Project Manager – Agricultural Development and Food Security Project

Project Manager –
Agricultural Development and Food Security Project – Sinjar – Iraq

Country: Iraq – Based in Sinjar with frequent travel to Mosul

Duration: 12 months – from August 2021

Conditions: Salaried contract, gross monthly salary from €1’900 to €2’600 depending on experience, monthly per diem 650 USD, medical coverage of 100% + repatriation insurance + provident fund, accommodation, international and local transportation as part of the mission, break every 3 months. 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 international solidarity organization based in Lyon. The association designs and implements emergency, rehabilitation and development programs in the following sectors: water, hygiene and sanitation, civil engineering, food security and rural development, socio-educational and psychosocial. TGH is currently operating in 11 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Context

The regional conflict in Iraq and Syria started in 2011 and since then, it has torn families apart, displaced millions of people inside the country and pushed other millions to look for refuge in neighboring countries and in Europe.

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KR-I), hosting 97% of Syrian refugees within Iraq, also hosts around 700,000 internally displaced people. Furthermore, the KR-I faces a budgetary crisis which presents serious challenges in the access to services (e.g. education) for displaced and host community populations.

The defeat of ISIS’s last remaining strongholds in Iraq is currently leaving ground for reconstruction and IDPs’ slow and unplanned return to their home villages and cities. However, in places such as West Mosul and other large areas that underwent severe destruction and where services are lacking, returns face structural limits (absence of livelihood opportunities, lack of public services, shelter…) and Iraqi people continue to be displaced in camps in Ninewa or in the East bank of Mosul.

In this context, inter-community tensions are still present while military groups contribute to the political shaping of the areas retaken from ISIS. Despite the loss of the territories it used to control, ISIS cells are still present and active across the country and conduct frequent attacks.

Starting from October 2019, anti-government protects started in Baghdad ad spread all over the country, in particular in the southern regions. In some cases, these led to violence against civilians, although this has not been reported in Ninewa, where TGH’s expatriate staffs are based. By the end of 2019, the then Prime Minister resigned and was not replaced until May 2020, leading to a protracted institutional crisis while the country was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

During this time, strong tensions between military and political actors exacerbated and attacks against US emissions in Iraq become more and more frequent.

The new government, established in August 2020, has inherited a country characterized by high levels of corruption, a worsening of Covid-19 pandemic in spite of a prolonged lockdown, significant consequences of this pandemic on the country’s health system and economy, powerful militias and third-countries’ influence (e.g. Iran, US).

Presentation of TGH mission

TGH worked in Kurdistan from 1995 to 1999 in the education and agriculture sectors to support refugees from Turkey. In 2013, TGH reopened a mission in Kurdistan and conducted several projects in Erbil: WASH in schools, Winterization distribution, Education and psychosocial support. From 2016 to 2020, TGH has deployed an emergency response supporting Iraqi IDPs in three camps of Ninewa Governorate (Khazer M1 and Nimrud, Salamiyah 1 and more recently Salamiyah 2 camps) with child protection services and education in emergencies. TGH has also been conducting and still developing livelihood activities towards vulnerable returnee households in rural Tilkaif / Hamdaniya districts. More recently TGH has opened offices in Baghdad, Mosul, Sinjar, and is developing programs in these areas of Federal Iraq.

Ongoing interventions

· TGH is implementing a 3-year (2019-2021) food security and livelihood project in consortium with two partners in Hamdaniyah district. This project is currently working with farmers, exploring value chains, supporting animal health programs and microfinance (through implementing partner).

· In the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, TGH is involved since 2017 in an institutional support program aiming to build the capacities of KRI’s Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and of the 3 Directorates of Social Affairs of Erbil, Dohuk and Sulaymaniyah governorates. In 2019 this project expanded to Ninewa and to the center and south of Federal Iraq, where it is still implemented in 2021.

· In Ninewa (Baaj and Tel Apta) TGH is implementing Child Protection activities to support returnees affected by recent camps closure. This project is funded by Iraq Humanitarian Fund, and is ending in July 2021.

· In Mosul, TGH is implementing livelihoods activities (vocational training) in a youth center, this project is funded by UNICEF.

