I. Background and Purpose
the International Labour Organization (ILO), with support from the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), is implementing a project in Southern Iraq. The project focuses on enhancing private sector development and creating decent jobs, emphasising sustainable green businesses and support for startups. The project operates on three levels: at the macro level, it supports evidence-based policy options for micro, small, and medium- sized enterprises (MSMEs) through business environment assessments. At the meso level, it builds the capacities of financial institutions to better serve their clients’ needs and provides training to intermediary organizations. At the micro level, it offers training to youth, small business owners, and startups, focusing on business management and financial literacy, while facilitating their access to financial services. The project collaborates with various ministries, employers’ and workers’ organizations, and financial institutions, ultimately benefiting vulnerable workers in Iraq. This initiative aligns with the Iraq Decent Work Country Programme and the government’s Riyada’ initiative for development and employment, with a focus on the green economy, improving MSME capacities, enhancing financial inclusion, and providing essential support to startups. It includes enterprise assessments, identification of constraints in green business development, and training and support for trainers, financial institutions, and businesses.
The project is actively implementing various initiatives in Basra and Muthanna, targeting MSMEs and aspiring entrepreneurs. These initiatives include Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) training, financial education, and green business development. Additionally, the project facilitates connections between entrepreneurs and financial institutions to enhance access to finance, ultimately supporting business growth and sustainability.
The implementation of these activities is carried out in collaboration with key stakeholders in Basra and Muthanna to ensure effective coordination and impact. To further strengthen and support these efforts, the project requires a national consultant to assist in the implementation of activities across both governorates.
Assignment’s purpose
The objective of this consultancy is to support the effective implementation of project activities in Basra and Muthanna by strengthening connections with key stakeholders, reaching out to MSMEs and potential entrepreneurs, and ensuring smooth execution of interventions. The consultant will oversee field activities, including organizing meetings, FGDs, workshops, training sessions, and events while also updating and managing monitoring tools to track progress and impact.
II. Scope of work
The selected consultant will provide comprehensive technical, coordination, and operational support to ensure the effective, efficient, and timely implementation of project activities in Basra and Muthanna. The assignment is designed to strengthen field-level execution, enhance coordination among key stakeholders, and ensure that project interventions are delivered in accordance with approved work plans, quality standards, and ILO rules and procedures.
The consultant will play a key role in supporting day-to-day project implementation by facilitating coordination between the ILO project team, implementing partners, government institutions, private sector actors, financial institutions, and beneficiaries. This includes ensuring that activities are well-planned, sequenced appropriately, and implemented in a coherent and results-oriented manner across the two governorates.
The scope of work includes supporting stakeholder engagement and partnership management, overseeing and monitoring field activities, following up with partner banks on MSME referrals, and providing operational and logistical assistance for project events and missions. The consultant collaboration with partners to ensure that project outputs contribute effectively to the intended outcomes, including improved MSME access to finance, strengthened stakeholder coordination, and enhanced delivery of project services at the local level.will also contribute to monitoring, documentation, and reporting processes by collecting field-level data, maintaining implementation records, and providing regular progress updates to inform decision-making and adaptive project management.
In addition, the consultant will support quality assurance by identifying implementation gaps, operational risks, and emerging challenges, and by proposing practical and timely solutions in coordination with the ILO team. The assignment requires a strong field presence, proactive follow- up, and close collaboration with partners to ensure that project outputs contribute effectively to the intended outcomes, including improved MSME access to finance, strengthened stakeholder coordination, and enhanced delivery of project services at the local level.
III. Detailed Tasks
Project Coordination & Stakeholder Engagement
• Liaise with the Senior National Project Officer and Project Manager to ensure alignment of activities with project objectives, work plans, and timelines.
• Support the establishment and maintenance of partnerships with relevant government entities, private sector actors, financial institutions, and local communities in Basra and Muthanna.
• Organize and facilitate coordination meetings, stakeholder consultations, and technical discussions, and document key outcomes and action points.
Field Implementation & Monitoring
• Conduct regular field visits to monitor project activities and ensure compliance with agreed quality standards.
• Support oversight of implementing partners by tracking progress against work plans, identifying implementation challenges, and proposing practical recommendations.
