilities could be modified according to the needs.

Security, working and living conditions

Despite the unstable political context in Iraq and KRI and the surrounding region, the KRI region is generally safe and current TGH areas of operation in Federal Iraq are considered safe.

Erbil city is safe, and there are no restrictions of movement within the city. Much entertainment is available such as restaurants, sport centres, parks, supermarkets, cinema etc. Trips to the countryside are possible at weekends with prior validation by Country Director. Security rules may be revised according to the evolution of the context.

Working and living conditions in Erbil are good. Communication means are satisfying (efficient internet, international phones). The office is separated from the guesthouses. Individual rooms are available for each expatriate.

Profile

• Experience with a humanitarian NGO including at least 2 years in a coordination position.
• Strong experience in people and project management
• Experience in the Middle East is a distinct advantage
• Good knowledge of the humanitarian environment and/or development work (hybrid experience is a plus)
• Good communication and writing skills in English; knowledge of French and/or Arabic is an asset
• Proven experience in networking, fundraising and writing project proposals
• Strong leadership and visionary attitudes
• Experience in leading efficient and transparent financial management processes
• Good security management skills, experience with challenging security environments
• Self-organised while being able to work within a wider organisation
• Cultural sensitivity and focus on solutions
• Dynamic, autonomous and pragmatic
• Ability to live and work in a volatile security environment

Application

Applicants are invited to send a resume + a cover letter on our HR Webpage https://trianglegh.org/ActionHumanitaire/FR/RH/RessourcesHumaines.html,