Preventing Violent Extremism Consultant

Background to the Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA)

Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) is a politically independent membership-based organisation working in Norway and in more than 30 countries around the world. Founded in 1939 as the labour movement’s humanitarian solidarity organisation, NPA aims to improve people’s living conditions and to create societies that are more just and more democratic. NPA’s vision is to show “Solidarity in Practice”; NPA partners with local civil society organisations dedicated to defending the rights and interests of marginalised groups. NPA believes that broad popular mobilisation and collective organising is essential to ensuring lasting change. NPA works with organisations rooted in their social, cultural, and political context, which are best placed to mobilise people for a just distribution of resources and wealth and to claim rights vis-à- vis political and business elites and the state.

NPA is seeking the services of a consultant with experience in humanitarian and development programmes in conflict-affected contexts to develop and provide capacity building (training, coaching, and mentoring) to the NPA staff and its local partners on preventing violent extremism (PVE), rehabilitation and social reintegration of communities, survivors and women, youth, and children at risk of violent extremism into their communities in Iraq.

The primary goal of the consultancy is to enhance the technical and operational capabilities of NPA’s local partners to enable them to effectively deliver comprehensive PVE and reintegration training and engagement. Additionally, the consultancy aims to review NPA’s Early Warning System (EWS) guide.

General Description of Scope of Service:

Under direct supervision of the Project Manager, the PVE Consultant will provide technical input on the overall programme strategy for NPA, partners, and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) to design and implement a set of activities achieving NPA programme’s objectives, as follows:

• Collaborate with the Project Manager and other staff to formulate the programme’s PVE intervention strategy and identify capacity development models.
• Support NPA and the partners on equality mainstreaming into PVE projects.
• Provide an updated context analysis on PVE and involve actors in the field including updates on the implementation of the National Strategy to Combat Extremism Conducive to Terrorism and contribute to strategic discussions and assessments with NPA and local partners.
• Review and further develop the current developed PVE EWS guide.
• Develop a mentoring, training, and coaching plan for the NPA, partners, CBOs, and CSOs on the effective use of the EWS, including data collection, analysis, and reporting of potential risks and indicators of violent extremism.
• Conduct training sessions on the developed PVE toolkit for NPA partners and CSOs/CBOs, enhancing their understanding of the drivers of violent extremism and equipping them with tools and strategies to prevent and counteract its spread within their communities.
• Provide detailed guidance on understanding the push and pull factors of violent extremism, prevention methods and approaches, and monitoring and evaluating prevention efforts (NPA has developed a PVE toolkit by NPA to provide guidance and resources for individuals and organizations working to prevent violent extremism in their communities).
• Support NPA partners in organizing community awareness campaigns and outreach activities to raise awareness among target community members about the risks of violent extremism and promote resilience-building initiatives.
• Foster partnerships between the partners and relevant stakeholders, such as local NGOs, schools, religious institutions, and women lead and youth groups, to collectively implement PVE interventions and strengthen community resilience.
• Provide hands-on guidance on utilizing the toolkit tools, templates, and resources, emphasizing their relevance and applicability to partner organizations’ community-based projects.
• Conduct regular follow-up and monitoring visits to assess the progress and impact of the toolkit implementation, providing feedback and recommendations for improvement as needed.
• Train, mentor and support NPA, partners, CBOs and Resilience and Stabilisation Committees (RSC) members on identifying PVE indicators to feed into the already developed EWS tool.
• Support the partners to create comprehensive update reports tracking changes in the Early Warning Mechanism indicators.
• Build constructive relationships with local PVE prevention partners, actors, and experts.
• Provide technical advisory support for the implementation of PVE community sessions and initiatives in collaboration with partners and CBOs.
• Support NPA and partners in designing and conducting research activities to support the achievement of reintegration and PVE programme objectives.
• Assist the MEALTeam in developing M&E tools and approaches to ensure these are PVE responsive and incorporate continuous learning in programme planning.
• As guided by the Project Manager, travel to different parts within Iraq (specifically within Ninewa Governorate) and ensure the consultancy activities are carried out as per the agreed work plan
• Develop relevant training modules and train NPA staff, partners, and CBOs on PVE and social reintegration training tools.

Training and capacity development scope:

The consultant is expected to review the existing PVE toolkit that guides NPA and its partners in designing, implementing, and revising and evaluating PVE programmes in specific contexts as needed. The revised toolkit should include frameworks required for PVE intervention design, enabling NPA and its partners to:

• Understand the context, trends, trajectory, and existing modalities.
• Focus on specific geographical areas for better targeting and resource utilization.
• Monitor Violent extremism (VE) dynamics in selected project intervention areas.

The toolkit should also include training modules for NPA and partners’ staff to understand VE, design and implement PVE interventions, and measure their impact. The content must be culturally adapted to the Iraqi context and sensitive to the programme’s nuances. The revised toolkit should cover the following topics, concepts, and methods:

• Conduct workshops on the Early Warning Mechanism for NPA and partners.
• Conduct orientation sessions/training on EWERS for NPA, partners, and CBOs.
• Develop a framework for the design of a PVE intervention.
• Conduct capacity-building training for NPA, partners, and the CBOs.
• Conduct sessions to gather qualitative and quantitative data on VE indicators.

Deliverables and Timeline:

Skills and Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree in a social science or other relevant field; a master’s degree in a relevant field is desired but not
• Minimum of 10 years of professional experience working on social or political issues such as conflict mitigation and peacebuilding, improving social cohesion and social harmony, strengthening civic participation and inclusion, and strengthening democratic values. Preference for working on internationally funded
• A minimum of three years’ experience in working on social reintegration, de-radicalization programming or a combination of peacebuilding and PVE programming is
• Previous experience in developing EWS.
• Self-discipline and organized in approach with ability to work on own initiative with minimal
• Ability to plan and work in a fast-paced and -changing context with flexibility to change plans and methods to suit changing needs and circumstances as required.
• Working knowledge of Iraq and good understanding of its social, political, and economic
• Previous work experience in challenging environments with ability to work effectively in high-stress and difficult conditions, experience working with at-risk communities, women, children, and
• Written and verbal proficiency in English and fluency in Arabic, verbal and
• Strong experience in developing training programmes and delivering training sessions.
• Excellent and innovative capacity-building
• Ability to adapt existing knowledge and training materials to local culture and
• Ability to engage local partners in project activities and motivate local partners, developing a close respectful professional relationship and rapport with
• Ability to adapt to a fast-changing environment and flexible with revising plans, as and when
• Ability to lead and communicate effectively with the team
• Competency in report writing and meeting set
• Excellent interpersonal and communication
• Willingness and ability to travel and work in Iraq (specifically Ninewa).

Additional Considerations:

• The consultant is to abide by the policies procedures, and Code of Conduct by the Norwegian People’s Aid and represent the organization in a loyal and responsible
• All offers of consultancy will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks including vetting and due

Applicants may submit their CVs with their contact details and telephone number to: [email protected] before closing date July 27, 2024.

Please mention the vacancy title: Preventing Violent Extremism Consultant -Erbil in subject box of your email, CVs received after the closing date will not be considered.

Note:

– Only CVs in word or PDF format will be accepted. Any links to CVs will not be considered.

– Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.