• Carry out field assessments and data collection as required, and complete monitoring tools under the supervision of the ILO team.
Partner Banks Branches Follow-up
• Conduct systematic follow-up with partner banks’ branches in Basra and Muthanna on MSMEs referred through the project.
• Coordinate with bank focal points to track case status, address procedural or documentation gaps, and support validation and field verification visits.
• Monitor MSME cases from referral to final decision and support resolution of operational bottlenecks in coordination with the ILO team.
Operational & Logistical Support
• Support planning and coordination of project activities to ensure adherence to schedules and efficient use of resources.
• Organize and coordinate trainings, workshops, and knowledge-sharing activities for MSMEs, financial institutions, and partners.
• Support logistical arrangements for field missions and events, including coordination with service providers under ILO supervision.
Reporting and Other Tasks
• Prepare brief field updates, progress inputs, and documentation as requested by the ILO team.
• Perform any other technical or operational tasks assigned by the Project Manager or Senior National Project Officer that contribute to achieving project outcomes.
IV. Expected deliverables
It’s anticipated that this assignment will involve a maximum 90 days within 8 months period (01 February 2026 to 31 August 2026). The assignment holder must prepare monthly report covering all the activities. . All deliverables received are considered drafts and must be revised/refined in line with the consultations and the validation process to be accepted as a final deliverable.
The consultant is expected to submit the following deliverables:
Deliverables: Seven Monthly Reports (to be submitted by the end of each month) Each month, the consultant will submit a report covering the following:
1. Stakeholder Engagement & Coordination: Summary of meetings, key decisions, and follow-up actions.
2. Field Visits & Activity Monitoring: Updates on project implementation, challenges, and recommendations.
3. Implementing Partner Oversight: Assessment of partners’ progress, bottlenecks, and corrective actions.
4. Data Collection & Evaluation: Updates on surveys, FGDs, KIIs, and beneficiary tracking.
5. Training & Capacity Building: Reports on training sessions conducted, participant feedback, and materials used.
6. Workplan & Timeline Updates: Progress against planned activities, adjustments, and upcoming priorities
V. Reporting arrangements
The consultant will conduct the assignment under the overall supervision of the project manager, and the Sr. Project officer. All the activities should be coordinated with project team to ensure smooth implementation and to leverage on ILO strategic partnership with Government of Iraq. The assignment holder will be onboarded in the context of the other projects involved and relevant to the assignment. The ILO may provide documents to broaden the understanding of the assignment focus and the cross-cutting issues.
The assignment must be implemented in a dynamic approach that considers the client’s availability and time preference, the timeframe of seeking governmental feedback and comments in line with the validation process.
VI. Detailed qualifications, experience and skills required
The consultant should meet the following qualifications and possess the necessary expertise:
• Proven experience in program planning, design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of projects.
• Strong communication and coordination skills, particularly in engaging with ILO’s
social partners.
• Professional experience in development programming, with expertise in liaising with government authorities, national/international technical counterparts, NGOs, and building effective partnerships.
• Skilled in working and communicating with diverse actors, including government
authorities, humanitarian agencies (UN and NGOs), and people from culturally diverse backgrounds.
• Experience in both development and humanitarian programming.
• Familiarity with ILO tools and methodologies (desirable).
• Familiarity with Decent work country programme in Iraq (desirable)
• Fluency in Arabic as the trainings will be delivered in Arabic, and good level in English for reporting.
• Experience from the local context of Basra and Muthanna existence on the ground is highly preferred.
The technical proposals will be evaluated according to the criteria described below:
• 25% The proposal and CV should demonstrate thorough compliance with the Terms of Reference.
• 30% Consultant’s Professional experience in development programming, with expertise in liaising with government authorities, national/international technical counterparts, NGOs, and building effective partnerships.
• 30% Consultant’s experience in similar consultancies in Basra and Muthanna.
• 15% familiarity with ILO’s programmes and DWCP.
