Iraq: Country Director - Iraq

Country Director, Iraq

Transform the lives of the most marginalized and vulnerable communities and be at the forefront of social change.

About YOU: A driven and passionate mid to late-career professional hoping to manage an inspiring, dynamic team of leading human rights workers. Collaborative, hard-working, and visionary, the candidate will have exceptional leadership skills, and the ability to manage responsible growth of an office, and take HAI’s successful programming to the next level. This person has experience living and working in hardship countries and has management experience in diverse and challenging environments.

THE ORGANIZATION

HEARTLAND ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL -Heartland Alliance International (HAI) is a service-based human rights organization committed to protecting and promoting the rights of extremely vulnerable populations through an inclusive approach to comprehensive health and social and economic justice.

DESCRIPTION:

Position Summary:Heartland Alliance International (HAI) is looking for qualified candidates for the position of Country Director based in its Sulaymaniyah, Iraq office, located in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. HAI is a leading non-profit organization providing human rights protection and support to some of Iraq’s most vulnerable populations. The Iraq program approaches its work through three pillars: access to justice/rule of law, access to mental health care, and advocacy. The Country Director of HAI’s Iraq program is responsible for management, implementation and oversight of a range of programming throughout Iraq. Current program areas include juvenile justice; anti-trafficking in persons; gender-based violence; and legal protection for religious and ethnic minorities, torture survivors, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and returning refugees. The applicant will be responsible for assuring compliance with, and successful implementation of existing U.S. and U.N. grants and contracts; hiring and managing personnel; supervising the deputy country director, director of operations, and director of finance; designing programs and drafting proposals; diversifying funding streams; managing coalitions; overseeing donor reporting; providing external representation to donors in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), as well as, on occasion, Washington, DC; and participating in policy and coordination meetings with other stakeholders in both federal Iraq and the KRI.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

This is not an exhaustive list of duties. The need for flexibility is required and the incumbent is expected to carry out any other related duties that are within the employee’s skills and capabilities whenever reasonably instructed.

Program Development and Senior Leadership

Grow HAI’s regional presence with the strategic vision, expertise and passion necessary to execute an ambitious work plan. Solidify HAI’s reputation as the United States’ largest service-based human rights organization and an innovative leader in social justice programming globally.

· Collaborate with HQ senior management to develop a medium-term regional strategy to guide and inform future program development initiatives

· Assist in preparation of project proposals for external donors, conceptualizing and developing new project concepts in close co-operation with HQ and senior field staff

· Promote the work of HAI and provide HAI program briefings to donors and other stakeholders, as needed

· Identify, evaluate, and cultivate new partnership opportunities with other international, national and local non-profits by participating in regional and local coordination meetings

· Engage in background research and monitoring of country and regional developments

· Monitor changes in the external operating environment, especially in regard to government and donor policy changes and security in the region

· Represent HAI to local authorities, government and donor representatives, international organizations, and NGOs in the area of operation

· Maintain close and positive collaboration with major donors and partners in the area of operation

· Negotiate and/or approve contracts and agreements with suppliers, distributors, federal and state agencies, and other organizational entities

· Oversee all training and staff supervision of Iraq office staff, including, applying all related security measures for their safety

· Direct human resources activities, including the approval of local human resource plans and activities, the selection of in-country international or national staff, and the establishment and organization of major department

• Provide regular updates to HQ regarding service issues, strategic planning, new opportunities, management issues, security and safety concerns, and program successes
• Participate in annual planning of strategic goals

Security and Safety Management

Assume responsibility for the overall security and safety of the HAI office, including international and national staff, through monitoring the current operating environment in federal Iraq and the KRI, using established systems and developing new processes, procedures, and policies.

