Senior Consultant - Integration and Development of Water Sector Concept Notes (Iraq)

JOB DETAILS

Type of contract : Consultant Contract

Level :  Level 3 - Senior

Hiring Unit : Natural Sciences Sector (SC)

Duty Station : Baghdad

Work location : Remote

Duration of contract : 11 months

Hiring open to : External candidates

Application deadline (Midnight UTC+3 Time) : 23/07/2026

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

OVERVIEW

Iraq is among the countries most exposed to water stress and the compounding effects of climate change. The Government of Iraq and the United Nations coordinate their engagement on the water sector through a joint architecture established under Diwani Order No. 24894/2024, operationalized by the UN Water Task Force. The Task Force organizes its technical work around three thematic clusters:

• Cluster 1 — Water Efficiency for Agriculture, led by FAO;
• Cluster 2 — Water Governance and Policy Reform, led jointly by UNICEF and UNECE;
• Cluster 3 — Integrated Smart Water Resources Management, led by IOM.

UNESCO Office for Iraq serves as the Participating UN Organization (PUNO) and overall coordinator.

In 2026, Iraq's application to the UN-Water Seed Fund was selected for funding. The Seed Fund supports upstream, coordinated work to develop a coherent set of concept notes across the three clusters, designed to unlock downstream climate and development financing (with an identified pipeline including the Green Climate Fund, IFAD, the Islamic Development Bank / ADB / KfW, the Adaptation Fund), and other opportunities as they arise.

Each cluster is developing a concept note reflecting its own technical domain. What is required is a single senior professional to bring these together — ensuring coherence, complementarity, and a shared strategic and financing logic across the portfolio, grounded in and directly responsive to the Government of Iraq's strategic frameworks for the sector, foremost the Strategy for Water and Land Resources of Iraq (SWLRI).

Long Description

ASSIGNMENTS

The objective is to integrate the concept notes developed by the three clusters into a coherent, coordinated, and financeable portfolio, aligned with national frameworks and with the requirements of identified downstream financiers, over the twelve-month grant period.

The consultant provides the coordinating and integrating function across the clusters. Domain-specific technical content is developed by the respective cluster leads; the consultant is responsible for synthesis, coherence, framing, and quality — not for authoring the sector-specific technical substance of individual clusters.

The consultant will also serve as an interface with Government stakeholders — in particular the Ministry of Water Resources and the Prime Minister's Advisory Commission (PMAC) — conducting key informant interviews and consultations to fine-tune and validate the portfolio, ensure its responsiveness to national priorities, and support institutional alignment. In this capacity, the consultant works alongside the UN Water Task Force in both an internal coordinating and an external-facing role.

Long Description

Long Description

CONTRACT DURATION

The assignment runs for eleven (11) months from the date of contract signature, the maximum duration permitted for an individual consultant contract within a consecutive 12-month period under UNESCO HR Manual. The engagement is expected to be intermittent / part-time over this period. The estimated level of effort will be approximately one working week per month (5 working days). Given the seniority and complexity of the assignment (10+ years' experience, senior advisory input across multiple UN agencies and Government counterparts), this consultancy is classified as Level 3.

Long Description

DELIVERABLES

The specific deliverables, their detailed content, and the associated payment schedule will be agreed and finalized by UNESCO in consultation with the Water Task Force. The following is provided as an indicative framework only and is subject to confirmation.

Performance against each deliverable will be assessed on timeliness, technical quality and consistency, and acceptance by the Water Task Force and Government counterparts; overall performance will also be assessed against the extent to which the integrated portfolio achieves coherence across clusters and validation by the Government.

Long Description

COMPETENCIES - Core (C) & Managerial (M)

• Communication (C)
• Accountability (C)
• Innovation (C)
• Knowlegde sharing and continuous improvement (C)
• Planning and organizing (C)
• Results focus (C)
• Teamwork (C)

For detailed information, please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in hydrology, hydrogeology, water resources management, environmental science or management, natural resource management or a related field. A first-level university degree combined with additional qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree.

WORK EXPERIENCE

• A minimum of 8-10 years of progressively responsible experience in the water, environment, climate, and/or sustainable development sectors, including senior-level assignments;
• Demonstrated experience synthesizing multidisciplinary technical inputs into coherent strategic or programmatic documents — essential; candidates must provide evidence of this experience (e.g., writing samples or references to documents authored or led);
• Proven experience developing project or programme concept notes or funding proposals, ideally for international climate or development finance (e.g., GCF, adaptation funds, international financial institutions) — a strong asset;
• Sound knowledge of Iraq's water sector and its institutional and policy landscape;
• Familiarity with UN programming approaches, results-based management, and theory-of-change methodologies — desirable.

Long Description

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

• Excellent analytical, drafting, and editing skills;
• Strong coordination, facilitation, and stakeholder-engagement skills, including the ability to work effectively across multiple UN agencies and with Government counterparts;
• High attention to detail and commitment to quality and consistency;
• Ability to work independently and deliver high-quality outputs to agreed deadlines.

LANGUAGES

Fluency in Arabic and English (spoken and written) is required, including the ability to draft and edit professional documents in both languages.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information. To apply, please visit the UNESCO careers website. No modifications can be made to the application submitted. Candidates should click on “Apply Now”, then download and complete the Employment History form (Word file). At the end of the Word file, insert extra pages with the following required information in English:

• An up-to-date Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a statement indicating why your qualifications and experience make you suitable for the assignment.
• A technical proposal (5 pages maximum) outlining relevant experience and approach to the assignment, including a timeline.
• A financial proposal in USD: The consultant should provide the estimates based on the deliverables under section 3 above and should be quoted in US dollars. UNESCO covers Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) and travel expenses in line with the relevant UNESCO rules and regulations. Thus, there is no need to include the DSA and travel expenses in the professional fee estimate.
• Examples of previous work related , and the creation of blended training packages in curriculum.
• Contacts of at least three references.

* Upon completing the Word file with all the requested information above, upload the file at the “My Employment History Form / My Documents” section of the online application form. Only applications with the above requested information will be considered.

Long Description

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information, by the above deadline.

To apply, please visit the UNESCO Careers website. No modifications can be made to the application once submitted. 

The process may include pre-recorded video interviews and/or written assessments, interviews with a Panel, as well as reference checks. In addition, candidates may be requested to provide additional information which may be pertinent to the position’s qualifications.  

Please note that all candidates, whether selected or not, will be informed of the outcome of their application in due course. 

Short-listed candidates may also be added to Talent Pools; subject to their consent (i.e. Data Privacy Statement).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• UNESCO recalls that paramount consideration in the appointment of personnel shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, technical competence and integrity.
• UNESCO applies a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of harassment.
• lndividuals from minority groups and indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.
• All applications will be treated with the highest level of confidentiality.
• UNESCO does not charge a fee at any stage of the hiring process.