VII. Indicators for evaluation of outputs
The consultant will be assessed based on timeliness, achievement of objectives, and quality of work. Key indicators include timely delivery of planned activities and reports; effective coordination with the ILO team, implementing partners, partner banks, and other stakeholders; and regular, well-documented field monitoring visits in Basra and Muthanna. Performance will also be measured by accurate completion of monitoring tools, quality of follow-up with partner bank branches on referred MSMEs, support to validation and verification visits, and contribution to resolving operational or documentation bottlenecks. The quality, clarity, and usefulness of reports and recommendations, as well as responsiveness to assigned technical or operational tasks, will form an essential part of the evaluation.
VIII. Payment terms
1. Progress payments will be scheduled as below:
a. 1st payment 25% equivalent to the number of working days relevant to the deliverable and in acceptance of the ILO team ( upon the submission of the monthly reports for February and – March 2026 and to the acceptance and satisfaction of ILO team), due by 10th April 2026
b. 2nd payment 30% equivalent to the number of working days relevant to the deliverable and in acceptance of the ILO team ( upon the submission of the monthly reports for April and – May 2026 and to the acceptance and satisfaction of ILO team to be paid 10th Jun3rd payment 30% equivalent to the number of working days relevant to the deliverable and in acceptance of the ILO team ( upon the submission of the monthly reports for June and – July 2026 and to the acceptance and satisfaction of ILO team to be paid 10th AUG
c. 4th payment 15% equivalent to the number of working days relevant to the deliverable and in acceptance of the ILO team ( upon the submission of the monthly reports for August 2026 and to the acceptance and satisfaction of ILO team to be paid 30 August
2. In case of progress payments, payment schedule and timeframe shall be based on the number of days corresponding to the deliverables.
3. The daily fee shall be established within the fee range corresponding to the complexity of assignment and the external collaborator’s country of residence, as per the ILO Daily Fee Range Table.
If the external collaboration contract is to be established in local currency, the amount will be converted from USD to local currency using the United Nations Operational Rate of Exchange effective at the time of establishing the contract
IX. Travel Arrangements (If applicable)
No Travel Arrangements.
Summary of work to be performed:
(*to copy in the “Description” field in Jaggaer for display on UNGM)
Complexity of assignment (as per IGDS 695):
A Projects or technical tasks of a narrow scope and low complexity
B Projects or technical tasks of moderate complexity with either broad scope/limited depth or restricted scope/considerable depth
C Projects or technical tasks of broad scope and considerable depth
D Projects or technical tasks of broad scope, high complexity and impact
E Projects or technical tasks of exceptionally complex programmatic scope, unusual complexity and/or sensitive nature.
Required experience and qualifications (as per IGDS 695):
1 Limited technical skills and less than 3 years of relevant experience
2 Limited technical skills and more than 3 years of relevant experience
3 Specialized degree or training in the relevant field and more than 5 years of relevant experience
4 Specialized or technical knowledge and skills and more than 10 years of extensive relevant professional experience
5 Highly specialized skills and expertise with more than 15 years of extensive relevant experience
Expected contract duration:
• Expected start date of assignment: 1 February 2026
• Expected end date of assignment / full delivery: 31 August 2026
Confirmation:
The external collaboration contract is the appropriate type of contract for the work to be undertaken.
The Terms of Reference are timebound and clearly output-based and the complexity vs experience/qualifications matrix has been carefully assessed above.
Is this Excoll selection process subject to an exception as defined in paragraph 23 of IGDS 695?
Note: Paragraph 23 states: “If it is in the interest of the ILO, due to urgency of delivery or specialisation, an exception may be approved by the Deputy Director-General, the appropriate Assistant Director-General or Regional Director for a specified contract. The requesting organisational unit will enter the terms of reference and payment terms in the ILO e–Sourcing platform, selecting the specific process for exceptions, which will be published by the UNGM/on the UNGM website for the directly selected external collaborator to submit their application. The report of the exception process should be uploaded in IRIS, together with the finalized terms of reference, payment schedule and a copy of the email approval from the Deputy Director-General, Assistant Director-General or Regional Director.”
How to apply
To apply for the job, please click on the provided link and follow the instructions on the website. Make sure to read the job description carefully before submitting your application. You may be asked to create an account.
UNGM Link: https://www.ungm.org/Public/Notice/288691