Project Assistant with ref. GIZ-PAD

Location	Duhok	Job Type	Permanent
Salary		Sector	NGO

Background
The main objective of the regional project “Psychosocial Support for Syrian / Iraqi Refugees and IDP” is to improve the capacity of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) service providers to meet the needs of refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities in Iraq and the Middle East region. To this end, the regional project cooperates closely with national and international NGOs, governmental bodies and universities.
The project does not work with refugees and IDPs directly, but fosters cooperation and synergies amongst regional, German and Iraqi MHPSS-actors. It serves as a knowledge broker and provides dialogue platforms for MHPSS service providers, systematizing existing good practices and lessons learnt and developing principles of high-quality psychosocial interventions, together with practitioners and academics.
The Program Assistant will support the regional project administratively and technically, e.g. by conducting literature reviews. The position will be in the GIZ Office in Dohuk, with occasional travels in KRI. It is a 50% position.

Responsibilities
The Program Assistant is responsible for

Supporting the regional project in its implementation, mainly by providing administrative and office support activities,
Financial administration, such as cash withdrawal, keeping the cashbook, preparing and verifying vouchers in line with GIZ standard procedures,
The settlement of invoices and related financial tasks,
Working on administrative tasks in close cooperation with the GIZ Country Office in Erbil,
Organizing of meeting and events, incl. documenting the results of conferences and workshops,
Keeping inventory according to GIZ Rules and Regulations using the related GIZ software system,
Handling procurement of goods in accordance with GIZ guidelines,
Handling procurement of services (contracts) in accordance with GIZ guidelines,
Support in following up on the project’s contracts and procurement requests for payments, by assuring an effective communication with the GIZ country office administration,
Supporting travel arrangements and settlement of travel expenses.
Small research activities regarding Mental Health and Psychosocial Support.

Tasks
Administration and Office coordination
The position holder

Is responsible for the booking of flights, transport and hotels for program staff and partners,
Is responsible for the settlement of travel claims,
Supports the project and its partners / consultants with visa applications,
Prepares contracts (grand agreements and local subsidies) with partner organisations and consultants,
Assists in logistical matters of all kind,
Handles inventory as per GIZ rules and regulations using GIZ related software,
Coordinates with the departments of GIZ office on behalf of the project (meetings, inquiries, procurement/Traveling/Financial issues),
Is responsible for the procurement of the project,
Supports the financial settlement of project activities.
Supports the partner organisations’ financial settlement of local subsidies

Financial Administration
The position holder

Coaches partners and consultants on appropriate handling of GIZ financial requirements,
Monitors and checks the travel expenses settlement of the staff,
checks and prepares invoices for payments according to GIZ rules and regulations,
assists the officer responsible for monthly follow up of receivables, unsettled items and advances,
follows up on payment schedules according to project plan an priorities
prepares for internal control sessions conducted by GIZ Office Iraq, GIZ HQ Audit Unit, and other related external audits,
maintains related filing for financial section and keeps information confidential considering GIZ Rules and Regulations, and the internal control manual,
prepares for regular project bookkeeping sessions with the finance department at GIZ Office.

Procurement of goods and services/logistics
The position holder

Handles procurement of goods up to EUR 2500 in accordance with GIZ guidelines in coordination with project staff (preparing for tendering, purchase orders etc.),
Handles service and consultant’s contracts up to EUR 2500 in accordance with GIZ guidelines in coordination with direct superior (preparation of consulting contracts, service provider agreements, etc.),
processes related invoices in line with GIZ rules and regulations,
organizes the handling of all logistics and financial processes regarding conferences, workshops, etc., according to GIZ rules and regulations
supports booking of tickets and preparation of travel arrangements,
supports project team in preparing travel expenses settlements and presenting complete documentation to GIZ Office for further processing.

