Iraq: Education Project Manager

INTERSOS is an independent non-profit humanitarian organization committed to assist the victims of natural disasters and armed conflicts. Its activities are based on the principles of solidarity, justice, human dignity, equality of rights and opportunities, and respect for diversity and coexistence, paying special attention to the most vulnerable and unprotected people.

1. Terms of reference

Job title: Education Project Manager

Location: The post holder will be based in Erbil with periodic visits to the project locations in Erbil

Reporting to: Head of Mission

Starting date: asap

Duration of contract: 8 months

Dependents: No

2. General context of the mission

Since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011, more than 200,000 civilians have fled their home and sought refuge in Iraq, out of which more than 100,000 live in Erbil Governorate in the Kurdistan Region (KR-I): 27.7% settled in camps and 72.3% in urban settings.

Outside camps, Syrian refugees are spread in urban, peri-urban and rural areas within the host community, and live in rental accommodation or make do in a range of sub-standard housing options. The attention of the humanitarian community and local authorities to the Syrian refugees living out of camp has, thus far, been insufficient and needs further improvement. Provision of assistance to out of camp refugees in a more systematic manner is one of the strategic objectives of the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan 2016-2017 for Iraq.

In particular, education for Syrian children and adolescents has been severely disrupted by the war, and the resulting displacement has deprived many of them of access to education for more than three years. In the KR-I, while 74% of refugee children aged 6 to 14 years attend school in camps, only 62% is enrolled in urban settings. With regard to children aged 15 to 17 years, only 5% attend formal secondary education.

As conflict continues, the lack of engagement in meaningful education activities worsens children's vulnerability and will eventually deprive them of future opportunities. The major risk for boys is to be involved in armed groups and negative behaviors, while for girls the major risk is related to early marriage.

Specifically, the project aims at providing quality education opportunities (informal education courses for children from 6 to 15 years old and vocational training courses for youth from 16 to 20 years old), ensuring protection of most vulnerable. Moreover, the project aims at promoting access to the formal education system through the expansion of available spaces and the provision of transport services.

3. Tasks and responsibilities

The Education Project Manager is in charge of the coordination and supervision of the project activities, ensuring timely and quality implementation and monitoring in compliance with relevant Standard Operating Procedures, INEE Minimum Standards, Sphere Standards, International Principles and Guidelines, INTERSOS Fundamental Charter and Code of Ethics. Moreover, the Project Manager is in charge of supporting the Head of Mission and Education Coordinator in the development, implementation and evaluation of the mission strategy and programme, with special focus on the education response.

Specifically the Education Project Manager is responsible to:

· Plan, implement and monitor of the project activities (informal education activities; establishment of temporary education spaces in formal schools; provision of transport services for students enrolled in formal schools; vocational training courses at government institutes, and apprenticeships in shops/laboratories selected within the host community), ensuring timely and quality delivery of the targets set as per approved project proposal.

· Prepare, manage and regularly update the project activities work plan and related financial plan / procurement plan, ensuring timely and quality implementation in compliance with the defined project strategy, as well as INTERSOS and donor guidelines.

· Analyze the geographical distribution of the target beneficiaries in the project area to define the exact locations of intervention.

· Complete the identification and selection of the project national staffs and volunteers.

· Coordinate and supervise the project national staffs and volunteers, promote their capacity building and evaluate their performance.

· Undertake field visits to the project locations as needed to continuously monitor the progress and the quality implementation of the project activities.

· Prepare the project narrative and financial reports, according to INTERSOS and donor requirements.

· Ensure that all supporting documents (means of verification) and general project documents are properly filled in and filed.

· Establish and maintain collaborative relations with relevant donor officers, local authorities, local institutions, partners, project stakeholders and other organizations working in the project areas.

· Participate in meetings with relevant donor officers, programme and financial at both management and field level, according to the guidelines of the Head of Mission.

4. Required profile/experience

· Advanced University Degree in education or social science related fields such as Pedagogy, Political Science, International Relations, International Development Cooperation, Sociology or similar subjects.

· At least 3 years of professional work experience in management of large-scale projects in humanitarian and/or development contexts, including at least 1 year in emergency settings.

· Proven experience in management of UN and/or ECHO funds.

· Proficient knowledge of English is required. Knowledge of Arabic is an asset.

· Previous experience in managing COOPITA funds (desirable).

· Previous experience in managing education projects (desirable).

Technical competencies:

· Ability to set high standards for quality of work

· Ability to analyze and integrate information from a wide range of sources

· Ability to administrate funds, logistics and human resources

· Excellent communication skills, both oral and written

· Mastery of IT tools (MS Office package, internet, e-mail, etc.)

Behavioral competencies:

· Strong organizational and problem-solving skills with analytic approach

· Ability to take initiative and work autonomously

· Ability to achieve results effectively, considering the need for speed, scale and quality

· Ability to integrate and work well within multiethnic and multicultural teams

· Ability to develop and maintain collaborative relationships

Qualified applicants are requested to submit their curriculum vitae, motivation letter and 2 referencesto:recruitment@intersos.org, specifying in the subject ‘PM Education_Iraq”**

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for the first interview