Position Summary

Un Ponte Per is looking for an Iraqi community worker in Dhi Qar, to manage the following major tasks:

• Assistant in the implementation of vocational trainings, internships and grants in the boat production, food production, mudhif production and handicrafts production sectors;

• Together with Field Coordinator managing the relations with the Vocational Training Center (VTC) in Nasiriyah

• Create a database of SMEs in Dhi Qar region, working in the selected eco-tourism sectors;

• Mentoring and managing the relations with beneficiaries and SMEs;

• Collecting feedback and data on the beneficiaries;

• Monitoring the activities and the results achieved against the project indicators;

• Report to the line manager in a timely and accurate manner;

• Ensuring data collection for M&E requirements;

• Liaising with local partners, donor and relevant stakeholders;

• Participating in relevant coordination meetings;

• Performing any other task assigned by the Field Coordinator or Project Manager

The Community Coordinator will coordinate the following activities:

• Groups of youth and women are trained in the traditional production of boats, houses, gifts and other traditional handcraft typical of Nasiriyah and the Marshes, alongside business-support training.
• We will organize at least 12 vocational trainings in specialized workshops created/strengthened by this project (traditional production of boats, traditional reed houses, gifts and other traditional handcraft, and some business management skills).
• Groups of locals including women and youth from Thi Qar will be identified among long-term unemployed and vulnerable communities.
• They will be trained on traditional production of boats, houses, gifts and other traditional handcraft and on how to organize local cooperatives and design a simple business plan for eco-tourism.
• A minimum of 12 workshops will be organized during this project, each training will target 20 youth.
• Traditional experts and resource persons from the region will have a key role in sharing experience and planning for the future.
• Private sector such as small companies, shops and other Job providers will be involved in the training as resource persons they discuss providing jobs, and start up small projects, in each sector professions of these trainings.
• We will provide internships in local SMEs and CSOs (for 180 women and men for 6 months each).
• 180 jobs will be created through an internship program in the cultural heritage and eco-tourism sector, by linking 180 unemployed women and men to job opportunities inside local SMEs and national civil society organizations working, in these sectors. A preference will be given to those youth that graduate from the vocational trainings of this project.
• A database with the profiles of both the interested candidates and the companies and organizations willing to accept interns will be created.
• A job matching expert will link the profiles with the most relevant internship opportunity.
• This project will cover the internship costs for 4 months, but contracts will be drafted with the SMEs, CSOs and institutions receiving the interns, in which they commit to hire them at their own costs for at least 2 months after the end of the internship.
• Similar programs implemented by UPP in the region have showed a retention of up to 80% after the end of the internship.
• - Micro grants will be given to 20 youth for their own small businesses in connection to the technical workshops, eco-village and the sports club.
• Youth trained by the technical workshops supported by this project will be able to apply for grants to develop or to strengthen their own small businesses linked to cultural heritage and sustainable tourism in Thi Qar .
• At least 20 grants will be assigned to the best proposals or ideas to be implemented in the second year of the project. Each grant should be spent in 3-6 months.
• The project team will help these young entrepreneurs to identify opportunities to sustain their new small business, linking them to local authorities, local SMEs and local market.

Team and management and Organization settings:

The Community Worker is part of UPP Nasiriya office team, He or She will follow this line management:

1. Direct line manager is UPP Project Manager in Nasiriya: Toon Bijnens
2. General supervisor is the UPP Country Representative in Erbil: Raid Michael

Qualifications:

1. Affinity with heritage and environment of the Thi Qar;

2. Candidates have to be permanently resident in Thi Qar Governorate;

3. Minimum 2 years of experience in coordination roles.

4. Knowledge and familiarity with livelihood projects.

5. Geographical area knowledge of Thi Qar.

6. Fluent English and Arabic.

7. Computer literacy (word, excel, outlook, internet);

8. Availability & ability to undertake additional assignments and flexibility to multi-task work.

9. Planning skills in terms of drafting work plans, priority setting, capacity to match deadlines;

10. Demonstrable skills in administration

Working experience with NGOs and local authorities Personal skills:

1. Flexibility, good communication and organizational skills.

2. Sense of responsibility, ability to work independently and as part of a team.

3. Highly approachable and trustworthy.

4. Readiness to listen to people, capacity to prioritize, open-mindedness and common sense.

5. Non judgemental, positive atitude

6. Proactive attitude

7. Experienced in handling and de-escalating conflicts

How to apply: Interested candidates are invited to submit:

• A detailed CV in English language

• A brief motivation letter Please indicate “Community Worker Dhi Qar” in the subject of the email.

Interested candidates should email their application to: vacancy.iraq@unponteper.it and toon.bijnens@unponteper.it