Executive Coordinator - IQ Talent Marketplace

About SEED Foundation: SEED Foundation is a registered NGO in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. SEED’s mission is to protect, empower, and support the recovery of survivors of violence and others at risk. SEED is committed to delivering high quality, holistic approaches, which combine international expertise and local know-how to achieve results for the people of Iraq and Kurdistan Region. SEED’s programming focuses on three key objectives: 1) the delivery of transformational, comprehensive services including case management, mental health, and legal services, as well as psychosocial support activities; 2) strengthening the capacity of service providers through education, training, and capacity-development programs; and 3) ​promoting policy and social change to strengthen the rights of, and protections for, vulnerable groups and individuals through public awareness, technical assistance, and advocacy.

Role of the Executive Coordinator:

We are seeking to hire an Executive Coordinator (EC) in a newly created role at SEED, who will support the operation of the senior management team (SMT) and act as an advisor, problem solver, and network liaison to facilitate effective and efficient decision-making, support follow up and oversee implementation. The successful candidate will be a highly resourceful individual with strong emotional intelligence, self-motivation, and robust analytical skills. The EC ensures that the SMT focuses on key priorities, strategic issues and engagements, and supports the organization to operate effectively and efficiently, with clarity across all levels of staff and accountability to all stakeholders. The EC works across the organization’s departments and teams to address key priorities, resolve complex issues, strengthen strategic resource and capacity planning across different program streams and locations. The EC will act on behalf of the SMT to visit field offices and SEED Centers to ensure that all of SEED’s staff are connected, working towards a common set of priorities, and that the work environment is positive, collaborative, and productive.

The EC will play a strategic and facilitative role to strengthen decision-making and decision-making processes, policy and process development, and communication and implementation of decisions and policies. The EC will work to improve information sharing within the senior management team and within the organization, to ensure that SEED strategies, priorities, and direction are shared regularly and implemented. The EC will plan and carry out initiatives of the SMT working across departments and units, strengthening coordination and follow up, accelerating decisions, and ensuring that the SMT are responsive to staff. The EC will enable the SMT to work more strategically, effectively, and efficiently across the organization and to help assess programmatic, operational, security, reputational, and political risks and develop risk mitigation strategies.

The EC will be the executive manager of SEED’s Board of Directors, organize and host board meetings, and help the board perform their role as fiduciaries. The EC may represent SEED with external stakeholders, and at external meetings and events. The EC will ensure that public-facing SEED reports are reviewed and are of high quality.

Specific Tasks:

Strategy and Operations

• Assist the SMT to conduct strategic, organizational, and resource planning, and provide oversight and guidance to operational planning, budgeting, monitoring, evaluation and learning, innovation, and experimentation processes in support of the SEED strategic framework and operational plan.
• Develop and implement initiatives to support organizational effectiveness, systems improvement, and collaboration and partnership management systems for SEED.
• Serve as implementer for initiatives or commitments involving multiple departments or stakeholder groups, ensuring alignment, clear communications, and appropriate leveraging of resources.
• Manage the SMT’s decision-making, which includes setting and managing the agenda for meetings, and annual retreats, and ensure strong feedback loops and multidirectional communication streams for all SMT decisions.
• Ensure that all staff are appropriately guided in setting strategic and operational priorities, and integrating learnings from monitoring and evaluation processes into their work, and that our lessons learned are institutionalized.
• Develop and monitor cross-organizational performance indicators for internal learning and external audiences.

Executive Leadership:

• Supports the SMT and provides strategic direction and advice and supports organization-wide initiatives, ensuring that appropriate action is taken, and the results are communicated to all relevant Directors, parties, and stakeholders in a timely manner.
• Supports the SMT on all projects and initiatives.
• Supports the SMT with providing input and approvals to staff, and that only the most critical issues are approved by the President and Vice President.
• Support draft of the SMTs communications, presentations, correspondence, and talking points, tasking managers and teams as appropriate.
• Ensure that the SMT are prepared for all meetings, events, and public engagements.

Board Relations and Governance

• Regularize and oversee board engagement, setting agendas, meetings, and follow up.
• Help facilitate a strong, effective, and collaborative working relationship among the Board of Directors and the SMT.
• Assist the Board Members in contributing strategic guidance, fundraising, and support to SEED.

Oversee Decision-Making, Policy-Making, and Communications

• Work with the SMT and other managers to draft and/or deliver key organizational information to ensure staff are informed of, included in, and engaged with SEED work and organizational priorities.
• Supports staff in formulating plans, policies, and decisional documents and receive decisions and feedback from SMT in a timely way.
• Manage existing staff communication venues, e.g., monthly all-staff meetings and Bi-weekly management team meetings.
• Identify issues and problems for resolution; assist departments, managers, and units in resolving complex issues particularly when crossing many department’s equities or responsibilities; raising issues for SMT decision when appropriate; facilitating efficient decision making through well thought out analysis and presentation of the issues.
• Facilitating policy or procedure making and ensuring implementation of decisions, policies, and procedures.

Organizational Development and People Leadership

• Collaborate with the SMTs, department, program, unit, and service delivery managers, to develop, motivate, and lead team members, creating an equitable and inclusive environment that promotes collaboration.
• Intentionally share power through collaborative decision-making, clear definition of roles and responsibilities, effective delegation, and equitable access to resources.
• Foster collaborative working relationships across SEED in ways that drive organization-wide effectiveness.
• Provide strategic direction and advocacy for accountable leadership and strong organizational effectiveness.

Essential criteria:

• Masters Degree in management, development, law, sociology, or equivalent years of experience preferred.
• At least 5 years of senior organizational leadership and direct people management experience are required.
• Experience managing in diverse settings, including international organizations preferred.
• Demonstrated senior leadership and management skills and abilities in strategic and operational planning, and ability to successfully manage multiple competing priorities.
• Demonstrated experience in change management best practices and implementation required, including knowledge of best practices related to human behavioral change required for long-lasting organizational change. Occasional evening and/or weekend availability required.
• Ability to work in a stressful setting and adapt quickly to changing environments.
• Results/action-orientation; organizational management skills
• Highly developed communications skills (written/verbal), emotional intelligence, and interpersonal savvy; Tact, diplomacy, and perseverance
• Organizational and political agility
• Strong negotiation, collaboration, and teamwork skills
• Unquestionable personal code of ethics, integrity, diversity and trust
• Strong strategic and analytical skills, including financial analysis;
• Ability to meet demanding deadlines and work under stress.
• Possesses excellent oral/writing communication skills in English. Kurdish, Arabic, a plus.
• Strong computer skills – Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, Google; IOS/MAC a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to manage projects, solve problems; resourceful.
• Experience creating systems, processes, and procedures.
• Detail-oriented, organized, and self-starting.
• Strong belief in human rights and gender equality.