Cash and Livelihoods Project Manager Iraq Kirkuk (OPEN TO IRAQI NATIONALS ONLY)

About NRC In Iraq:

Since the Government of Iraq declared victory over the Islamic State Group (IS) in December 2017, large-scale military operations ended. However, as the country emerges from nearly four years of conflict, the situation remains fragile with extensive recovery needs and high rates of unemployment and poverty. As of 31 December 2020, over 4.84 million internally displaced Iraqis have returned to their areas of origin, while 1.22 million people remain internally displaced and in need of humanitarian assistance. Insecurity, lack of social cohesion, and destroyed or damaged housing hampers people's ability to return home in safety and dignity. Furthermore, the lack of sustainable employment opportunities in areas of origin presents an ongoing barrier to return as it hinders people’s access to basic services, such as food, health, and education.

The 2021 Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) for Iraq identified 4.1 million people in need (PiN), of which 2.4 million people have acute humanitarian needs. While the number of people in need remained similar to the previous year, the severity of those needs increased, largely due to the impact of COVID-19 on top of an existing humanitarian crisis, leading to a 35 per cent increase in the number of people in acute need. As outlined in the HNO, the main drivers of this increase were the impact of COVID-19 and the partially related economic crisis, leading to large-scale loss of livelihoods.

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

Despite the end of the armed conflict with ISIS in end 2017, large numbers of Iraqi’s impacted by the conflict are trying to rebuild their lives. Many still face danger or are stuck in a protracted displacement situation. A large proportion of the displaced have returned to their area of origin. NRC Iraq works with all the populations in need including IDPs in and out of camps, returnees and host communities. In addition, NRC supports Syrian refugees in Iraq as well as populations impacted by climate-change induced displacement.

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

Duties and responsibilities

The purpose of the Cash and Livelihoods Project Manager position is to implement cash and Livelihoods programme portfolio for NRC Central Iraq Area office.

Generic responsibilities: 

• Line management for project staff
• Adherence to NRC policies, guidance and procedures
• Contribute to the development of Country, Area and Livelihoods strategies, initiate and participate in the development of relevant livelihoods projects
• Coordinate and manage Livelihoods project implementation (activities, budget and project documentation) in line with proposals, strategies and donor requirements
• Implement technical direction and ensure high technical quality of projects
• Provide regular progress reports to the Area Manager and the Cash and Livelihoods Specialist
• Ensure that projects target beneficiaries most in need of protection, explore and assess new and better ways to assist
• Develop and manage project budget and coordinate across core competencies
• Ensure capacity building of project staff and transfer key skills
• Promote the rights of IDPs/returnees in line with the advocacy strategy

Specific responsibilities: 

• Support design of market assessments, mapping, beneficiary selection, Post Distribution Monitoring (PDM) surveys and end line surveys to inform program design, implementation and impact of NRC’s cash and livelihoods programs  
• Ensure budget management and submit regular spending plans; develop work plans for the field teams and follow up with progress on a daily basis; develop procurement plans and ensure all procurements are done in time;
• Responsible for the quality of the program: quality of data collection and distributions are according to Standard Operation Procedures (SoPs) with correct accountability measures in place;
• Represent NRC in external meetings as needed, primarily with Directorate of Agriculture (DoA), Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MoLSA), and any governorate level coordination mechanisms on Livelihoods
• Participate activity in Area Management Team meetings and management initiations.

Critical interfaces

By interfaces, NRC means processes and projects that are interlinked with other departments/units or persons. Relevant interfaces for this position are:

• Strategy and project planning: Area Programme Manager, Specialists
• Area operations: Area Management Team, Support staff, Security team
• Staff capacity building:  Human Resource departments, Area Program Manager
• Implementation: Core Competency Specialists; Area & Country Office, Livelihoods teams; Area & Country Office Support teams

Scale and scope of position

Staff: 1 cash and livelihoods project coordinator, 2 Assistants and 10 incentive workers/enumerators

Stakeholders: INGOs, UN agencies, local NGOs, civil society actors, Donors, Cash

Consortium for Iraq (CCI), governmental bodies including the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MoLSA), Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Migration, Chamber of Commerce, education and training centres (government and private sector)

Budgets: Responsible for NRC AO full portfolio of budgets

Information: NRC’s online share point, Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) reporting  system (GORS) and Financial tools; Kobo data collection platforms;  

Legal or compliance: Code of Conduct; NRC and donor Policies

Competencies

Competencies are important in order for the employee and the organisation to deliver desired results. They are relevant for all staff and are divided into the following two categories:

Required Professional Competencies:

• Minimum 3 years of experience from a senior level project implementation position in a humanitarian/recovery context
• Experience from working in complex and volatile contexts
• Technical livelihoods expertise
• Documented results related to the position’s responsibilities
• Knowledge about own leadership skills/profile
• Fluency in English, both written and verbal

Context/ Specific skills, knowledge and experience:

• Technical Livelihoods expertise in transition/early recovery context, including small business development training
• Experience in implementing cash and voucher assistance (CVA)
• Experience with creative economy income-generation activities
• Versed in market assessment and analysis approaches
• Experience with business start-ups/entrepreneurial approaches
• Experience working with vulnerable groups; able to demonstrate conflict-sensitivity, compassion, discretion
• Experience with Natural Resource Management approaches highly desirable
• Experience with Community Engagement principles and approaches
• Commitment to an evidence- and needs-based approach
• Demonstrated results with conflict-sensitive and adaptive livelihoods activities
• Demonstrated experience managing large teams and providing capacity building support
• Demonstrated experience integrating livelihoods work with other sector programmes and into assessments

Required Behavioural Competencies:

These are personal qualities that influence how successful people are in their job. NRC’s Competency Framework states 12 behavioural competencies and the following are essential for this position:

• Managing resources to optimize results
• Managing performance and development
• Empowering and building trust
• Handling insecure environments

Performance Management

The employee will be accountable for the responsibilities and the competencies, in accordance with the NRC Performance Management Manual. The following documents will be used for performance reviews:

•  
• Job Description
• Work- and Professional Development Plan
• NRC Competency Framework

We Can Offer

• Contract period: 11 months
• Salary/benefits: According to NRC’s salary scale and terms and conditions
• Duty station: Kirkuk, Iraq
• Travel: 20%

THIS POSITION IS OPEN TO IRAQI NATIONALS ONLY!