Iraq: Director Country Office Iraq Cordaid

Cordaid believes in a world without poverty and exclusion. We strive for just and sustainable societies where every person counts. We stand for knowledge and talent sharing between North and South, between farmers and businesses, between activists and policymakers. Where poverty, conflict and exclusion divide societies, we connect people and communities. We stand for professionalism, expertise and solidarity across borders. We aim at maximizing our social impact and contributing to systemic change. We operate where natural disasters strike, where conflicts tear up communities and where lack of opportunities and service delivery keep families in extreme poverty.

Cordaid is one of the leading CSO’s in the Netherlands, working in fragile contexts on Health, Resilience, Economic opportunities, Humanitarian aid and Security & Justice. Apart from our work abroad we also contribute to new forms of job creation and social innovation in The Netherlands.

Cordaid is a member of the international Catholic networks Caritas and CIDSE and we are active in worldwide civil society networks. We work in around 30 countries in Africa, Middle East and Asia.

For the Country Office in Iraq, Erbil also covering Syria activities, Cordaid is looking for a Director Country Office

Introduction

As a direct consequence of the violence and conflicts in the region, currently an estimated 8.2M people in Iraq need support like immediate humanitarian support, psychosocial support, peace reconciliation and rehabilitation of affected areas. raq has been identified by the ministry of foreign affairs as a focus country. Cordaid want to play a relevant role in building up the country together with the ministry of foreign affairs of the Netherlands and other donors to break the cycle of recurring conflicts. In addition to this Cordaid implements humanitarian interventions in Syria. Cordaid aims to expand its program, both in terms of content and geographic coverage. Ways are explored to introduce longer term rehabilitation and –development elements such as health systems reform as well as a focus on community level protection & security and justice aspects.

Position and responsibility

The Director Country Office is responsible for the management of the Iraq Country Office including activities in Syria and will play a crucial role in the development of a regional strategy, program expansion and diversification.

He/she will report to the Director International offices The Director Country Office is the line manager for all Cordaid staff in the region, including the Cordaid representative in Syria.

General objective and responsibility of the job

• Is responsible for realization of Country Office (MENA) targets;
• The management of the Cordaid office in Erbil;
• The management of the Cordaid programme in Iraq;
• Overseeing the work of the Cordaid representative in Lebanon and Syria;
• Networking, representation and acquisition.

Specific objectives

• Country Strategic Plan:

Monitors the progress and interdependencies of different projects from different business units, taking into account the developments in the country/regions, and proposes improvements in the chosen strategy.

• Cooperation benefits:

Creates partnerships between governmental institutions, donors, partner organisations and (inter)national non-governmental organisations, taking into account the agreed programme results.

• Funds:

Interacts with (potential) local/institutional donors, convincingly augmenting the added value of Cordaid as to acquire funds and ensure the future funding for the programme(s) in the designated country/region.

• Business/Action plan:

Translates the agreed Country Plan into work related result agreements with Cordaid staff in the region, with specific results in designated project areas while securing the connection with the Cordaid strategy.

• Program Management:

Keeps track of developments within the projects, manages the activities within the team and makes the necessary adjustments, taking into account the business/action plan, governmental policies, donor policies and the allocation of resources and preventing mission creep.

• Risk Management:

Assesses security, political, administrative and financial risks in projects and realises the security of the Cordaid team, consultants and Cordaid visitors, according to the Cordaid Safety First Manual.

• Program Reports:

Collects information within the programme and reports about the results.

• Personnel Management:

Leads personnel in accordance with the management style and social policy of Cordaid, focused on productivity, employee development and satisfaction. Ensures efficient use of resources and controls quality of work.

Qualifications

· Academic degree in international law, agriculture, health, economy, business/public administration, social sciences or other subject related to international cooperation and humanitarian interventions.

· Excellent management skills including human resource and financial management, communication and intercultural cooperation skills.

· At least 5 years experience with managing and monitoring development programs, preferably with such back donors as the EC, DFID and the Netherlands Govt.

· Experience in reporting requirements of institutional donors and working with local NGOs.

· Experience in security management.

· Experience in implementing security policy in insecure areas.

• A human centred approach to management and ability to promote and structure teamwork.

· A networker.

· Ability to work under stressful and time bound project conditions.

· Good oral and written communication skills in English language.

· Diplomatic and goal driven.

· Analytical and problem solving mind

• Flexible and capable of working in a stressful context.

Specifics of station

For the time being, this is a non-accompanied posting. However Erbil is currently very safe.

Contract information

The contract period is for one year starting as soon as possible, with the intention to extend for a longer period. We offer a Cordaid contract with a competitive salary and a benefit package which includes R&R, a comprehensive insurance cover, social security and pension contribution, a holiday allowance, 13^th month, hardship allowance and cost of living allowance (if applicable).

Further information & how to apply

For additional information, please contact Remco van der Veen (rve@cordaid.org)

Applications including a motivation letter and extensive CV in English, including the contact details of at least three professional references, should be submitted before August 8 2018. Please note that we accept applications through our website only: https://www.cordaid.org/en/vacancies/international/?cd_job_id=106714