The French Development Agency Group (AFD) is the main development cooperation institution of the French government. It is a public, non-commercial, financial institution providing development assistance in the form of grants, loans and technical cooperation to over 100 countries worldwide. AFD Group includes AFD, working with governments and public entities, Proparco, a subsidiary dedicated to supporting the private sector and Expertise France, a subsidiary providing technical expertise and direct project implementation capacity. AFD is active in Iraq since 2011 and has financed over 600 million euro worth of public and private projects and budget support in Iraq. AFD Group is currently working in the sector of water and sanitation, agriculture, health, banking and governance. It is working (or planning to work) in Anbar, Dohuk, Erbil, Ninawah, Qadissiya and Salah-ed-Din provinces. It is looking to increase and diversify its activity and geographic scope in the coming years.
AFD Iraq portfolio is currently managed from AFD Middle-East Regional Office in Beirut with frequent travels to Baghdad and Erbil of the expert in charge of Iraq and the Regional Director, and regular missions from the sector specialists based in AFD Headquarters in Paris or in the region.
In this context, AFD is looking for an experienced local correspondent to increase its presence in the country, the follow-up of on-going projects and the preparation of new projects in close cooperation with the team of the Regional Office.
Expected tasks
- Establish and maintain relations with other actors and influencers at the national and local levels (ministers and their teams, representatives of local governments, research centers, think tanks);
- Understand and explain AFD policies, standards and procedures to various stakeholders;
- Represent AFD in relevant stakeholders meetings;
- Assist in the preparation and follow-up of AFD missions;
- Assist the follow-up of projects implementation by partner institutions including studies, tenders and works execution (including review of documentation and field visits);
- Contribute to the assessment of the Iraqi context risks and opportunities and the definition of AFD strategic positioning and new projects identification and appraisal;
- Contribute to regional exchanges within AFD regional office perimeter (including Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan and potentially Yemen and Syria).
Profile
- Higher education degree, preferably in engineering, management or law with a minimum of 10 years experience;
- Experience working with public services and senior decision makers;
- Experience of public procurement and contract management;
- If possible, previous experience of working with international organizations;
- If possible, experience of working with a financial institution;
- Capacity to review and comment technical documents and procurement notices;
- Full fluency and demonstrated writing skills in Arabic and English are compulsory, knowledge of French would be a plus;
- Autonomous and proactive, demonstrated communication and negotiation skills
The expert should be able to travel to all regions of Iraq
Application of women is encouraged
Conditions
- The position is based in Baghdad with regular travels to various regions of Iraq;
- Detailed conditions up will be discussed with the short-listed candidates.
Applications should be send thier application before February 15, 2023. However, AFD reserves the right to select a candidate before this deadline.
Applications should include a detailed CV and a motivation letter. Shortlisted candidates will be expected to provide at least 3 references to confirm the candidate work experience.
Short listed candidates will be contacted thereafter for on-line interview. References given in the application will be contacted only in the final stage of the selection process.
