Duty Station: Northern Iraq (Erbil with Frequent travel to Baghdad, Dohuk, Mosul and various field locations)
Starting Date: 01 May 2025
Contract Duration: 1 Year with potential for extension (6 month probationary period)
Reporting Line: CARE Germany Team Lead, Country Office Management Team (COMT)
About CARE:
CARE International (CARE) is a non-religious, non-political international development
and humanitarian organization, dedicated to fighting global poverty with a focus on the
empowerment of women and girls. CARE works in around 95 countries globally, engaging diverse
partnerships to support communities to overcome poverty through development projects and delivers
humanitarian assistance. CARE programmes address social injustice whilst placing women and girls at
the core of programming in order to create sustainable positive change in poor communities. CARE is
an equal opportunity employer irrespective of nationality, religion, ethnicity, caste or gender.
CARE established its presence in Iraq in 2014 to provide relief and development assistance to
vulnerable populations affected by conflict.
Job Summary
Reporting to CARE Germany Team Lead COMT the Country Director provides effective
leadership and management to CARE staff and other stakeholders to undertake
CARE’s role in addressing poverty and injustice and providing humanitarian assistance
in Iraq, consistent with CARE’s Vision, Mission and Focus.
The Country Director has overall responsibility and leadership to ensure the relevance, impact and
cost-effectiveness of CARE in Iraq. S/he represents CARE in the country, guiding a
relevant program and resource mobilisation strategy development and implementation, ensuring effective humanitarian
capacity and timely response, leading operational planning, and overseeing financial, operations and
human resource management, including the safety and security of all CARE staff and visitors in Iraq.
Job Responsibilities and Tasks
Representation, Relationships, Fundraising and Advocacy
• The Country Director is the representative of CARE in Iraq and represents
CARE to all parties including the Government of Iraq, local authorities at various levels,
donors, civil society and other organisations.
• Ensure that the CARE has an appropriate legal basis for CARE’s presence in Iraq consistent
with CARE standards and program related agreements with the relevant government
authorities.
• Maintain relationships with key stakeholders (civil society, government, donors, etc) so
that they understand and seek the value of CARE’s contribution to development and
humanitarian fora as a valuable source of experience and as a preferred partner.
• Develop and strengthen relationships with key institutional donors and contribute to
developing successful funding proposals to build a healthy funding pipeline for CARE in
Iraq.
• Advocate with key stakeholders to positively influence decisions and conditions affecting
the humanitarian situation and the position of women and girls, as well as CARE’s ability
to implement its programs.
• Ensure that the image of CARE in Iraq is consistent with CARE’s Mission,
Vision and Focus and protects CARE’s interests and assets.
• Encourage and facilitate the engagement of all interested CARE Members in all aspects of
CARE’s program in Iraq including securing donor funding and supporting CARE Member media and
communications.
Program Development and Implementation
• Guided by the CARE strategy, donor and host government priorities,
ensure that CARE has a coherent, documented and understood strategy which clearly sets
out how CARE will fulfil its mandate to address poverty and injustice amongst poor and
marginalised women and their communities in Iraq.
• Ensure that CARE’s programs in Iraq meet the objectives of the strategy and CARE is able
to demonstrate the impact of its work through regular reporting of robust evidence.
• Provide support and guidance to the CO program staff in the identification, development
and design of programs and projects consistent with CARE’s program strategy in Iraq.
• Develop value-adding partnerships that are complementary to CARE’s activities and
competencies, increase the effectiveness and impact of mutually agreed objectives and are
consistent with CARE’s approaches to partnership and global commitments.
• Identify and secure program and project funding consistent with CARE’s program strategy
in Iraq through CARE Members, bilateral and multilateral donors and non-traditional
sources.
• Ensure excellence in programming through the application of best programming practices,
sound technical approaches, and good practice monitoring, evaluation and learning and
develop a robust evidence base to demonstrate impact and inform policy engagement.
• Ensure CARE’s full compliance with donor contractual requirements;
Ensure effective project implementation monitoring and evaluation that allows for
accurate donor reporting, timely course corrections, and learning and innovation.
Emergency Preparedness & Response
• Ensure that CARE in Iraq maintains a high level of preparedness to respond to
humanitarian emergencies and responds effectively to emergencies as required.
• Ensure that the Country Office emergency preparedness plan is current and reviewed
regularly in collaboration with CARE stakeholders and in-country partners;
• Provide effective leadership and management for the response by CARE in Iraq in the
event of a humanitarian emergency.