Networking and Cooperation
The position holder

Participates in internal and external meetings and workshops whenever requested,
Helps organise events (conferences, workshops, etc.) and documents meetings, workshops and seminars within the project,
Cooperates and dialogues with partner organizations and other GIZ projects, and maintains good working relationships with them.

Knowledge management
The position holder

Assists in drawing up reports and presentation documents,
Supports with the translation of documents (from/to Kurdish and Arabic),
Supports the project documentation,
prepares and organizes public relations materials for the project,
Ensures knowledge transfer to the project’s internal knowledge management system,
Supports with literature reviews, mainly on topics related to Mental Health and Psychosocial Support.

Coordination
The position holder

Prepares and organises materials for events and activities,
Provides onsite logistical arrangements,
Supports the coordination of project activities in consultation with the Dohuk-based project staff,
Coordinates and ensures the smooth processing of related administration functions.

Other duties/additional tasks
The position holder

Carries out other related tasks for the project, even if these are not explicitly cited in the job description,
Proofreads and edits psychosocial manuals and material, paying attention to cultural characteristics,
Regularly checks the changes in GIZ Processes and Rules (P+R) in relation to his/her field of work,
assures that all PCs are protected by permanent and regularly updated automatic virus software in coordination with the IT and assists in regular data backup by storing in GIZ filing system,
ensures that administration folders in DMS are always up to date,
Represents the interest and always acts on behalf of GIZ.

Required qualifications, competences and experience

Qualifications
Formal Education

University Degree in (Business) Administration, or similar relevant field,
University Degree in Psychology, Social Work, Sociology, or a similar relevant field is an asset.
Professional experience
Professional experience (at least 2 years) in a comparable position,
Experience in preparation of purchase orders and service contracts and invoice follow up,
Experience in administration work in similar field or development organizations,
Experience in working in the IDP and refugee context is an asset,
Experience working on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) is an asset.

Other knowledge, additional competences

Good working knowledge of IT technologies (related software, phone, email, the internet) and computer applications (e.g. MS Office),
Good communication skills,
Very good management and organisational skills,
Willingness to travel in KRI (mainly to Erbil),
Eye for details and capability of monitoring lists, and documentation of processes,
Motivated to work in an international context and a regional project, with staff members based in different countries.

Language skills:

very good spoken and written skills in English and Kurdish (Badini), Kurdish (Sorani) and Arabic language skills are an asset.

Responsibilities The Program Assistant is responsible for

Supporting the regional project in its implementation, mainly by providing administrative and office support activities,

Financial administration, such as cash withdrawal, keeping the cashbook, preparing and verifying vouchers in line with GIZ standard procedures,

The settlement of invoices and related financial tasks,

Working on administrative tasks in close cooperation with the GIZ Country Office in Erbil,

Organizing of meeting and events, incl. documenting the results of conferences and workshops,

Keeping inventory according to GIZ Rules and Regulations using the related GIZ software system,

Handling procurement of goods in accordance with GIZ guidelines,

Handling procurement of services (contracts) in accordance with GIZ guidelines,

Support in following up on the project’s contracts and procurement requests for payments, by assuring an effective communication with the GIZ country office administration,

Supporting travel arrangements and settlement of travel expenses.

Small research activities regarding Mental Health and Psychosocial Support.

Tasks Administration and Office coordination The position holder

Is responsible for the booking of flights, transport and hotels for program staff and partners,

Is responsible for the settlement of travel claims,

Supports the project and its partners / consultants with visa applications,

Prepares contracts (grand agreements and local subsidies) with partner organisations and consultants,

Assists in logistical matters of all kind,

Handles inventory as per GIZ rules and regulations using GIZ related software,

Coordinates with the departments of GIZ office on behalf of the project (meetings, inquiries, procurement/Traveling/Financial issues),

Is responsible for the procurement of the project,

Supports the financial settlement of project activities.

