Ref.
2026/TLIWEEP/15778
Job offer type
Field staff jobs
Type of contract
Fixed-term contract (CDD)
Activity sectors
Economic and financial governance
Deadline date
2026/07/22 12:00
Contract
Wage portage
Duration
6 months (renewable up to 30 months)
Team Leader – Iraqi Women Economic Empowerment (IWEE) Project (M/W)
Departement Economie Durable et Inclusive - EDIN > Pôle Entreprenariat et Innovation
Published on : 2026/07/08
NORTH AFRICA / MIDDLE EAST
IRAQ
BAGHDAD
Mission description
Expertise France (EF) is recruiting a Team Leader for a renewable 6-month contract as part of the Iraqi Women Economic Empowerment (IWEE) project.
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.
Project or 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
Required profile
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.
Additional information
Location: Baghdad, Iraq, with frequent travels to Erbil and possibly other governorates.
This is a local contract subject to Iraqi law.
Duration of the mission: initial renewable 6 month-contract
The contract is expected to start as soon as possible.
Applications should include a CV and a cover letter.
Deadline for application: 2026/07/22
Deadline for application : 2026/07/22 12:00
Expertise France is the public agency for designing and implementing international technical cooperation projects. The agency operates around four key priorities :
- democratic, economic, and financial governance ;
- peace, stability, and security ;
- climate, agriculture, and sustainable development ;
- health and human development ;
In these areas, Expertise France conducts capacity-building initiatives and manages project implementation, leveraging technical expertise and acting as a project coordinator. This involves combining public sector expertise with private sector skills to drive impactful results.