Job Matching Specialist (local position)

Job Matching Specialist

Position: Job Matching Specialist (local position)

Location: Erbil, Iraq

Application Deadline: 20 July 2022

Duration: 12 months with the possibility for extension (2months’ probation period)

Start Date: As soon as possible

Grid and Salary: A4 – Salary around 2000 USD based on qualifications

Under direct supervision of the Project Lead (PL) and in close coordination and a the EU team, the job matching specialist is responsible for the development and design of internship and job placement activities within SPARK’s EU funded higher education programme in Iraq. In addition to providing access to higher education for Syrian refugees, vulnerability youth and IDPs (400 Scholarships) the programme contains several components aimed at enhancing access to the labour market for SPARK’s scholarship recipients and recent graduates. The job matching specialist will liaise with relevant local stakeholders such as University Career Centres, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Minstry of Labour as well as the private sector to create labour market opportunities for SPARK graduates and to ensure extra-curricular activities are in line with local labour market needs. Furthermore the job matching specialist is responsible for building the capacity of relevant implementing partners to strengthen SPARK’s internship and job placement components.

Main Tasks and Responsibilities:

The responsibilities and tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Develops and designs the internship and job placement component of SPARK’s higher education programme;
• Identifies technical needs to strengthen and expand and integrate activities in SPARK’s existing access to labour market activities;
• Technical Needs Assessment (TNA) of beneficiaries (students), implementing partners and relevant local stakeholders (University Career Centres, the Chamber of Commerce, Minstry of Labour and the private sector) to facilitate succesful and sustainble implementation of internship and job placement activities;
• Develops content/ tools/ guidelines/ manuals to meet the technical needs as part of an integrated capacity building approach;
• Building an extensive private sector network to facilitate the creation of labour market opportunities for SPARK graduates;
• Provides support to the project teams, partners and beneficiaries to develop work packages and implementation of activities;
• Provides technical inputs, suggestions and feedback to improve the quality of the projects’ implementations and progress reports;
• Analysis the project teams’, partners’ and students’ technical performance, including the needs for further capacity development;
• Develops program specific internal and external training modules as needed and delivers the trainings in cooperation with the Regional Programme Manager and HR;
• Responsible for management of relevant partner contracts as well as providing support in follow-up with implementing partners to deliver services towards the overall programme outcomes
• Provide support and feedback to strengthen similar activities in SPARK’s regional programmes as required;

Requirements and Skills

• Substantial professional experience (a minimum of 5 years), working with multilateral, bilateral, or non-governmental development organizations;
• Prior private sector experience in Iraq (at least 2 years), including an extensive network of relevant actors;
• Thorough knowledge of the economic situation in the country;
• Thorough knowledge of employability challenges and needs among affected populations, especially refugees and displaced populations;
• Prior experience designing and implementing tools, guidelines, training, coaching and mentoring activities, including previous experience delivering trainings for a wide variety of private and public stakeholders;
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in politicized and multi-cultural settings with a wide variety of stakeholders;
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, networking and representation skills;
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Kurdish (Arabic is highly desirable);
• Flexibility to travel and to work within the KR-I and Mosul
• Ability to work under stressful conditions.

SPARK Offers

• A challenging and interesting position in an international environment;
• Full time position 40h per week;
• Remuneration according to relevant work and working hours between 2200-2500 USD gross
• Dynamic team to work with.

How to apply?

If you are interested, please apply with your motivation letter and your CV (both in English) on https://vacancy.spark-online.org/Tab1/LoadProfileFromVacancy/439 until 20 July 2022. Please, with the application send us three references (phone number and email) which we can contact in the selection process.

All applications will be assessed on a rolling basis; interviews can, therefore, take place before the application deadline. However, due to the large volume of applications we receive, we cannot respond to every applicant. There may be a delay between the deadline and the moment we contact selected applicants.

If you have not received a reply we regret to inform you that we have continued with other candidates.

About SPARK

SPARK develops higher education and entrepreneurship to empower young, ambitious people to lead their fragile and conflict-affected societies into prosperity. SPARK is a dynamic and growing, international not-for-profit development organisation with 100+ staff members, in more than 14 offices around the world. SPARK supports refugees in the Middle East by providing them with scholarships in universities and higher education institutions in the region. SPARK also supports young entrepreneurs in fragile states, to start or grow their own businesses.