· Since August 2020, TGH is implementing a project in Sinjar area with the support of the French MoFA (CDCS) aiming at improving the livelihoods of vulnerable rural and peri-urban families by strengthening food security and boosting agricultural income generating activities

A note about TGH project management: While restrictions related to Covid-19 pandemic are slowly reducing, access to a number of locations controlled by the GoI might continue to be restricted and could translate into a number of activities being managed at a distance with new arrangements and set-ups to put in place.

Presentation of the project

This project will be implemented in Sinjar area, as a second phase of a similar project and will target 200 rural households under a CDCS funding through a voucher scheme and 100 to 150 households through animal health services.

Through the design of a digital catalogue of input, equipment and services, targeted households will receive support to relaunch their agricultural activities. Some households will also be given the opportunity to access quality animal health services through the deployment of a mobile veterinary clinic and support to existing veterinary clinics.

Job description

Under the direct responsibility of the Field Coordinator Ninewa based in Mosul and the functional supervision of the Program Coordinator, the Project Manager is in charge of the overall implementation of the activities falling under TGH responsibilities. The position includes, among other responsibilities, human resources management, internal and external coordination, reporting, planning of activities and purchases.

The main responsibilities include:

Project management

• She/he ensures the proper implementation, supervision, monitoring, reporting of the different components of the project

• She/he is in charge of managing the HR dedicated to the project.

• She/he conducts frequent field visits to plan and monitor the implementation of the activities.

Project Knowledge Creation

• She/he contributes to the project knowledge creation through the writing of activity sheets, design of relevant documentations; with the support of HQ FSL Technical Department

• She/he carries out regular analysis of the relevance of the project scheme and suggests adaptation when needed.

Logistics and administration

• She/he makes sure that logistical, administrative and financial procedures linked to the project implementation are established and alerts her/his superiors if gaps are observed so that corrective action may be taken.

• She/ he anticipates the logistics (procurements; purchase, vehicles, etc.), Administrative and Financial needs related to the project (recruitments, payments, cash requests, etc.) related to the project.

Internal coordination

• She/he participates in internal coordination meetings and communicates regularly with the Program Coordinator and the Field Coordinator.

• She/he communicates regularly with HQ FSL Technical Department on the project evolution, the technical problems faced, the potential risks and proposes solutions.

• She/he is involved in providing relevant communication on the project (pictures, video, success stories etc.)

Representation and external coordination

• She/he represents the association as required with donors, partners, local authorities (Department of Agriculture, Department of Water Resources, Muktars, Mayors, etc.) and stakeholders involved in the implementation of the project.

• She/he especially maintains good relationship with other UN and NGO actors.

• She/he ensures regular presence in UN-led Food Security and Livelihoods clusters

Reporting

• She/he writes donor narrative reports and internal reports, including monthly follow up of the project.

• She/he is in charge of gathering data, analyzing them to describe contractual indicators.

Security

• She/he contributes to efforts aimed at ensuring compliance with safety rules at the site, and transmits all information relating to safety concerns to the field coordinator.

Strategy/Project development

• She/he participates to need assessments according to the needs and mission strategy discussed with HQ

• She/he contributes to the development of new interventions based on identified needs, linked to the FSL sectors and areas of the projects.

• She/he analyzes, collects relevant information linked to the FSL situation in the country and identifies key trends in collaboration with her/his colleagues and headquarters.

• She/he meets with potential local partners (NGOs).

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

Profile

Educational background and experiences

· Experience with a voucher scheme project a strong asset

· Postgraduate diploma in agriculture, agronomy, agricultural development or related field

· At least one experience in the field as Project Manager in FSL or Cash Based Transfer projects

· Experience in conflict area / post-emergency contexts desired.

Skills

· Strong communication, analysis and reporting skills

· Willingness to work in complex and volatile environments.

· Ability to work efficiently under pressure

· Strong negotiation skills

· Knowledge of project cycle management and tools

· Management qualities

· Skills in transfer of competences and logistic

· Fluent English and French mandatory (oral and written); Arabic a strong asset;

· Computer skills (including Excel and Word)

Personal Qualities

· Strong interpersonal and intercultural skills;

· Pro activity and flexibility

· Autonomy and sense of team working

· Adaptation capacities to dynamic context

Application

Applicants are invited to send a resume + a cover letter on our website’s HR page: www.trianglegh.org at the attention of Amandine Ruinart, Human Resources Officer.