Job Title: Senior Technical Advisor, Climate justice and Adaptation
Location: Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Reporting line manager: DCD Programs
Contract type: Full time – Expatriate
Background:
CARE International has worked in Iraq since the beginning of the humanitarian crisis in 1991 and re-established programming in 2014 following large-scale displacement in Ninewa. CARE Iraq operates across Basra, Ninewa, Duhok, Salahaddin, and Anbar, working with local partners to deliver humanitarian and development programming focused on gender equality, climate resilience, and social justice.
CARE Iraq’s approach is guided by CARE’s global Theory of Change, Climate Justice Framework, and commitment to addressing structural drivers of vulnerability, particularly for women and marginalized communities affected by climate change.
Job Summary:
The Senior Technical Advisor for Climate justice and adaptation will lead CARE Iraq’s transition from a humanitarian response approach centered on protection and gender- based violence (GBV) to long-term development programming focused on Climate justice and transitioning CARE Iraq to a climate smart organization.
Senior Technical Advisor will lead CARE Iraq’s efforts in advancing climate resilience, sustainable development, and social equity. This role will play a pivotal part in ensuring that CARE Iraq’s programming integrates climate justice principles across all levels, from donor cultivation and program design to field implementation and monitoring.
The Senior Technical Advisor will work closely with donors, partners, and stakeholders to build robust, collaborative relationships that position CARE Iraq as a leader in climate justice and adaptation. By driving the design and implementation of transformative, high-impact climate justice programs, this role will ensure that CARE Iraq’s initiatives are grounded in community resilience, sustainability, and equity.
Key responsibilities include overseeing the proposal development process, ensuring the integration of climate vulnerability assessments and adaptation strategies, and providing technical guidance to ensure the successful execution of climate justice projects. The role will also focus on capacity-building for national staff and partners, fostering a culture of innovation and learning, and in processes to reflect CARE’s commitment to climate adaptation and resilience.
The Senior Technical Advisor will also lead advocacy and knowledge-sharing efforts, collaborating with stakeholders to influence policies and practices that promote equitable climate adaptation. They will champion the integration of local knowledge and marginalized voices into advocacy strategies, ensuring that CARE Iraq’s work contributes to a just and climate-resilient future for vulnerable communities.
This is an exciting opportunity for a passionate and strategic leader with expertise in climate justice and adaptation to make a lasting impact on the resilience of communities in Iraq and the broader region.
Key Responsibilities and Tasks:
- Strategic Program Design and Donor Engagement
- Strengthen and maintain strategic relationships with donors, partners, and key stakeholders to position CARE Iraq as a credible leader in climate justice, adaptation, and resilience, including representation in relevant regional and global forums to help shape donor priorities toward equitable and climate-sensitive solutions.
- Provide technical leadership with the design of transformative, high-impact programs and funding proposals that integrate climate justice and adaptation principles, with a strong focus on community resilience, sustainability, equity, and context sensitivity.
- Identify and engage strategic partners aligned with CARE’s climate justice objectives, ensuring coherence between donor priorities, partner capacities, and impactful climate-responsive programming. and engage with project partners aligned with CARE’s climate justice goals, ensuring synergy between donor expectations and impactful, climate-sensitive programming.
- Collaborate closely with CARE country offices, CARE members, the Climate Justice Center, headquarters, regional offices, and partners to conceptualize programs grounded in robust theories of change, evidence-based approaches, and CARE’s Climate Justice Framework
- Substantively contributes to proposal development processes, ensuring inclusive approaches and the integration of climate vulnerability analyses, adaptation strategies, technical quality, and efficient use of resources.
- Serve as CARE Iraq’s senior technical reference on climate justice, providing strategic guidance to donors and stakeholders and strengthening confidence in CARE’s technical leadership and expertise.
2. Program Implementation Guidance, Technical Advisory & Quality Assurance
- Ensure CARE Iraq is recognized as a key advocate for climate justice by driving the implementation of innovative, evidence-based climate adaptation programs that align with organizational values and global best practices.