• Maintain an overview of the political and security context in both federal Iraq and the KRI, monitoring and understanding how developments may affect program work and the security and safety of international and national staff
• Ensure that effective security and evacuation plans and procedures are in place, regularly reviewing and updating based on the current and evolving security situation in Iraq in order to ensure the security of staff at all times
• Ensure all staff are aware of, adhere to security and safety policies and guidelines, regularly review these policies, and take disciplinary action, if required, when policies are violated
• Communicate with external security advisors to monitor and evaluate the evolving security environment and determine if, when, and what action needs to be take, when appropriate
• Establish, maintain and enhance professional relationships with government ministries and Assayash (KRI security forces) to ensure an open line of communication
• Oversee all information gathering and reporting requirements to the GOI and KRI, including Assayash, consulting with HQ and in-country support organizations (NCCI) regarding such requirements when needed
• Keep HQ informed of major security concerns and action being take, if appropriate
• Ensure that safety policies are updated and comprehensive for office operations and staff, including physical plant safety (e.g. fire, evacuation, etc.), transportation/driving, and other relevant policies as required
• Oversee IT security and coordinate closely with HQ to ensure Iraq office IT security policies and procedures are current and adhered to across all staff and partner channels

Project Supervision and Coordination

Ensure effective coordination and implementation of all Iraq projects, and make a lasting impact at a local, national, and regional level by supporting all program staff and maintaining a positive and energetic work environment.

· Provide leadership to the Iraq Office and provide oversight and supervision for all expatriate, third-country national and national staff

· Supervise implementation of projects to ensure that activities are implemented in accordance with agreed strategies, principles, implementation and M&E plans, and donor requirements

· Ensure all monthly, quarterly and bi-annual updates/reports are prepared and submitted, in accordance with donor and HQ requirements

· Provide project planning documents and recommendations to HQ, as requested

· Oversee compliance with all relevant external and internal standards and associated reporting across all projects

· Direct, plan, and implement policies, objectives, and activities of the organization to ensure continuing operations and to increase productivity

· Cultivate a positive, nurturing, and mutually supportive work environment by motivating and supporting staff, and boosting morale in creative ways

• Oversee and provide senior leadership guidance to deputy country director and director of operations in their daily interactions with managers and staff as they answer questions, ensure appropriate services are delivered, and address unanticipated issues
• Supervise Director of Operations and Director of Finance to assure the production of timely, accurate financial reports, budget tracking, allocations, forecasting and funding needs

Supervisory Responsibilities:Manages and directly supervises staff, subaward recipients, and volunteers in the Iraqi program including, but not limited to, the Deputy Country Director, the Director of Operations, and the Director of Finance and Administration.

Qualifications:To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Education and Experience: Master's degree (M.A.) or equivalent and at least five-to-eight years of relevant senior leadership experience; or, eight to 10 years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience; successful history of project planning, implementation and grant writing. Past experience must demonstrate expertise in: project management, staff supervision, project design, and donor cultivation and program development. The ideal candidate should also have:
• Experience in working in different cultural and linguistic settings. Demonstrated direct experience relative to Middle Eastern cultures.
• Prior experience in international settings working on human rights programming.
• Preferred Qualifications: Research experience; experience with HAI’s core programmatic areas, including mental health, access to justice, women’s empowerment, and counter-trafficking; Demonstrated knowledge of Iraq’s contemporary social political environment. Experience with USAID and/or State Department funding; at least one year of senior leadership experience within this environment desired.
• Language Skills: Must be fluent in English; knowledge of Kurdish and/or Arabic a plus. Excellent writing skills are required. Ability to read, analyze and interpret complex documents. Ability to respond effectively to the most sensitive inquiries or complaints. Ability to make effective and persuasive speeches and presentations on controversial or complex topics to top management, public groups, and/or boards of directors.
• Reasoning Ability: Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
• Personal attributes:Passionate about and personally engaged with human rights and social justice; Leads by example and possesses a high degree of integrity; personally credible, with a professional demeanor that generates the trust and confidence of staff, partners and donors.

To learn more about this position and to apply, please visit:

http://chk.tbe.taleo.net/chk03/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=HEARTLANDALLIANCE&cws=1&rid=2777 OR http://www.heartlandalliance.org/whoweare/careers/

*Please note that we do not consider resumes sent by email, fax or postal mail.