Project Adviser - Funding Facility

Job Title:  Project Adviser - Funding Facility
Reports to: AV
The GIZ project “Support to Stabilisation and Violence Prevention in Iraq” (SSVPI) supports the stabilization process in Iraq and contributes to the prevention of violence and violent extremism through contributions to the coordination on stabilisation, a funding facility addressing drivers of radicalisation, and a component on dealing with the past for social cohesion.
We are a motivated, and dynamic team that values ownership of one’s areas of responsibility while working in a team and showing a cooperative spirit. We welcome applications from personalities with similar qualities.
The duty station for this position is the GIZ Baghdad Office.

A. Responsibilities
After the Iraqi armed forces succeeded in liberating the areas occupied by IS with the support of an international anti-IS coalition, a comprehensive stabilization process began in all parts of the country. SSVPI supports the dialogue between the Iraqi Government and the international community on stabilisation efforts.
The SSVPI project is looking for a Project Officer who will focus on establishing and maintaining a funding facility aiming at violence prevention by addressing drivers of violent extremism.
The funding facility will provide financial and technical support to selected community-based projects targeting vulnerable communities with conflict-related grievances and groups at risk for radicalisation and possibly violent extremism. Key responsibility will be conceptualizing and implementing said fund.
The Project Adviser will work in tandem with a Grant Management Adviser and closely coordinate with a Senior Adviser on Stabilisation and Violence Prevention.

The Project Adviser is responsible for:
- Provision of technical support for proposal development, and leading on co-creation of project ideas with local civil society and select governmental stakeholders from project idea to full proposal
- Quality assurance for implementation of grants/local subsidies and liaison with recipients on progress
- Support to implementing partners on organizational development and project planning/steering to selected community-based projects in Central Iraq targeting vulnerable communities
- Conceptual review and revision of the fund’s scope and facilitating calls for proposals Leading the technical selection process of implementing partners in accordance with specified quality standards and the indicators of the project

- Conducting outreach and carrying out information campaign to mobilize potential applicants to the funding facility targeted at civil society and governmental entities on governate and local level
- Supporting monitoring and evaluation of grant activities and reporting about the progress of the funding facility towards management
The position will allow for a good balance between managerial responsibilities with a focus on process management, as well as content-driven/conceptual work on violence prevention.
The position demands dedication to our objectives, diplomatic skills, and self-reliance.

The Project Adviser performs the following tasks:
B. Tasks

•  Technical Support to Implementing Partners and Project Development (Co- Creation) for Local Subsidies
  •  Provision of technical support for proposal development, and leading on co-creation of project ideas with local civil society and select governmental stakeholders (from project idea to full proposal)
  •  Identifying qualified local civil society organizations for co-creation of project ideas, concepts notes and proposals on PVE in the liberated areas
  •  Designing, planning and facilitation of co-creation workshops with local civil society and select governmental stakeholders for project development with support of external facilitators
  •  Quality assurance for implementation of grants/local subsidies and liaison with recipients on progress
  •  Technical backstopping of implementing partners/recipients of funds on PVE and violence prevention
  •  Support to implementing partners on organizational development and project planning/steering to selected community-based projects in Central Iraq targeting vulnerable communities

Facilitation and Management of Funding Facility
Calls for Proposals

•  Updating the conceptual framework and identifying the scope of funding facility and facilitating calls for proposals (e.g. updating of thematic entry points, identification of selection criteria, application documents, M&E mechanisms, development of information materials etc.)
•  Launching of calls for proposals through information campaigns, outreach-workshops for partners, organization of calls for proposals
•  Supporting the contracting process and the Grants Manager of the funding facility

Monitoring and Evaluation

•  Progress monitoring and quality assurance of grants by liaising with the grant and local subsidy recipients
•  Collecting and revising monitoring reports conducting field visits for M&E and provide technical support/backstopping where needed
•  Collecting and revising M&E data and consolidating data for our project reporting

1. Communication & Networking

•  Developing relationships and manages exchange with all important governmental stakeholders on national, regional and local level as well as with a wide range of local and international NGOs
•  Maintaining exchange on and continuously analyse drivers of violence and radicalisation with local implementing partners, governmental entities, community-based initiatives, NGOs, and international experts and contribute to adjustments of the funding facility
•  Updating project management about changes in governmental structures affecting the implementation of the fund
•  Reporting about progress with regards to the governance structure of the fund and makes proposals for adjustments
•  Consolidation reports from implementing partners and support project reporting to the donor
•  Maintaining of a good flow of communication and information between all units in the team, with other projects in the Reconstruction &  Peacebuilding (RECO) Cluster, the Cluster itself and potential implementing partners
•  Close cooperation with the project’s Advisers on the Working Group PREV and the Adviser on Grant Management
•  Ensuring that cooperation and decision-making processes within the team on the funding facility run smoothly, efficiently and quality-oriented

2. Other duties/Additional tasks.

•  Performing other duties and tasks at the request of management

C. Required qualifications, competences and experience
Formal Qualifications

•  University degree (min. M.A.) in social studies, public administration or a related field. Lack of relevant degree can be compensated with substantial working experience in relevant governmental institutions or international organisations.
•  Overall minimum of 5 years working experience, of which at least 3 years in the field of forced migration, stabilisation, the prevention on violence and extremism or perceived ISIL-affiliated families
•  Working experience or intensive cooperation experience with Iraqi governmental authorities, and with non-governmental stakeholders ideally in the field of international cooperation with a focus on social cohesion, violence prevention or PVE

Technical Skills

•  Technical expertise on conflict transformation prevention of violent extremisms, radicalisation and violence and background in technical backstopping of related
• projects
•  Knowledge of and experience with developing project designs, incl. the use of corresponding tools (RPP Matrix, Problem Tree, SWOT, Theory of Change, Log frame, Operational Planning)
•  Experience in designing and facilitating workshops on project development
•  Experience with partner engagement and setting up and managing joint steering structures incl. the preparation, facilitation and follow-up of high-level consultations and meetings
•  Experience in designing community/stakeholder outreach and information campaigns
•  Experienced networker, able to expand network and establish lasting working relationships with partners
•  Experience in grant management and follow-up with implementing partners
•  Experiences with funding schemes are an asset
•  Excellent organisational skills and ability to keep overview of complex settings and various simultaneous tasks, attention to detail and reliability

Soft Skills

•  Excellent understanding of the role of civil society in Iraq as part of the refugee response
•  Excellent knowledge of the public administration in Iraq, governmental bodies and other authorities especially for the relevant actors in the field of social cohesion, peace building and forced migration
•  Good working knowledge of ITC technologies (related software, phone, fax, email, the internet) and computer applications (e.g., MS Office)
•  Strong organisational competence
•  Strong communication skills and ability to adopt according to context
•  Team player and readiness to collaborate

Other knowledge, additional competences

•  Fluency in Arabic and English are mandatory (written and spoken)
•  Very good working knowledge of ITC technologies and computer applications (e.g., MS Office, MS Teams, Zoom/Webex et.Al.)
•  Strong managerial and organisational competencies
•  Ability to travel within Iraq regularly and possibly internationally is required
•  Willingness to upskill as required by the tasks to be performed – corresponding measures are agreed with management

Requirements for application:

•  The reference number and position must be mentioned in the subject line of the email, Ref: (BGH-SSVPI21-144) Project Adviser - Funding Facility
•  Subject line of the application should clearly indicate the vacancy applied for.
•  CVs and motivations letters that are in the form of IMG, pictures, screen-shots and links will not be accepted.
•  Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
•  Applications passed the expiration date of the advertisement will not be considered.