The British Consulate General in Erbil has a vacancy for the position of Justice and Home Affairs Programme Manager, job grade Executive Officer (EO) within the Home Office’s Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Network. This role is offered on a fixed-term contract until April 2026, with the possibility of renewal.

The first duty of the government is to keep its citizens safe and the country secure. The UK Home Office has been at the front line of this endeavour since 1782, playing a vital role – at home and overseas – in the United Kingdom’s national security and economic prosperity.

This is a challenging and important role within the Home Office’s Justice and Home Affairs Network, operating from the British Consulate General in Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Roles in the Home Office Justice and Home Affairs Network are high profile, fast paced and challenging. They offer the opportunity to deliver against some of both the Department’s, but also wider His Majesty’s Government (HMG’s) highest priority objectives on serious and organised crime, counter terrorism, organised immigration crime and irregular migration.

This role is critical to the team’s management of its entire portfolio of irregular migration and counter Serious and Organised Crime (SOC) programming worth approximately £3m per annum.  Working with the Justice and Home Affairs Policy Adviser in the Consulate, the jobholder will lead on the effective financial management and implementation of our programmes, working closely with the Justice and Home Affairs Attaché in Baghdad as the Programme’s Senior Responsible Officer to deliver a set of complex and priority objectives for the Embassy and Consulate. The jobholder will be joining a fun and supportive team who all work closely together, despite being located between different regions of Iraq.

The JHA team’s programme portfolio is varied and complex covering UK activity to counter organised immigration crime and irregular migration from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The jobholder will be expected to manage the relationship with the implementors, ensuring that risks to HMG are identified and adequately addressed with appropriate safeguarding frameworks, as well as being responsible for the financial management, contracting, evaluation and delivery across all of our programmes.

Roles and responsibilities:

The postholder will be responsible for

• Manage project relationships with implementing partners working closely with the Justice and Home Affairs Policy Adviser and Second Secretary. Build strong relationships in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) (and where appropriate Federal Iraq) with implementing partners and with relevant funding teams in the UK, to drive forward high-quality performance and adherence to Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and Home Office programming standards. Scrutiny and oversight of our implementing partners will be particularly key to this role to ensure effective delivery
• Lead on the effective financial management of projects to ensure value for money throughout the programme cycle, including through accurate forecasting, asset management, timely payment of invoices/purchase orders, and timely submission of financial reports where required, in line with FCDO Budget and Finance Specialist guidance, and in-house finance, procurement, and information reporting systems; and
• Lead on the effective monitoring and evaluation of projects, including through maintenance and regular use of Activity Based Budgets (ABBs), through timely and rigorous Annual Reviews (ARs), monthly supplier programme reporting, quarterly meetings with partners in the region and independent monitoring of programme activities.
• Corporate – You will be expected to support wider Consulate activities. You will choose what to become involved in based on your interests and development needs. Options include supporting the Chevening programme, major events (like the King’s Birthday Party) and promoting wellbeing and diversity in the Consulate.

The above list is not exhaustive, and the jobholder will be required to be flexible and take on other ad hoc tasks as required, including participating in the Embassy’s emergency planning and any other response to a crisis.

Key behaviours required:

• Delivering at Pace: Take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive.
• Making effective decisions: Use evidence and knowledge to support accurate, expert decisions and advice. Carefully consider alternative options, implications and risks of decisions.
• Managing a quality service: Deliver service objectives with professional excellence, expertise and efficiency, taking account of diverse customer needs.
• Communicating and influencing: Communicate purpose and direction with clarity, integrity, and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses, and opinions of others.

Eligibility:

Applicants are responsible for ensuring they already have the right to live and work in Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). Obtaining the correct permissions can be particularly complicated if employees and any dependants are not already resident in the country. Unfortunately, neither the Consulate nor the Embassy can arrange an Iraqi residency for this role. 

Applicants must also be able to obtain and maintain the appropriate level of local and UK security clearance required for this role.

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject
• Minimum of three years’ work experience in a similar programme management role and/or academic institutions such as further education, think tanks, international and/or non-governmental organizations, corporate entities, law, or government.
• Demonstrable experience of programme management – including the financial management of Governmental programmes, monitoring and evaluation and reporting.
• Demonstrable experience of contract management either for a government body or similar institution.
• Strong team-working skills. A team player who is capable of working on their initiative and who is adaptable to changing priorities. Must be able to work and act without close supervision and react calmly to situations that may arise.
• Ability to work in fast-paced, high-profile environments, and deliver to deadlines.
• Proficiency in using Microsoft Office applications such as Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and Teams.

Language requirements:

Applicants must be fluent in both Kurdish Sorani and English, with strong written and spoken proficiency in both. Familiarity with technical terminology related to justice, organised crime, and migration in both languages is highly desirable. The successful candidate should also be confident in providing real-time translation during meetings and engagements.