Community Liaison Associate, Najaf

Report to: Provincial Engagement Lead

Program Overview: Chemonics International, a US-based international development consulting firm, seeks a Community Liaison Associate on the USAID Iraq Together project. Iraq Together aims to provide more equitable, efficient, and sustainable public services in Iraq, as well as improving government responsiveness to citizens’ needs and demands. Objectives of this activity include working with the Government of Iraq (GOI) to improve service delivery and strengthen democratic and participatory governance.

Position Overview: The Community Liaison Associate reports to the provincial Engagement lead and is responsible for providing provincial coordination with local CSOs, civic and community leaders, and other actors to facilitate dialogues and gain public perspective through the strategic collection of community grievances, concerns, and proposed solutions to improved government responsiveness, government-citizen engagement, and service delivery. This position is open to Iraqi nationals residing in Iraq.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Working with local actors to organize and facilitate dialogue sessions, including on sensitive issues, with diverse community members.
• Oversee the implementation of programmatic intervention covered under objective 2 at the provincial level and report progress.
• Identify implementation issues and work with the provincial engagement lead, regional team director, and objective 2 lead to propose practical and timely solutions.
• Propose new community need-based interventions for Ma’an annual implementation plan.
• Identify potential success stories as a result of Ma’an intervention and provide all the necessary information and high-quality pictures for the success stories.
• Engaging with marginalized groups, particularly women, and youth, localized dialogue sessions
• Co-developing community ecosystem maps to understand assets and resources available locally, as well as gaps in service access.
• Establish and maintain positive relationships with project partners (civil society, government actors, and other targeted groups) at provincial levels.
• Collaborating with the regional Service Delivery Specialist to analyze information gleaned from dialogue sessions and mapping activities, in order to implement citizen-identified priority initiatives, collecting and analyzing beneficiary feedback during implementation, and instituting mentoring and learning-by-doing guidance with partners and beneficiaries
• Working closely with the Localization Fund and MERLA team to provide necessary inputs.
• Regularly reporting implementation progress and results to the provincial engagement lead and adapt programming to reflect feedback and lessons learned.
• Provide daily and weekly reports to the provincial engagement lead on citizen engagement activities.
• Other tasks as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or greater in a related field or equivalent demonstrated professional experience
• Minimum 2 years of relevant experience, preferably in community organizing and program design
• Excellent understanding of the demographic changes in Iraq
• Experience facilitating dialogue and feedback sessions with diverse participants, preferably including experience facilitating discussions on sensitive topics.
• Demonstrable experience in community leadership development, community organizing, working with municipal/local government, and/or service delivery
• Knowledge of current political, economic, social, and cultural dynamics in Iraq, including at the regional or governorate-level
• Fluency in written and oral Arabic and English is required; written and oral fluency in Kurdish and other local languages is a plus, but not required

 Application Instructions:

To apply please fill out this form: Iraq Together Job Application Form (smartsheet.com)

Chemonics is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factors.