Supports the partner organisations’ financial settlement of local subsidies

Financial Administration The position holder

Coaches partners and consultants on appropriate handling of GIZ financial requirements,

Monitors and checks the travel expenses settlement of the staff,

checks and prepares invoices for payments according to GIZ rules and regulations,

assists the officer responsible for monthly follow up of receivables, unsettled items and advances,

follows up on payment schedules according to project plan an priorities

prepares for internal control sessions conducted by GIZ Office Iraq, GIZ HQ Audit Unit, and other related external audits,

maintains related filing for financial section and keeps information confidential considering GIZ Rules and Regulations, and the internal control manual,

prepares for regular project bookkeeping sessions with the finance department at GIZ Office.

Procurement of goods and services/logistics The position holder

Handles procurement of goods up to EUR 2500 in accordance with GIZ guidelines in coordination with project staff (preparing for tendering, purchase orders etc.),

Handles service and consultant’s contracts up to EUR 2500 in accordance with GIZ guidelines in coordination with direct superior (preparation of consulting contracts, service provider agreements, etc.),

processes related invoices in line with GIZ rules and regulations,

organizes the handling of all logistics and financial processes regarding conferences, workshops, etc., according to GIZ rules and regulations

supports booking of tickets and preparation of travel arrangements,

supports project team in preparing travel expenses settlements and presenting complete documentation to GIZ Office for further processing.

Networking and Cooperation The position holder

Participates in internal and external meetings and workshops whenever requested,

Helps organise events (conferences, workshops, etc.) and documents meetings, workshops and seminars within the project,

Cooperates and dialogues with partner organizations and other GIZ projects, and maintains good working relationships with them.

Knowledge management The position holder

Assists in drawing up reports and presentation documents,

Supports with the translation of documents (from/to Kurdish and Arabic),

Supports the project documentation,

prepares and organizes public relations materials for the project,

Ensures knowledge transfer to the project’s internal knowledge management system,

Supports with literature reviews, mainly on topics related to Mental Health and Psychosocial Support.

Coordination The position holder

Prepares and organises materials for events and activities,

Provides onsite logistical arrangements,

Supports the coordination of project activities in consultation with the Dohuk-based project staff,

Coordinates and ensures the smooth processing of related administration functions.

Other duties/additional tasks The position holder

Carries out other related tasks for the project, even if these are not explicitly cited in the job description,

Proofreads and edits psychosocial manuals and material, paying attention to cultural characteristics,

Regularly checks the changes in GIZ Processes and Rules (P+R) in relation to his/her field of work,

assures that all PCs are protected by permanent and regularly updated automatic virus software in coordination with the IT and assists in regular data backup by storing in GIZ filing system,

ensures that administration folders in DMS are always up to date,

Represents the interest and always acts on behalf of GIZ.

Required qualifications, competences and experience

Qualifications Formal Education

University Degree in (Business) Administration, or similar relevant field,

University Degree in Psychology, Social Work, Sociology, or a similar relevant field is an asset.

Professional experience

Professional experience (at least 2 years) in a comparable position,

Experience in preparation of purchase orders and service contracts and invoice follow up,

Experience in administration work in similar field or development organizations,

Experience in working in the IDP and refugee context is an asset,

Experience working on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) is an asset.

Other knowledge, additional competences

Good working knowledge of IT technologies (related software, phone, email, the internet) and computer applications (e.g. MS Office),

Good communication skills,

Very good management and organisational skills,

Willingness to travel in KRI (mainly to Erbil),

Eye for details and capability of monitoring lists, and documentation of processes,

Motivated to work in an international context and a regional project, with staff members based in different countries.

Language skills:

Responsibilities
The Program Assistant is responsible for

Tasks
Administration and Office coordination
The position holder

Financial Administration
The position holder

Procurement of goods and services/logistics
The position holder

Networking and Cooperation
The position holder

Knowledge management
The position holder

Coordination
The position holder

Other duties/additional tasks
The position holder

Qualifications
Formal Education