Deputy Team Leader – IWEE Project

INTRODUCTION 

Agency background

Expertise France is France’s public agency and interministerial actor in charge of international technical cooperation, the second-largest in Europe. As a subsidiary of Agence Française de Développement Group (AFD Group), it designs and implements projects that sustainably strengthen public policies in developing and emerging countries. Expertise France works in key areas of development: governance, security, climate change, health, education, and more. Alongside its partners, it contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Context description

The project “Iraqi Women Economic Empowerment (IWEE)” is financed by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and implemented by Expertise France (EF). The total budget of the project is EUR 10 million.

The project aims at improving the participation of women in the business world by assisting the creation and development of micro and small businesses. This support will be brought by a selection of Iraqi civil society organizations (CSOs) that already have an experience in supporting women-led businesses and income generating activities and want to expand their activities in this domain. The project also contributes to improving social acceptability and the public environment for women entrepreneurship by promoting individual success stories of women from diverse social and geographical backgrounds. Finally, it assists the strengthening of the public and the private ecosystem to provide women with a range of service tailored to their needs as entrepreneurs.

The project is organised around three main components:

1. Support for the creation of micro-enterprises by women
2. Assistance in developing existing women-owned businesses
3. Support for the entrepreneurial ecosystem

Mission description

As the Deputy Team Leader for the project “Iraqi Women Economic Empowerment (IWEE)” based in Erbil, and under the supervision of the project’s Team Leader based in Baghdad, you will be responsible for supporting the project team in Iraq (Baghdad and Erbil), contributing to the coordination of all activities and achievement of the project objectives, ensuring good communication and accountability of the project to the various stakeholders. This work will be done in close collaboration with the Project Manager based at Expertise France headquarters in Paris and the numerous partners (public and private, Iraqi and international) involved in the project.

You will meet with stakeholders, especially in KRI, and contribute to the smooth running of the project. The position implies a high degree of autonomy and interpersonal skills appropriate to working in the Iraqi context. You will be placed under the supervision of the project Team Leader based in Baghdad and Expertise France’s project manager based in Paris, and supported by Expertise France’s headquarters office.

Key Responsibilities include:

1. Assist in the Strategic Planning and Operational Project Management

– Support the Team Leader with the planning, implementation, and monitoring of project activities, ensuring alignment with the work plan, logframe, contractual commitments, and donor requirements.

– Delegated supervision of project staff, experts, and contractors working in Erbil and KRI, providing strategic and technical guidance as needed and ensuring efficient use of project resources.

– Contribute to the update of internal planning tools, including work plans, procurement plans, and risk matrices.

– Contribute to the anticipation and management of risks, coordinating mitigation measures with the Team Leader and EF HQ.

– Ensure visibility and communication activities follow donor guidelines.

2. Delegated Team Management in Erbil

– Act as representative for the Team Leader in the Erbil office and support a multidisciplinary team of approximately 2 full-time staff and short-term experts.

– Contribute to the identification of expert needs, draft Terms of Reference, and assist in the supervision of missions and deliverables.

– Under the leadership of the Team Leader, promote team collaboration, well-being, and compliance with EF’s security protocols to ensure the safety of the team and experts.

3. Assist in Administrative, Financial and Technical Management of the project

– Assist the Team Leader for the preparation of high-quality interim and final technical and financial reports ensuring compliance with EF procedures, donor formats and deadlines.

– Contribute to the update of internal tools and collection of inputs from the project team.

– Assist the Team Leader for the monthly financial reporting to Headquarters, the quarterly financial planning exercises, annual budgets preparation, and project budget execution in full compliance with donor and EF financial rules.

– Guarantee the application of EF procedures in terms of procurement, financial execution and financial monitoring.

4. Stakeholder Engagement

– Support the Team Leader in the preparation of documentation and coordination for Steering and Technical Committees

– Provide inputs to the Team Leader on communication with donors and institutional partners, providing updates on project progress and strategic developments.

– Foster strong relationships with national counterparts and implementing partners, especially in Erbil and KRI, to ensure ownership and alignment with the local authorities’ priorities.

– Coordinate with other donor-funded initiatives in Erbil and KRI to enhance synergies and avoid duplication.

 

Application procedure

Only applicants who apply as per the below details will be shortlisted.

• This position is based in Erbil with with frequent travels to Baghdad and possibly other KRI governorates.

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

• We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and encourage everyone to apply. We particularly encourage women to apply and contribute to our diverse and inclusive work environment.

 

• Deadline of submission: 22nd July 2026 13:00

 

• All applications must include the following (In English and in PDF format only) :Detailed CV
• Cover Letter/motivation letter (explaining suitability for the position)                                                                                     
• Applications should be sent to erbil.recruitment@expertisefrance.fr , using the following subject: “Deputy Team Leader – (IWEE) project ”                                                   
• Expertise France reserves the right to close the announcement prior to the stated deadline as applications are screened on a rolling basis and only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews.
• Incomplete applications and wrong title formats will not be considered.