Location: Baghdad or Basra, Iraq
Application Deadline: until filled
Summary:
Solidarity Center seeks an individual with a commitment to the labor movement and strong program management skills to fill a newly created position in our expanding Iraq Field Office. The Program Officer (Country Staff - Level I) will work in Baghdad or Basra providing programmatic, financial, and administrative support for the organization's worker rights initiatives. This individual will collaborate with Solidarity Center’s staff in Iraq and Washington, DC; the Country Programs Director in Palestine; and the MENA Regional Programs Director in Morocco on various aspects of program design and implementation. The Program Officer will cooperate closely with partners and unions to ensure the success of Solidarity Center programming in Iraq.
Persons considered for this position must agree to serve abroad in both temporary and long-term positions, based on the needs of the Center.
Duties:
- Write and edit proposals, activity and impact reports, letters, and other correspondence
- Conduct issue research, context analysis, and needs assessments
- Support the drafting of Iraq’s financial and narrative reports
- Assist in designing and implementing program activities, including organizing conferences, training workshops, media campaigns, and miscellaneous events
- Manage logistics for Iraq programs in the field
- Monitor and report on trade unions, labor relations, and the economic situation in Iraq
- Track and monitor budget expenses for program activities and outputs
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in political science, international relations, labor relations, or a related field, and/or two years of equivalent work experience
- The desire, curiosity, and passion to learn and grow with the Iraq program
- Commitment to defending and supporting human rights in Iraq and advancing freedom of association principles, with a do no harm approach
- Demonstrable experience working at the grassroots level with civil society organizations, local community groups, trade unions, or union federations
- Experience with US Government grant and budget development, coordination, and financial tracking
- Experience in organizing workshops, public speaking, conducting training, facilitating dialogues, and running roundtables
- Ability to diplomatically navigate, collaborate, and communicate with a variety of partners and stakeholders, manage, and contain conflicts as they arise, and maintain and grow the list of Solidarity Center partners and allies in Iraq
- Ability to work a flexible schedule
- Ability to travel as needed
- Familiarity with the Iraqi context, diverse cultures, and different lifestyles
- Basic knowledge of monitoring and evaluation (M&E); experience with tracking M&E data and reporting against program indicators is preferred but not required
- Strong knowledge of all or some of the following:
- Iraq’s labor movement, labor governance system, and major issues facing workers
- Environmental issues threatening Iraq and their impact on communities and workers
Skills:
- Project management skills, including project design, implementation, and time management
- Sound research skills including data gathering, interviewing, conducting focus group discussions, analyzing laws and policies, drafting issue briefs
- Coalition building skills for the purpose of affecting change, advocating for pro-worker policies, or raising community awareness
- Traditional and social media skills and tools, including producing content, materials, posts, and videos for advocacy and awareness-raising campaigns or graphic design skills and expertise
- Fluency in Arabic and English; Kurdish language skills are also desired
- Mastery of MS Office
The Solidarity Center offers competitive salaries based on experience and generous benefits but will not provide housing, a relocation allowance, or support for non-Iraqi candidates to obtain a work permit for this job.
About Us:
The Solidarity Center cultivates the values of diversity, equality, and inclusion among its staff and partners. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected under applicable law. Candidates from traditionally underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply. If you are a candidate with a disability and require reasonable accommodations to apply for this position, please contact us at information@solidaritycenter.org.