Iraq: Food Security and Livelihoods Program Manager

Nov 19, 2018 | Triangle Generation Humanitaire
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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 will complete its sixth year with no rapid end in sight. It has torn apart families, displacing more than 11 million individuals: more than 7 million inside the country and more than four million who have fled the conflict in search of safety in neighboring countries, including Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt and Iraq, and further afield in Europe (507,421 persons by the end of September 2015). More than 240 000 Syrian refugees were still settled in Northern Iraq as of July 2018, most of which in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq refugees (source: UNHCR). Overall, Iraq has seen major displacement of an estimated three million persons within its borders due to the advance of ISIS and subsequent fight to push them out of Iraq.

As of September 2018, still more than 1,9 million people were displaced in Iraq, out of which 1.3 million in the 4 northernmost governorates of Ninewa, Dohuk, Suleymaniyah and Erbil, where TGH operates. More than 4 million people are recently returned.

The defeat of ISIS’s last remaining strongholds in Iraq is now leaving ground for reconstruction. However, in places such as West Mosul that have seen severe destruction or remote areas where services are lacking, returns are not happening fast and Iraqi people are still displaced in IDP camps of Ninewa or the East bank of Mosul. Furthermore, the political and military stalemate between the Federal Government and Iraqi Kurdistan which followed the 25th September Kurdish independence referendum is keeping the tension high along the disputed territories, and plummeted Kurdistan into a budgetary crisis which presents serious challenges in the access to services (e.g. education) for displaced and host community populations. More recently, Iraqi elections, whose outcome is still uncertain to this date, put an additional level of inter-community tensions as military groups contribute to the political shaping of the areas retaken from ISIS.

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 Iraqi Kurdistan and conducted several projects in Erbil: WASH in schools, Winterization distribution, Education and psychosocial support. Since 2016, 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 have opened sub-offices in Baghdad and in Mosul for the Mosul / Hamdaniya operations and develop further project in Federal Iraq.

Presentation of the project

As part of a consortium of NGOs including Mercy Corps (consortium leader) and PAO (National NGO), TGH will be in charge of implementing the irrigation, livestock and agro-infrastructure of a 3 year project funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) starting beginning of 2019. The PERMA project (Promoting Economic Revival for Microbusiness and Agriculture project) is a 10 million Euros action in which approximately 3 million are allocated to TGH. In addition to the sectors of activities to be implemented by TGH, a micro-finance and economic recovery component will be conducted by Mercy Corps, a transversal Social Cohesion pillar being implemented by PAO.

The project will be implemented in Ninewa governorate, more specifically in the district of Hamdanyia which was under ISIS control for more than two years. Historically, Hamdanyia district has been hosting an important diversity of religious and ethnic groups of population, this population medley and the social cohesion having been strongly impacted by ISIS control over the area.

Two years of ISIS occupation, exile of populations and military operations have extensively damaged the agriculture and small business sectors; irrigation, agriculture and economic assets have been destroyed or looted, destocking was used as a coping strategy by breeders and significant levels of damages are recorded in the value chain infrastructures.

The components of the project to be implemented by TGH include :

  • Irrigation: support to water efficient irrigation systems for vulnerable farmers, installation of pilot solar powered irrigation systems, borehole rehabilitation.
  • Animal health: setup of veterinary mobile clinics, rehabilitation of animal treatment infrastructures, support to local veterinary services to restart their activities
  • Value chain infrastructures: rehabilitation of agro-related infrastructures

Job description

Under the responsibility of the Program Coordinator, the Project Manager is in charge of the overall implementation of the activities falling under TGH responsibilities in coordination with the other consortium members and especially the lead NGO. 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 Irrigation, Animal health and infrastructure component activities of the project titled « Promoting Economic Revival for Microbusiness and Agriculture».
  • She/he ensures that the project implementation at TGH level is coordinated and integrated in the global project at consortium’s level to ensure the global coherence of the action.
  • She / he conducts frequent field visits to plan and monitor the implementation of the activities.

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 monthly internal coordination meetings and communicates regularly with the Program Coordinator.
  • She/he communicates with the technical advisor at headquarters level on the project evolution, the technical problems faced, the potential risks and proposes solutions.
  • She/he contributes to the Internal Coordination Report writing the part dedicated to the project.
  • 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 (TGH internal reports and consortium related reports).

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 her/his line manager.

Strategy/Project development

  • She/he participates/organises need assessments according to the needs and mission strategy discussed with headquarters
  • She/he contributes to the development of new interventions based on identified needs, especially 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).

Profile

Educational background and experiences

  • Master degree / Technical certification in agriculture, development, irrigation, animal health with knowledge in farming and livestock systems
  • At least 2-3 years of experience in the field as Project Manager,
  • Experience in conflict area / post-emergency contexts desired

Skills

  • Strong communication, analysis and reporting skills
  • Knowledge of project cycle management and tools
  • Management qualities
  • Skills in transfer of competences
  • Strong organizational capacities
  • Fluent English mandatory (oral and written); Arabic would be a plus
  • 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