- Provide technical guidance and accompaniment to programme and project teams to support the effective implementation of climate justice and adaptation initiatives, ensuring that design principles, intended outcomes, and equity considerations are clearly understood and consistently applied by implementing teams and partners.
- Support programme and project teams throughout implementation by offering technical advice, structured training, and periodic technical reviews to ensure climate adaptation modalities are implemented as designed and aligned with CARE’s Climate Justice Framework and global best practices.
- Promote CARE Iraq’s positioning as a credible advocate for climate justice by supporting the delivery of innovative, evidence-informed climate adaptation approaches and ensuring that implementation reflects CARE’s values, principles, and strategic commitments.
- Champion the integration of climate justice and adaptation principles across sectors by advising programme teams on how climate considerations should inform activities, targeting, sequencing, and delivery approaches in line with CARE frameworks and environmental standards.
- Translate CARE International’s policies and guidance on climate resilience, environmental sustainability, and equitable adaptation into practical, context-appropriate technical guidance for programme teams and partners, supporting meaningful impact at community level.
- Provide technical support to CARE Iraq teams and partners through the use of relevant tools, assessments, and analytical frameworks to strengthen climate-sensitive implementation and improve programme quality.
- Contribute to staff and consultant selection and onboarding processes by providing technical input to ensure appropriate expertise and understanding of CARE’s climate justice approach, without holding line management responsibility.
- Facilitate learning from implementation by capturing lessons, identifying good practices and challenges, and translating these into technical notes, guidance, and inputs for future programme design and funding proposals.
- Lead the country office “Green Team” and collaborate with human resources and procurement teams to embed climate-sensitive practices into operations and contract management. Build the capacity of support staff to understand the operational requirements of climate-focused initiatives.
3. Capacity Development for CARE Staff and Partners
- Provide Strategic Guidance on Climate Justice Integration, offer timely and tailored guidance to CARE staff and partners on integrating climate justice principles into all country office activities. This includes the operations of the country office, the execution of programs and promoting equitable adaptation, environmental sustainability, and community resilience in programming, ensuring alignment with organizational values and global climate priorities.
- Prioritize the development of national staff by organizing capacity-building initiatives, mentorship programs, and workshops focused on climate justice adaptation and justice to the most vulnerable. Empower staff to lead in implementing sustainable and inclusive approaches, fostering long-term ownership and resilience within local communities.
- Encourage staff and partners to adopt cutting-edge tools and methodologies for addressing climate challenges. Facilitate knowledge-sharing sessions, introduce adaptive technologies, and foster a culture of continuous learning to enhance the effectiveness of CARE’s climate initiatives.
- Ensure all stakeholders are well-versed in CARE’s Climate Justice Framework, Theory of Change, and environmental assessment tools. Provide training and ongoing support to ensure these frameworks are effectively applied in program design, implementation, and monitoring.
- Demonstrate professionalism, inclusivity, and ethical behavior in advancing climate justice. Set high standards for conduct, collaboration, and advocacy while fostering a supportive environment for CARE teams and partners, ensuring alignment with CARE’s mission and environmental values.
4. Advocacy, Knowledge Sharing, and Learning
- Collaborate with stakeholders to develop and execute a dynamic advocacy strategy that positions climate justice at the forefront of all programming. This includes creating compelling narratives, leveraging data-driven insights, and engaging diverse stakeholders to influence policies and practices that promote climate adaptation, resilience, and environmental sustainability at local, national, and international levels.
- Establish systematic processes for capturing and documenting successes, lessons learned, and innovative approaches in climate justice and adaptation programs.
- Ensure insights are effectively disseminated through workshops, reports, and digital platforms, enhancing CARE’s role as a thought leader in climate justice and adaptation.
