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Chief of Party (CoP), Education Consortium of Iraq

Erbil

  • Organization: NRC - Norwegian Refugee Council
  • Location: Erbil
  • Grade: Senior level - Senior
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Operations and Administrations
    • Democratic Governance
    • Education, Learning and Training
    • Public Policy and Administration
    • External Relations, Partnerships and Resource mobilization
    • Project and Programme Management
    • Managerial positions
  • Closing Date: Closed

                                                                                                 Rights respected, People Protected

NRC in Iraq

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.

The UN estimates that more than 4.1 million Iraqis will need assistance in 2020, 1.77 million of them in acute need. 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.

Duties and responsibilities

The newly formed Education Consortium of Iraq is planning to start a 36-month project, titled Ejtyaz (Crossover) across six Iraqi governorates: Anbar, Diyala, Duhok, Kirkuk, Ninewa and Salah al-Din. Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) leads the consortium, in partnership with Mercy Corps (MC), Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP), and Save the Children (SC). The project will support children to prepare for, enter, participate, and succeed in formal education, while assisting youth to obtain the necessary skills to transition to adulthood.

The Ejtyaz theory of change proposes that through transformational change at system and community levels, when: a) access to and quality of formal education are strengthened; b) learning environments are safer and more inclusive; and c) children and youth have increased capacity and opportunity for engagement, then this will result in improved learning outcomes, resilience and well-being for vulnerable, conflict-affected children and youth in Iraq.

This position will lead the consortium and be hosted by NRC, which has been working in Iraq since 2010 with crisis-affected populations, including IDPs and refugees in and out of camps, returnees and host communities. Although hosted by NRC, including in terms of organisational procedures such as logistics, finance and security, there will be a degree of separation and independence of the consortium manager and consortium management unit to ensure more equal representation of all consortium members. The following is a brief description of responsibilities:

Generic responsibilities

  • Coordinate with consortium members to ensure high quality implementation of activities, compliance with donor and consortium rules, and accountability to beneficiaries.
  • Ensure effective coordination and communication among consortium members, steering and technical committees, programmatic and finance/support teams across partners, donors, and other stakeholders. Coordination is one of the key elements of the position.
  • Recruit and manage consortium-specific staff, consultants and sub-contractors as needed to carry out activities.
  • Manage the consortium management’s unit’s budget, assets and resources.
  • With the Steering Committee, develop and implement a multi-year consortium strategy (programmatic and financial).
  • Act as a focal point for the consortium. Represent the consortium to external stakeholders - donors, government, coordination bodies, and local and international NGOs. Include the Steering Committee and other consortium staff in representation as much as possible and as appropriate. Network with relevant actors to help achieve consortium objectives.
  • Responsible for all aspects of grant management including but not limited to submitting high-quality proposals to donors, financial and programmatic reporting, grant filing, partnership agreements, and sharing grant information (reports, proposals, agreements) with consortium members.
  • Coordinate the monitoring and evaluation of member activities as needed for reporting, learning and possibly advocacy purposes.
  • Coordinate Steering Committee meetings and implement the agreed course of actions.
  • Ensure compliance and adherence to NRC policies, guidance and procedures.
Qualifications
  • Advanced university degree in relevant field.
  • Minimum 7 years of experience in senior project or programme management for an international organisation with responsibility for programming in a humanitarian, conflict or post-conflict context; or equivalent.
  • Proven experience in project cycle management and grant management.
  • Strong communication, inter-personal, facilitation and diplomatic skills, including the professional credibility to provide coordination and sometimes guidance to member organisations.
  • Documented results related to the position’s responsibilities.
  • Fluency in English, both written and verbal, with strong writing and editing skills. 

Context related skills, knowledge and experience:

  • Experience in education management, including relevant technical, management and leadership skills in education programming for children and youth an advantage
    Ability to guide and operationalise strategies and steer the development of consortia or partnership systems, with limited supervision and efficient multi-lateral coordination.  
  • Cultural sensitivity and experience working in complex emergencies and volatile contexts.
  • Experience working in the Middle East/Iraq and knowledge of the context an advantage
    Knowledge of Arabic and/or Kurdish an advantage.
Personal qualities
  • Planning and delivering results. 
  • Communicating with impact and respect. 
  • Strategic thinking. 
  • Managing performance and development. 
  • Managing resources to optimise results. 
  • Empowering and building trust.           
Additional Information
  • Contract period: 24 months.
  • Salary/benefits: According to NRC’s salary scale and terms and conditions.
  • Duty station: Erbil, Iraq, with 40% travel within Iraq. The position holder will be expected to travel to all areas of Iraq where NRC is operational.

Female candidates encouraged to apply.

Please download Job Description of the position here.

We will review applications on an ongoing basis, interested candidates are encouraged to apply early.


The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee.

We work in crises across more than 30 countries, providing emergencies and long-term assistance to millions of people every year. We stand up for people forced to flee, advocating their rights.

NORCAP is a global provider of expertise that contributes to solving challenges in the humanitarian, development and peacebuilding sectors. Our ultimate goal is to strengthen the resilience, and protect the lives, rights and livelihoods of vulnerable people and communities

NRC also runs the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre in Geneva, a global leader in reporting on and advocating for people displaced within their own country.


This vacancy is now closed.
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