Team Leader At Peace Paradigms Organization

Starting Date : ASAP

Contract Length : 11 Months, renewable

Reporting to : Climate Security Portfolio Manager

Organizational Background

Peace Paradigms Org. (PPO) is a private consulting company, established to deliver context-specific solutions for peacebuilding actors to achieve holistic and effective conflict mitigation and prevention efforts.

Our work is guided by three core values:

NEUTRALITY: The path towards positive peace is a collective one. We do not side with any actor or agenda and believe the unbiased inclusion of all actors is key to build peace. We trust that all parties to conflict can become peace actors.

ADAPTABILITY: In ever-changing contexts altered by complex dynamics, there is no “one size fits all”. To improve the relevance and effectiveness of peacebuilding efforts, we believe that community and policy responses need to be driven and informed by localized realities.

HARMONY: The journey to peace needs to be reflective of its end goal. We work collaboratively by bringing together all relevant stakeholders and harmonize peacebuilding efforts with the community needs in order to achieve long-standing societal agreement, wellbeing, and ability to coexist by choice.

We strive to achieve the following objectives:

1. To effectively contribute and influence local and national level policy making in Iraq, to be informed by and responsive to community needs and to address the drivers of conflicts at the national and sub-national levels.
2. To increase the impact and effectiveness of peacebuilding interventions in Iraq through context-informed technical support to peacebuilding actors.
3. To increase the organizational and technical capacity of peacebuilding actors and community of practice to enhance programming design and implementation.
4. To inform peacebuilding actors in order to streamline funding, strategies, and interventions, as well as to highlight success and lessons learned.
5. To achieve thematic and institutional credibility both internally and externally.

Project Background

Peace Paradigms is set to support the implementation of the project “Supporting enhanced climate and community resilience in Iraq” in the districts of Zubair in Basra governorate and Balad in Salahdin. The project aims to support enhanced community and climate resilience in Iraq through three key components:

• Inclusive Dialogues: The project will conduct a needs assessment on climate-related conflicts and security risks in Basra governorate. It will also facilitate community-led, inclusive dialogues at the neighborhood level to identify climate security needs and develop a social infrastructure project (community center) in Al-Zubair district.
• Community-Based Youth Advisory Mechanisms: The project will establish a youth advisory group that will function as a steering committee for the management of the community center in Al-Zubair. Regular awareness, dissemination and capacity-building workshops, trainings and events on climate adaptation, conflict resolution, peacebuilding and workplace skills will be organized for the youth.
• Sustainable Infrastructure Initiatives: The project will implement a water infrastructure rehabilitation project in the Al-Hatamiyah sub-district of Balad district in Salahdin governorate, to increase community resilience to a jointly identified climate-related security risk. The infrastructure project will be designed through inclusive dialogue committees and with expert advice to ensure a conflict-sensitive approach.

The overall outcome is to support enhanced community and climate resilience in Iraq through these inclusive dialogues, community-based youth advisory mechanisms, and sustainable infrastructure initiatives addressing climate security risks. The project builds on PPO’s previous engagement and established relationships with stakeholders in the target areas.

Purpose of Hiring

PPO is hiring a full-time, dedicated and motivated Team Leader to join our climate security department and support the implementation of the project “Supporting enhanced climate and community resilience in Iraq” and achieve its desired outcomes in accordance with the project’s contractual and programmatic requirements.

Key Accountabilities & Responsibilities

• Manage the overall implementation of the project’s work packages under the supervision of the Climate Security Portfolio Manager.
• Support the deployment and coordination of short-term experts as needed.
• Ensure high quality of project implementation, products, deliverables, and services provided as well as the achievement of project’s objectives.
• Consider cross-cutting themes such as gender equality, do-no-harm, and conflict sensitivity in the design and implementation of project activities.
• Manage project staff and local experts assigned to the project.
• Be accountable for compliance with PPO policies, procedures, and operational guidelines/work-instructions.
• Be accountable for accurate, timely and high-quality project reports delivery, including but not limited to; activity reports, monthly and/or quarterly reports, project’s final report, context developments report.
• Be responsible for financial planning and management in consultation with the relevant staff.
• Identify and manage project risks and challenges in coordination with the Climate Security Portfolio Manager.
• Work closely with the Climate Security Portfolio Manager to document success stories, lessons learned, and best practices.
• Act as a focal point for the project with the client as well as with PPO senior management.
• Support the development of PPO’s climate security portfolio.

Key Qualifications & Skills

• Education/training: University degree, preferably in a relevant field such as conflict resolution, international development, sustainable development, public policy or environmental science.
• Language: Advanced English skills (C1 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) including advanced written proficiency, Fluent Arabic skills (C2)
• Professional experience:
  • At least 4-6 years of experience in the development or peacebuilding sectors.
  • At least 3 years of experience in designing and implementing peacebuilding projects or dialogue processes in fragile contexts.
  • At least 2 years of experience in project management or coordination.
  • Previous professional experience in Iraq.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team and adapt to diverse stakeholders.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Flexibility and adaptability to work in a challenging environment.