ICLA Adviser- Iraq-Open to Nationals Only At Norwegian Refugee Council

Background

NRC provides a wide range of assistance in the following sectors: Education; Information, Counselling and Legal Assistance (ICLA); Cash and Livelihoods; Camp Management and Urban Displacement; Shelter and Settlements; WASH and Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance. The combination of NRC’s diverse programming portfolio and geographic presence, including in hard-to-reach areas, facilitates integrated access to basic services and fundamental rights for displacement-affected people.

NRC has responded to conflict-induced displacement needs in Iraq since 2010, and has an operational presence in Kirkuk, Salah al-Din, Ninewa, Duhok, Anbar and Basrah governorates. NRC is also a prominent voice in humanitarian advocacy in Iraq, with a successful track record of engaging a diverse range of stakeholders.

NRC is an active member of humanitarian coordination platforms in Iraq, including the Strategic Advisory Group for Protection and the Housing, Land and Property Working Group.

This position will support technical capacity of the NRC Iraq ICLA programme. Based at the Country Office in Erbil, the selected candidate is expected to travel to areas of operation across Federal and Kurdistan Region of Iraq to facilitate trainings, monitor programme implementation quality and provide technical guidance to implementing staff. At the Country Office, the ICLA Advisor will support standardisation and integration of learnings and feedback from field visits in content and toolkits to contribute to improved quality and accountability to affected populations.

Role and responsibilities:

The purpose of this position is to strengthen the technical quality of the ICLA programme in terms of delivery, monitoring and reporting by providing strategic advice and technical support for implementation at field level. The position involves travel within Iraq and is expected to operate with a high degree of autonomy.

Generic Responsibilities:

Adherence to NRC policies, guidance and procedures
Contribute to the development of Country, Area and ICLA strategies, initiate and participate in the development of relevant ICLA projects
Coordinate and manage ICLA project implementation (activities, budget and project documentation) in line with proposals, strategies and donor requirements
Implement technical direction and ensure high technical quality of projects
Provide regular progress reports to the ICLA Specialist
Ensure that projects target beneficiaries most in need of protection, explore and asses new and better ways to assist
Ensure capacity building of project staff and transfer key skills
Liaise and collaborate with relevant local authorities and other key stakeholders
Promote the rights of IDPs/returnees in line with the advocacy strategy

Specific Responsibilities:

Lead the revision and development of content, including: complex legal cases for families of perceived IS affiliation and employment law and work rights.
Conduct regular reflection sessions with field staff based on data and learning aimed at informing programme development.
Ensure quality controls are in place through supporting the development of output and outcome level monitoring and evaluation tools, guidelines and procedures, and focusing on regular analysis and learning documentation and communication.
Support quality programme implementation in Area Offices through capacity building of project coordinators, routine review of legal assistance cases, and assistance to Area Office management in budgeting, reporting and activity planning as needed.
Contribute to the development of ICLA research (development of assessment tools, coordination of collection of information from AO case files and database, research on Iraqi legal developments related to families of perceived IS affiliation and documentation for children born during the conflict)
Represent NRC in relevant forums, including with national authorities and donors, on topics related to documentation for families of perceived IS affiliation and for out of school children.
Any other task relevant to the position as requested by the line manager.

Critical Interfaces:

By interfaces, NRC means processes and projects that are interlinked with other departments/units or persons. Relevant interfaces for this position are:

ICLA Programming: ICLA Specialist (line manager); all ICLA staff at Area Offices; and technical advisers at regional and global levels.
Strategy and Programme Development: ICLA Managers and Coordinators; Area (Programme) Managers; MEAL staff; other Core Competency (CC) Specialists for integrated programming and synergies; Head of Programmes; and Advocacy unit.

Competencies:

Competencies are important in order for the employee and the organisation to deliver desired results. They are relevant for all staff and are divided into the following three categories:

1. Professional Competencies:

These are skills, knowledge and experience that are important for effective performance.

Generic professional competencies for this position:

Minimum 5 years of experience in a senior-level operational management or technical support position in legal programming
Prior experience and proven capability in training and technical capacity development
Bilingual fluency in English and Arabic, both written and verbal
Experience in technology for programming solutions is a plus
Documented results related to the position’s responsibilities
Experience in working in complex and volatile contexts
Knowledge about own leadership skills/profile

Context/specific skills, knowledge and experience:

Contextual understanding of civil documentation and housing land in Iraq
Knowledge of methodologies related to legal assistance provision to displaced persons
Experience leading inter-agency collaboration
Experience working in a co-op/matrix management structure or similar
Experience of collaborative working with remotely based colleagues
Ability to multi-task and work with short deadlines
Ability to work independently and proactively with limited daily support and supervision

2. Behavioural competencies

These are personal qualities that influence how successful people are in their job. NRC’s Competency Framework states 12 behavioural competencies, and the following are essential for this position:

Analysing
Planning and delivering results
Handling insecure environments
Working with people
Strategic thinking
Communicating with impact and respect

Performance Management

The employee will be accountable for and evaluated on the responsibilities and the competencies, based on NRC’s Performance Management Framework. The following documents will be used for performance reviews: