Pathways to Employment Adviser – Open to National candidates only

All NRC employees are expected to work in accordance with the organization’s core values: dedication, innovation, inclusivity and accountability. These attitudes and beliefs shall guide our actions and relationships.

Background:

Since the Government of Iraq declared that combat operations against the Islamic State Group (IS) had ended in 2017, Iraq has been recovering from the significant damage and destruction caused by the armed conflict. Of the more than six million Iraqis who fled their homes since 2014, 4.5 million Iraqis have returned to their area of origin and 1.4 million remain internally displaced. Many Iraqis have returned to areas that lack basic infrastructure, services and livelihood opportunities, or where explosive devices have not been cleared. Other challenges returnees and secondarily displaced people face include the lack of security, community acceptance, housing, property and civil documentation issues as well as critical educational and health service gaps.

Throughout this, Iraq continues to host over a quarter of a million Syrian refugees. With military operations against IS group having ended, the Iraqi government faces new challenges to ensure an inclusive reconstruction and reconciliation that will sustain peace.

Since 2010, NRC Iraq has been assisting internally displaced Iraqis, Syrian refugees, returnees, and host communities in Ninewa, Dohuk, Erbil, Kirkuk, Basra, Salahdeen and Anbar Governorates. We focus on assisting the newly displaced, those experiencing protracted displacement in camps, and people returning to and living in hard-to-reach places by improving their chance of obtaining a durable solution. NRC runs integrated programmes across Iraq to respond to people in need using our shelter and settlements, education, camp management, legal assistance, livelihoods, and cash activities.

Job Purpose

The Project Adviser – Pathways to Employment will ensure that activities are implemented with a high degree of technical quality, with a particular focus on development and expansion of both upstream and downstream micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) within the selected value chains for sustainable employment creation.

The Adviser will also provide technical guidance in the Pathways to Employment (P2E) technical assessments as well as mapping and capacity building of selected business development services (BDS) providers in the project locations. In addition, the Adviser will also be responsible for representation of NRC in different forums at the national level and development of systems and tools to enhance the quality, efficiency, monitoring, reporting and risk management of P2E interventions within NRC Iraq.

What you will do

• Contribute to the development of country and area livelihoods strategies; initiate and participate in the development of relevant proposals.
• Provide technical input into activity implementation through review of tools and processes, selection criteria and processes, activity monitoring and reporting. Contextualize and adapt relevant tools for implementation, monitoring, and reporting of Pathways to Employment (P2E) (MSME development, skills training and apprenticeship).
• Build entrepreneurship capacity through short term trainings; mentoring and coaching for skills transfer; develop targeted training materials for easy use by small enterprises; provide technical support for MSMES to develop strategic plans, monitor and evaluate performances and to assist MSMEs to develop and implement enterprise promotion programmes.
• Support the promotion of appropriate technologies that enable NRC to deliver quality MSME development programmes. This will include piloting and/or adapting evidence- based best practices; as well as review of workflows/business processes to enhance efficiency (e.g. eliminating cumbersome or multiple transactions) and strengthening accountability (e.g. securing supporting documentation).
• Coordinate the planned business development service (BDS) providers mapping and in periodic and need-based market assessments to inform project decisions
• Provide technical guidance in the follow up and analysis of P2E beneficiaries and provide regular updates to programme management related to successes, challenges, opportunities and lessons learnt from implementing P2E activities in Iraq
• Ensuring safety and do no harm standards are taken into consideration in P2E activities through awareness raising and through organising relevant training for NRC staff and relevant stakeholders.
• Responsible for ensuring programme support to markets focused programming, coordination and ensure high technical quality of projects and support to field staff
• Provide regular progress reports to the Activating Markets and Agricultural Livelihoods (AMAL) Programme Manager and the Project Lead
• Ensure that projects target beneficiaries most in need, explore and asses new and better ways to assist
• Ensure capacity building of project staff and transfer key skills
• Liaise and collaborate with relevant local authorities and other key stakeholders
• Promote the rights of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)/returnees in line with the advocacy strategy

Professional Competencies, Skills & Qualifications required

• Bachelor’s degree preferably in a field related to business or economic development with minimum 3 years’ relevant experience in a similar role
• Direct and demonstrable experience working with or in the Iraq business sector, experience providing technical advice and support to MSMEs and/or managing programs to reduce constraints to MSMEs, support their expansion
• Experience and expertise as technical specialist or programme implementation related to Livelihoods will be preferred
• Experience with cash and markets programming in the development/ humanitarian field in the Middle East or similar contexts with market analysis in the humanitarian sector
• Experience with inter-agency coordination in the development/ humanitarian field
• Very strong analytical skills (experience in collecting and large sizes of analysing data)
• Excellent facilitation and presentation skills
• Experience working with vulnerable communities and people (displaced people, women, youth)
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Excel is mandatory
• Fluent in English, both written and verbal. Arabic language skills are an advantage.

Behavioural competencies

• Working with people
• Strategic thinking
• Planning and delivering results
• Communicating with impact and respect
• Handling insecure environments
• Analysing

What We Offer

NRC is an equal opportunities employer and aims to have staffing diversity in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, nationality and physical ability.

We offer an opportunity to match your career to a compelling cause and a chance to meet and work with people who are the best in their fields.

Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply and join our work culture that empowers every employee to share ideas and take responsibility.

At NRC we think outside the box. We encourage ideas and give responsibility to all employees at all levels, to help solve the complex issues that we face. You will have many opportunities to be heard and take initiative.

We are also looking for people who share our values:

• To be dedicated in what we do;
• To be innovative with our solutions;
• To act as one unified and inclusive team;
• To be accountable to the donors that make our work possible; the people we exist to serve, and to each other… the members of our NRC family.

Additional Information:

Duty Station: Erbil Iraq

Duration of contract: 12 months, full-time, in accordance with local labour laws.

Grade 8 in NRC’s grading structure

Travel: 50%

Reporting line: AMAL Programme Manager