- Research and analyze the socio-cultural, environmental, and institutional barriers to climate adaptation and climate justice, identifying innovative approaches to overcome these challenges. Collaborate with program teams to incorporate these insights into project design, ensuring initiatives are transformative, sustainable, and contextually relevant.
- Contribute to the refinement of CARE Iraq’s theory of change by integrating evidence-based practices and learnings from the field, with a focus on climate resilience and justice. Ensure the framework reflects a robust commitment to addressing systemic climate inequities and promotes sustainable, justice-oriented solutions.
- Provide technical advice and guidance to the regional office in Amman in developing a comprehensive regional climate change strategy
- Develop and execute initiatives that elevate the voices of marginalized groups, ensuring their lived experiences, inform advocacy efforts and program strategies. Utilize storytelling, case studies, and participatory research to highlight their struggles and successes, fostering broader support for climate justice and adaptation efforts.
- Guide CARE Iraq’s green team in transitioning towards becoming a climate-smart organization, encourage change from the inside out.
Key contacts and collaborators:
Internal:
Head of program, Communications Officer, Program Staff, Country Director, MEAL Team, Finance Team, Security Focal Points, Equity and justice technical Advisor, HR and Admin Teams
External:
CARE International Network, climate justice centre, CARE member partners, Local and International NGOs, DNGO, relevant ministries, Donors, Local Authorities, Academic Institutions, Private Sector Partners, Media Outlets
Staff Risk Management Responsibilities
CARE believes that personal risk management is crucial for staff; however, the risk management cannot be achieved unless each staff member fulfills the following responsibilities. Failure to do so can not only endanger their own safety but also compromise the entire team and organization.
- Maintain Situational Awareness:
- Staff must maintain a high level of situational awareness at all times. This includes being vigilant about their surroundings, recognizing potential threats, and understanding the local context and culture.
- Stay Informed:
- Staff must stay informed about the security situation in their area of operation and avoid complacency. They should promptly read and understand information shared by the organization in relevant communication channels.
- Comply with Protocols:
- Staff must strictly adhere to the risk protocols and guidelines established by their organization. This includes following travel advisories, checking in regularly with designated security contacts, and complying with curfews or movement restrictions.
- Emergency Preparedness:
- Staff must be well-prepared for emergencies by knowing the location and contact
- Maintain Reliable Communication:
- Staff must ensure they have reliable means of communication at all times and keep their phones charged and operational. They should keep the team informed of their whereabouts, especially when traveling or working in the field, and establish check- in routines to confirm their safety regularly.
- Respect Local Norms:
- Staff must understand and respect local customs, traditions, and social norms to avoid unnecessary risks and foster good relations with local communities.
Additionally, all staff members must:
- Take Reasonable Care:
- Staff must take reasonable care for their personal health, safety, and security and ensure that their actions do not harm other staff members.
- Comply with Instructions and Policies:
- Staff must comply with the orders/instructions of the Risk focal points as required, and adhere to any workplace policy/procedure aimed at increasing the safety of all staff, including Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) as laid out in the Risk Management Plan.
- Ensure Equipment Readiness:
- Staff must ensure that all radios, Track24 units, Satphones, helmets, body armour, trauma/first aid equipment, and any other personal protective equipment and items used in field operations and elsewhere are in a safe and serviceable condition and used in accordance with their operating instructions. All damages must be paid for personally.
- Supervise and Train:
- Supervisors of other staff have a Duty of Care to ensure that their staff are not put at risk and are adequately supervised while performing their work. Managers, supervisors, and staff must ensure that before they, or their staff, work in field- based locations, they receive adequate training in security, field health and safety, and risk management.
- Report Incidents Promptly:
- Staff must promptly notify the Risk focal point of any field/operational Risk, health, safety, and security incidents that occur.
Representation of CARE Mission and Values:
- Actively communicate and promote CARE’s mission, values, and goals to all stakeholders, partners, and the public.