Safety and Security
The Country Director has primary responsibility for the safety and security of all CARE staff in-country and to safeguard all organisational assets and operations. The Country Director will:
• Promote a safe and secure work environment, foster a safety and security culture and
ensure consistent application of CARE safety and security policies and
procedures.
• Consult with the line manager and CARE stakeholders as required in the event of any
major safety or security-related matter.
• Lead the Crisis Management Team in Iraq and
oversee the CO’s overall response in critical incident situations, liaising with Country
Governments, CARE Germany teams, donors and media.
Country Office Strategic and Operational Planning and Implementation
• Establish and maintain an effective management structure in the country that is
documented and identifies responsibilities and accountabilities, includes appropriate
engagement of stakeholders in decision-making and has systems for internal
communication;
• Maintain the operational planning cycle, such as Annual Operating Plans, consistent with
CARE standards.
• Maintain all reporting requirements to host government, development stakeholders, CARE
Members and line management.
Country Office Financial, Budget and Administration Management
• Ensure the development of the CO’s annual budget as per CARE policies and procedures;
• Ensure the financial viability of the CO to ensure that project budgets are able to cover
the running costs of the CO;
Monitor and analyze the CO cost structure, particularly in anticipation of changes in the
program portfolio;
• Ensure that the CO performance and audit results are satisfactory, recommendations from
previous evaluations and audits are addressed and show an overall improving trend;
• Ensure that the risk register is maintained and issues acted upon in a timely manner;
• Ensure compliance with CARE Member financial policies and procedures including internal
controls and reporting requirements;
• Ensure compliance with all legal, contractual and statutory requirements.
Human Resources Development and Management
• Responsible for the overall performance and management of the CARE workforce in Iraq;
• Ensure that personnel working in CARE in Iraq are managed in accordance with the
relevant CARE and national staff HR policies and practices.
• Ensure that personnel management systems, policies and practices are documented
including but staff orientation and induction, safety and security, work plans and
performance appraisal, managing poor performance and misconduct; and are adhered to
by staff.
• Ensure that HR policies and procedures are established in accordance with host country
laws and legislation and reviewed on a regular basis; ensure that HR policies are respected
for expatriate personnel;
• Promote staff development and the maximization of local talent, through coaching and
mentoring, talent management, succession planning and active career development.
Communication, information and public relations
• Liaise with the CARE Members to publicise the work of CARE in Iraq.
• Provide information for Fundraising and Communication Departments
• Engage with national and international media and seek opportunities for publicising
CARE’s work in Iraq.
Qualifications:
Education & Training:
• Required: Appropriate educational background and qualifications commensurate with the
seniority of the position.
• Higher education in a relevant discipline is an asset.
Experience:
Required:
• Minimum of ten years of experience in international development and humanitarian
assistance;
• At least five years of successful experience at the senior management level in
international settings, in contexts similar to Iraq;
• Demonstrated experience of development and humanitarian programs relevant to the
situation of Iraq;
– Demonstrated ability to lead teams to succesful resource mobilisation and strategic foresight
Solid understanding of financial and budget management, and of best practice
programming;
• Proven abilities in decision-making and problem-solving including in dynamic and security
sensitive contexts;
Language competency:
• Fluency in English (speaking, reading and writing) is essential;
• German, Arabic, Kurdish language skills will be considered an asset.
Accountability within CARE:
A commitment to CARE values and CARE’s integrity framework is critical to working with CARE. Any candidate offered a job with CARE will be expected to adhere to the following key areas of accountability:
- Comply with CARE’s policies and procedures with respect to safeguarding, code of conduct, health and safety, confidentiality, do no harm principles and unacceptable behavior protocols.
- Report any concerns about the welfare of a child or vulnerable adult or any wrongdoings within our programming area.
Report any concerns about inappropriate behaviour of a CARE staff or partner.
Safeguarding:
Children and vulnerable adults who come into contact with CARE as a result of our activities must be safeguarded to the maximum possible extent from deliberate or inadvertent actions and failings that place them at risk of abuse, sexual exploitation, injury, and any other harm. One of the ways that CARE shows this on-going commitment to safeguarding is to include rigorous background and reference checks in the selection process for all candidates.
Gender equality:
CARE is committed to meeting the standards of the CARE International Gender Policy (2019). Through this policy, CARE seeks to promote the equal realization of dignity and human rights for girls, women, boys and men in all diversities, and the elimination of poverty and injustice. Specifically, this policy seeks to improve the explicit incorporation of gender in programmatic and organizational practices.
How to apply
Please send your complete application package (CV, motivation letter) only in English to application@care.de with Country Director – CARE Iraq as the subject title of your email. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. References will only be contacted after the interview.