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 Team Leader for the project “Iraqi Women Economic Empowerment (IWEE)” based in Baghdad, you will be responsible for managing the project team in Iraq (Baghdad and Erbil), coordinating all activities and ensuring the achievement of the project objectives, being responsible for the communication and accountability of the project to the various stakeholders, 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 need to travel to meet with stakeholders 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, as well as strong managerial skills. You will be placed under the supervision of Expertise France’s project manager based in Paris, and supported by Expertise France’s headquarters office.

Key Responsibilities include:

1. Strategic Planning and Operational Project Management

• Lead the planning, implementation, and monitoring of project activities, ensuring alignment with the work plan, logframe, contractual commitments, and donor requirements.
• Supervise project staff, experts, and contractors, providing strategic and technical guidance as needed and ensuring efficient use of project resources.
• Manage and update internal planning tools, including work plans, procurement plans, and risk matrices.
• Anticipate and manage risks, coordinating mitigation measures with EF HQ.
• Ensure visibility and communication activities follow donor guidelines.

2. Team Management

• Lead and supervise a multidisciplinary team of approximately 5 full-time staff based in Baghdad and Erbil and short-term experts, ensuring alignment with project objectives.
• Oversee recruitment, onboarding, and management of national staff in coordination with EF HQ and EF office in Erbil.
• Identify expert needs, draft Terms of Reference, and supervise missions and deliverables.
• Ensure clear roles, effective coordination, and effective functioning of the project offices in Baghdad and Erbil and facilitate coordination between team members and regional activities.
• Promote team collaboration, well-being, and compliance with EF’s security protocols to ensure the safety of the team and experts.

3. Administrative, Financial and Technical Management

• Lead the preparation of high-quality interim and final technical and financial reports ensuring compliance with EF procedures, donor formats and deadlines.
• Facilitate monitoring through the update of internal tools and collection of inputs from the project team.
• Coordinate the monthly financial reporting to Headquarters, as well as the quarterly financial planning exercises.
• Oversee project budget execution, ensuring sound financial management, early detection of deviations, and implementation of necessary adjustments.
• Prepare annual budgets in collaboration with the project team, 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

• Prepare documentation and ensure proper coordination for Steering Committees and technical committees
• Act as the primary representative of the project to the AFD, Iraqi authorities, private sector actors, and other key stakeholders.
• Maintain regular communication with donors and institutional partners, providing updates on project progress and strategic developments.
• Foster strong relationships with national counterparts and implementing partners to ensure ownership and alignment with national priorities.
• Coordinate with other donor-funded initiatives to enhance synergies and avoid duplication.

Qualifications and Skills:

• Master’s degree (bac +5) or equivalent in a relevant field such as international development, economics, public policy, economics or finance;
• Mastery of the international project management cycle and successful professional experience in the field of international cooperation;
• Experience managing teams in the context of international cooperation;
• Proven technical expertise in entrepreneurship, private sector development, women’s economic empowerment;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain relationships with diverse stakeholders and donors;
• Excellent writing skills;
• Demonstrated understanding of the political, social, and economic context of Iraq;
• Fluency in Arabic and English is required; knowledge of Kurdish and/or French is a strong asset;

 Professional Experience

• At least 5 years of professional experience in implementing international development projects, including responsibilities such as budget oversight, monitoring and evaluation, and coordination with donors.

• Experience in the field of entrepreneurship ecosystem, women’s economic empowerment and female entrepreneurship in the Middle East;
• Experience working with Iraqi institutional partners (ministries and others);
• Knowledge of Expertise France and/or AFD procedures is a strong asset.

Duration of the mission: initial renewable 6 month-contract

The contract is expected to start as soon as possible.

Application procedure

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

• This position is based in Baghdad with with frequent travels to Erbil and possibly other 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 23:59

• 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 [email protected] , using the following subject: “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.