- Utilize CARE’s logo and branding materials appropriately in all professional activities, ensuring donor acknowledgment and visibility.
- Wear the official CARE identification material such as vest, badge and/or pin at all business settings including meetings and events to clearly represent the organization.
- Employees are expected to engage in business related video/photo shoots, interviews, or audio recordings to promote CARE and its projects, enhancing organizational visibility.
- Employees are encouraged to re-share CARE’s social media posts and follow official CARE channels on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram to help amplify the organization’s message.
- Ensure the organization’s logo and online presence are used professionally, with misuse potentially leading to disciplinary action.
Promoting Equality, Justice, and Climate Responsibility
Employees at CARE Iraq are expected to embody the organization’s core values of equality, justice, and climate responsibility. This includes fostering equity between men and women, promoting climate justice, and embedding these principles into the organizational activities and work culture overall. A key focus internally and externally is on empowering women through leadership opportunities, professional growth, and meaningful participation in decision-making, while addressing workforce imbalances and amplifying women’s voices to drive transformative change.
Equally, all employees of CARE Iraq are expected to prioritizes climate responsibility by encouraging sustainable practices, reducing ecological foot print, drive positive environmental impact, and supporting climate-affected communities. Integrating resilience and sustainability into all operations and actions will ensures a just and equitable future.
These principles are central to CARE Iraq’s vision for justice, fairness, and environmental stewardship.
Safeguarding and Ethics:
At CARE, we recognize our responsibility to promote human dignity and social justice within our organization. At the heart of CARE’s efforts to impact poverty and social justice is our engagement with marginalized communities. We place human dignity at the center of our work. We are aware of the importance of organizational culture and accountability in enabling a safe and supportive environment for programme participants, the communities where we work, our staff, related personnel and our partners.
At CARE, we believe all people have a right to safety and to live their lives free from harm. The Safeguarding Policy is a response to CARE’s commitment and recognition of our responsibilities to protect and safeguard people we work with, and who work for CARE, from any form of abuse, including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, physical and emotional abuse, neglect, and child abuse. To find further details about our Safeguarding Policy commitments, please click on this link CARE International Safeguarding Policy – October 2023_EN.pdf
Qualifications and Skills
- Languages: Fluency in English, Arabic is an advantage, other used languages is an asset.
- Regional Knowledge: Strong understanding of federal Iraq and Kurdistan’s environmental related legal, political, and operational landscape. sound understanding of the linkages between ecosystems, biodiversity, human well-being, gender and climate change in Iraq and the region.
- Diplomatic Skills: Proven ability to engage and communicate effectively with high- level officials and stakeholders.
- Experience: Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in climate justice programming, preferably within an NGO.
- Organizational Skills: Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities effectively.
- Technical Skills: Deep understanding of climate change and conservation challenges in developing countries, with the ability to recognize and work with local and national level priorities to identify linkages between policy and practice. Demonstrated experience in program design, management, implementation, monitoring and evaluation and reporting. Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Microsoft Teams, and email platforms.
- Education: Master’s degree in natural resource management, hydrology, soil and water conservation engineering, water resources management, biodiversity or climate change or other relevant discipline.
CARE Iraq’s work:
CARE Iraq is a place where staff are supported to grow both personally and professionally. Our team environment promotes collaboration, diversity, and open communication, ensuring that every voice is heard and valued. Our workplace culture is designed to encourage innovation, creativity, and respect, making it a supportive environment for all.
We are proud of the balance between women and men among our labour force. we are committed to equity and justice between women and men and strive to create a safe and inclusive space where everyone can thrive. Our goal is to build a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve and contributes to meaningful change in the lives of women and girls.
How to apply
CARE values equal opportunities and diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability.
Please send your CV (in pdf format max. 4 pages) and a cover letter in English with the subject title of your Email: Technical Advisor – Climate Resilience & Adaptation by no later than 04 February 2026 to application@care.de
Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
References will only be contacted after the interview.
