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

Organizational Context

Iraq faces severe water stress and climate change impacts. The Government and UN coordinate water sector engagement via a joint architecture, operationalized by the UN Water Task Force. This Task Force has three thematic clusters: Water Efficiency for Agriculture, Water Governance and Policy Reform, and Integrated Smart Water Resources Management. UNESCO Iraq acts as the overall coordinator for this initiative, which aims to secure funding for water sector development.

Job Purpose

This consultancy aims to integrate concept notes developed by three distinct UN Water Task Force clusters into a unified, coherent, and financeable portfolio. The goal is to align these notes with Iraq's national water sector strategies and the requirements of downstream financiers, such as the Green Climate Fund and IFAD. The consultant will ensure complementarity and a shared strategic logic across the portfolio, directly responding to Iraq's national frameworks, particularly the Strategy for Water and Land Resources of Iraq (SWLRI). This integration is crucial for unlocking climate and development financing for Iraq's water sector over the grant period.

Responsibilities

The primary responsibility is to integrate the concept notes from the three clusters into a coherent, coordinated, and financeable portfolio, ensuring alignment with national frameworks and downstream financier requirements over a twelve-month period. The consultant will provide the essential coordinating and integrating function across the clusters, synthesizing technical inputs provided by cluster leads without authoring the sector-specific content. A key role involves serving as an interface with Government stakeholders, including the Ministry of Water Resources and the Prime Minister's Advisory Commission. This includes conducting key informant interviews and consultations to refine and validate the portfolio, ensuring its responsiveness to national priorities and supporting institutional alignment. The consultant will operate within the UN Water Task Force, fulfilling both internal coordination and external-facing responsibilities.

Work Experience

A minimum of 8-10 years of progressive experience in water, environment, climate, or sustainable development sectors, including senior-level roles, is necessary. Demonstrated experience synthesizing multidisciplinary technical inputs into coherent strategic or programmatic documents is essential. Proven experience developing concept notes or funding proposals for international climate or development finance is a strong asset. Knowledge of Iraq's water sector and familiarity with UN programming approaches are also desirable.

Skills

Excellent analytical, drafting, and editing skills are required. Strong coordination, facilitation, and stakeholder engagement abilities are crucial for effective collaboration across UN agencies and with Government counterparts. High attention to detail, a commitment to quality and consistency, and the ability to work independently to meet deadlines are also essential.

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