External Engagement Liaison ( Senior Officer) - Baghdad - IQ Talent Marketplace

The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, IRC offers life-saving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in more than 40 countries and in 22 U.S. cities, IRC restores safety, dignity, and hope to millions who are uprooted by conflict or disaster. IRC leads the way from harm to home.

The IRC established programs in Iraq in 2003 to address the overwhelming needs of displaced people in Iraq and the neighboring countries. Since re-establishing its presence in Iraq in November 2007, the IRC has been assisting thousands of internally displaced families in the northern, central, and southern governorates in the sectors of protection, gender-based violence (GBV), education, economic recovery, Child Protection, and emergency humanitarian assistance. Working in coordination with the humanitarian community in Iraq, the IRC’s assistance and emergency programs address the needs of war-affected Iraqi internally displaced persons (IDPs) and Syrian refugees from several operational bases in the country and include both camp-based and urban-based assistance. IRC operates throughout Iraq, with the main office in Erbil and field offices in, Baghdad, SAD, Anbar, Kirkuk, and Nineveh.

Job Overview/Summary:

The External Engagement Liaison (EEL) plays a key role in the IRC Iraq’s efforts to facilitate principled engagement with external stakeholders, including government actors at the Baghdad and governorate levels, and with local and regional media actors. The EEL’s efforts will promote more responsive, effective and organized programs that deliver better outcomes for the people the IRC serves in Iraq. The EEL is responsible for strengthening IRC’s understanding of government structures within Iraq, as well as the strategies and priorities of relevant ministries and how these officials may support the work of IRC or serve as a viable partner. The EEL will support government relationship building at a Baghdad and district level, in close coordination with program teams, and facilitate and guide efforts to build collaborative partnerships. The EEL will also contribute to comprehensive mapping of national and regional media outlets, and facilitate relationship building with key stakeholders to enhance the reach of IRC’s programming in Iraq.

Major Responsibilities:

Responsibilities Specific to Role:

• Work with Country Director, Policy, Advocacy and Communications (PAC) Coordinator, Deputy Director for Programs, Technical Program Coordinators, Partnerships Coordinator, and other relevant staff to conduct comprehensive mapping of government agencies and local government departments relevant to the IRC’s priority outcome areas and programs based on the Strategy 100 Action plan for Iraq. EEL will also contribute to partnership processes in collaboration with the Partnerships Coordinator.
• Identify strategic priorities of relevant government agencies and local government actors, and analyze areas for partnership, advocacy and relationship building with IRC program teams in coordination with technical leads as informed by IRC Iraq’s Strategic Action Plan and sector priorities.
• Provide ongoing liaising with relevant government agencies to support work of program teams, including information coordination, database management, and refreshed analysis to reflect changes in political context.
• Facilitate engagement with government and other actors as requested through tailored engagement plans that are specific to each program and responsive to internal and external feedback.
• Map local and regional media actors relevant to IRC’s programming in Iraq and support developing and maintaining relationships with representatives of media outlets to promote successful partnerships between the IRC and external actors and highlight programmatic work.
• Monitor national and regional media to identify and analyze events and trends that may impact IRC’s country operations and provide regular updates to program staff.
• Support the PAC coordinator with development of media items such as press releases and tweets in Arabic and English to reflect the work of IRC Iraq’s programs.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Policy, Advocacy & Communications Coordinator
Position directly supervises: N/A

Other Internal and/or external contacts: the position regularly corresponds and attends meetings with external and internal audiences, thus a strong ability to communicate and maintain positive working relationships is highly desirable for this position. Strong attention to detail and information management is also highly desired.

Internal: Technical Program Coordinators, Baghdad Field Coordinators, Access and Security Coordinator, Partnerships Coordinator, Regional Communications. Grants and Partnerships Department Staff, Baghdad Field Coordinator, Finance team, Supply Chain team, Access and Security Coordinator, Regional Communications, Partnerships Coordinator.

External: Relevant government ministries and agencies,  governorate and district administrations, national and regional media, other relevant stakeholders as required.

• BA degree or equivalent in International Development or Affairs, Communications, Business or related field; Advanced degree a plus.
• Minimum of 3-6 years work experience with INGOs or NGOs in the Middle East Region.
• Proven experience in working with and developing constructive working relationships with government in Iraq.
• Strong knowledge of Iraqi government structure, processes and relevant rules and regulations.
• Strong knowledge of Iraq and regional media landscape.
• Excellent communication, coordination and organization skills.
• Proven ability to work well in and promote teamwork, thrive in a multi-cultural environment, be flexible and handle multiple tasks and deadlines with professional grace.
• Excellent written and spoken English and Arabic is required.

Standards of Professional Conduct: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct.  These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability.  In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Gender Equality IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including maternity leave, gender-sensitive security protocols, and other supportive benefits and allowances. Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement: Per the Iraqi Ministry of Health COVID-19 guidelines, IRC requires candidates who are selected for positions to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter IRC premises. However, the exemption is only accepted per the Iraqi Health regulation and upon the provision of a negative PCR test.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity: IRC is committed to building a diverse organization and a climate of inclusivity.  We strongly encourage applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they can contribute to this goal. 

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Notice to all Job Seekers

IRC implements an equal employment opportunity policy, and our recruitment process is based on merit.

Applicants and/or successful interview candidates (both internal and external) are not required to pay any fees at any stage of the recruitment process.

If anyone asks you for any financial or non-financial favors to help you secure a job at IRC, kindly report to [email protected].

ملاحظة لكل الباحثين عن وظيفة

تعتمد لجنة الانقاذ الدولية سياسة فرص عمل متساوية  وان عملية التوظيف لدينا تعتمد على الجدارة  .

لايتوجب على المتقدمين لاي وظيفة او المؤهلين للمقابلات (سواء كانوا موظفيين حالين او متقدمين من خارج المنظمة) دفع اي مبلغ مالي خلال اي مرحلة من مراحل التوظيف.

اذا قام اي شخص بطلب اي خدمة مالية او غير مالية لقاء مساعدتكم في تأمين فرصة عمل داخل المنظمة ،يرجى الابلاغ عن ذلك الى [email protected]

Click on the below link: 

https://rescue.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/37951?c=rescue 

Closing date: 6 – March – 2023