Job Title: Social Cohesion Project Officer/Trainer (Contingent upon donor funding) Reports to: Project Manager Location: Thi-Qar Governorate, Iraq (with travel to project sites across Thiqar 8 subdistricts) Duration: 16 months *This post is contingent upon donor funding.
About Caritas:
Caritas Iraq was founded in 1992 to provide assistance and food aid to the poor and marginalized. Since then, Caritas Iraq continues to respond to the ever-increasing set of challenges facing the nation. Key areas of focus include emergency relief and development programs, peace building initiatives, capacity building, health and social service support. Caritas Iraq will be implementing and delivering activities in the 8 selected subdistricts of Thi-Qar related to cross-cutting social cohesion activities and youth entrepreneurship.
About STRIVE-C:
The Strengthening Thi-Qar Resilience with Vulnerable Communities (STRIVE-C) project will work with vulnerable communities affected by environmental shocks and water shortages in Thi-Qar Governorate who have begun to recover following decades of crisis, and who are now looking towards longer-term development and community resilience. The project, led by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and implemented by Caritas Iraq and other partners, aims to support communities’ transition from recovery to development by helping them adapt to the impacts of climate change, while also supporting individuals to improve their livelihoods. Social cohesion approaches will be embedded across project activities to promote inclusive decision-making and collective action among diverse residents in Thi-Qar.
Job Summary:
As a member of the STRIVE-C project team, the Social Cohesion Project Officer (PO) will support the planning, implementation, and monitoring of community-level social cohesion activities in targeted locations within Thi-Qar Governorate. Under the supervision of the Project Manager and in close coordination with Social Cohesion Technical Advisor, the PO will work directly with youth, community leaders, and diverse local stakeholders to promote dialogue, mutual understanding, and collaborative action.
A central aspect of this role is the facilitation and delivery of a wide range of social cohesion trainings and workshops. The PO will apply a strong understanding of local context, community dynamics, conflict sensitivity, and inclusion principles to guide activity planning and implementation. The position also involves light conflict and context monitoring to ensure that programming is responsive, locally appropriate, and empowering to marginalized voices.
The PO will collaborate closely with CRS to ensure coordinated implementation aligned with program quality standards and CRS’ Social Cohesion and Justice (SC&J) principles. They will contribute to adaptive learning processes, ensure diverse and inclusive participation, and promote the application of Do No Harm approaches across all project activities.
Roles and Key Responsibilities:
- Activity Implementation & Training Delivery
- Plan, coordinate, and implement assigned social cohesion activities in line with the project’s Detailed Implementation Plan (DIP) and STRIVE-C objectives.
- Serve as a key trainer and facilitator, delivering social cohesion sessions, and other core topics to youth and community leaders.
- Support participants in the design and implementation of inclusive, community-led initiatives that promote cooperation and address shared challenges.
- Promote inclusive decision-making and ensure the active engagement of women, youth, and marginalized groups throughout activity design and implementation.
- Community Engagement & Mobilization
- Build and maintain strong relationships with community leaders, local authorities, and relevant stakeholders to foster trust, buy-in, and project acceptance.
- Apply trauma-informed approaches and Do No Harm principles in all interactions with communities.
- Monitoring, Reporting & Learning
- Monitor and document the implementation of activities and participant engagement, ensuring timely and accurate reporting to support adaptive learning.
- Contribute to the collection of basic data related to social cohesion indicators and support reflection sessions to inform program learning and continuous improvement.
- Assist in identifying promising practices and success stories for documentation and reporting.
- Coordination & Partner Collaboration
- Work closely with Caritas Iraq field teams, IR-Iraq and CRS staff to align methodologies, tools, and messaging.
- Support the review and development of social cohesion curricula, SOPs, and translated training materials.
- Participate in joint planning sessions, partner coordination meetings, community feedback discussions, and evaluation activities.
- Conflict Sensitivity & Inclusion
- Conduct light conflict and context monitoring to inform activity design and implementation, adapting approaches based on emerging dynamics.
- Identify and mitigate risks to inclusion and community acceptance, proactively addressing issues of marginalization or exclusion.
- Apply foundational SC&J principles, including Do No Harm, power analysis, and conflict sensitivity, to ensure programming contributes positively to intergroup dynamics and social cohesion.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Peacebuilding, Community Development, or a related field.
- Minimum of 4 years of professional experience in program support or community-based project implementation, preferably with an NGO.
- At least 1 year of experience addressing community-level issues such as protection, social cohesion, or peacebuilding.
- Proven experience in facilitating trainings or community workshops, particularly on sensitive or conflict-related topics.
- Demonstrated skills in participatory methods, including community mobilization and action planning.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills for working with diverse groups, including women, youth, and minority communities.
- Prior experience working in conflict-affected areas such Thi-Qar is highly desirable.
Required Languages – Fluency in spoken and written English and Arabic is required.
Travel – The position is based in Thi-Qar with up to 60% travel to project sites within the governorate and to partner offices in Baghdad and Erbil.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Observation, active listening and analysis skills with ability to make sound judgment
- Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners and community members
- Attention to details, accuracy and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities
- Proactive, results-oriented and service-oriented
More Information
- Address Thi-Qar
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