Livelihood Trainers

1. Organizational Background

Aid Gate Organization (AGO) is an independent, non-governmental and non-profit organization established in Iraq in 2014. AGO implements humanitarian, development, resilience, livelihoods, agriculture, economic empowerment, protection, social cohesion, and institutional capacity-strengthening programmes in partnership with national and international organizations.

AGO is implementing the Economic Empowerment Pathways Pilot in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP). The project supports vulnerable Social Safety Net households through tailored pathways to employment, self-employment, enterprise development, and sustainable livelihoods.

2. Position Summary

The Livelihood Trainer will deliver high-quality, practical, competency-based training and provide coaching and follow-up support to project participants pursuing employment, self-employment, entrepreneurship, agricultural, or other livelihood pathways.

Each Trainer will deliver assigned training modules using approved curricula, facilitator guides, materials, methodologies, and assessment tools. Training assignments may include employability, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, business planning, vocational or technical skills, agriculture, agribusiness, workplace readiness, market engagement, and other subjects aligned with the Trainer’s qualifications.

The Livelihood Trainer will assess participant learning, provide individualized support, maintain accurate training records, contribute to participant pathway planning, support workplace learning, and follow up on the application of acquired skills.

The postholder must create a safe, inclusive, respectful, and practical learning environment and must not make unauthorized promises regarding employment, productive assets, loans, certification, or other project support.

3. Key Responsibilities
4. Training Preparation and Planning

• Review and understand the approved curriculum, facilitator guides, learning objectives, session plans, and assessment tools.
• Prepare detailed session plans and training schedules for assigned participant groups.
• Identify required venues, tools, equipment, materials, supplies, practical exercises, and safety measures.
• Coordinate training dates and requirements with the Field Coordinator and Training, Coaching & Mentorship Specialist.
• Review participant profiles, pathway plans, education levels, experience, accessibility requirements, and learning needs.
• Adapt facilitation methods to different literacy levels and abilities without changing approved learning outcomes.
• Test equipment, tools, demonstrations, and training materials before each session.
• Prepare participant handouts, exercises, case studies, assessments, and attendance documents.
• Identify potential delivery constraints and inform the supervisor sufficiently in advance.
• Attend required orientations, Training of Trainers, technical briefings, and refresher sessions.

1. Training Delivery

• Deliver assigned training modules according to approved curricula and schedules.
• Use adult-learning, competency-based, participatory, and practical teaching methods.
• Clearly explain learning objectives, session expectations, attendance requirements, and assessment procedures.
• Facilitate demonstrations, practical exercises, role plays, case studies, group work, simulations, and problem-solving activities.
• Relate learning content to realistic labour-market, business, agricultural, and livelihood situations in Iraq.
• Encourage active participation, peer learning, critical thinking, and practical application.
• Provide clear and constructive answers to participant questions.
• Manage training time effectively and complete required content without compromising quality.
• Maintain a respectful and non-discriminatory learning environment.
• Avoid promoting personal business interests, products, services, political opinions, or unapproved technical information.

1. Technical and Vocational Skills Development

• Deliver technical or vocational training within the Trainer’s verified area of competence.
• Demonstrate correct procedures, techniques, tools, equipment, and occupational practices.
• Ensure participants receive adequate supervised practical experience.
• Teach participants how to use, maintain, and safely store tools and equipment.
• Emphasize quality standards, productivity, customer expectations, cost control, and responsible resource use.
• Relate technical skills to actual employment, self-employment, enterprise, or value-chain opportunities.
• Monitor participants’ practical performance and correct unsafe or incorrect practices.
• Avoid instructing participants to perform tasks beyond their current competency or without appropriate supervision.
• Notify technical specialists when curriculum content, tools, equipment, or training duration is insufficient.
• Maintain tools, equipment, and training materials assigned for delivery.

1. Entrepreneurship and Business Skills

• Deliver approved entrepreneurship, business-planning, and financial-literacy content.
• Support participants to generate and assess realistic business ideas.
• Guide participants in basic market research, customer identification, competition analysis, costing, pricing, budgeting, and cash-flow planning.
• Support preparation of business plans using approved project templates.
• Help participants distinguish household and business finances.
• Promote accurate recordkeeping, savings, responsible borrowing, customer service, marketing, and risk management.
• Ensure business projections are realistic and based on relevant market information.
• Avoid promising business funding, productive assets, loans, grants, profitability, or selection.
• Refer complex business cases to the Entrepreneurship & Value Chains Specialist.
• Support participants to understand financial products, repayment obligations, and borrowing risks.

1. Employability and Workplace Readiness

• Deliver employability content such as communication, teamwork, time management, problem-solving, job search, CV preparation, interviews, and workplace conduct.
• Help participants understand employer expectations, workplace rights, responsibilities, and professional behaviour.
• Conduct mock interviews, CV-review sessions, workplace simulations, and practical exercises.
• Prepare participants for apprenticeships, workplace learning, employer interviews, and job placements.
• Provide guidance on punctuality, attendance, communication, occupational safety, and conflict resolution.
• Avoid guaranteeing employment or representing an employer without authorization.
• Refer employment opportunities and employer-related questions to authorized project staff.
• Support participants to assess whether employment opportunities are suitable, safe, and voluntary.

1. Agricultural and Agribusiness Training

Where assigned and technically qualified, the Trainer will:

• Deliver practical training in approved agricultural or agribusiness subjects.
• Coordinate technical content with the Entrepreneurship & Value Chains Specialist and agricultural extension workers.
• Demonstrate safe and appropriate production, irrigation, input use, post-harvest, processing, storage, and marketing practices.
• Promote climate-sensitive, resource-efficient, and environmentally responsible techniques.
• Integrate market demand, value-chain requirements, production costs, quality, and profitability into technical instruction.
• Ensure participants understand the safe use and storage of tools, machinery, fertilizers, pesticides, or other agricultural inputs.
• Avoid recommending restricted, unsafe, environmentally harmful, or unapproved products and practices.
• Refer specialized agricultural questions beyond the Trainer’s expertise to qualified personnel.

1. Participant Assessment

• Conduct pre-training assessments to understand participants’ existing knowledge and skills.
• Use approved formative, practical, and post-training assessment tools.
• Observe participant performance and provide timely constructive feedback.
• Apply assessment criteria fairly, consistently, and without favouritism.
• Maintain complete assessment records and supporting evidence.
• Identify participants requiring remedial learning, additional practice, coaching, or technical referral.
• Participate in assessment moderation or verification when requested.
• Never alter assessment results, complete assessments on behalf of participants, or issue unauthorized certificates.
• Protect the confidentiality of participant assessment results.
• Submit assessment records within established deadlines.

1. Coaching and Mentorship

• Provide structured individual and group coaching using approved tools.
• Support participants to set realistic learning, employment, business, or livelihood goals.
• Develop practical action plans and follow up on agreed steps.
• Help participants identify and address technical, behavioural, operational, or learning challenges.
• Encourage participant responsibility, confidence, and independent problem-solving.
• Maintain appropriate professional boundaries in all coaching relationships.
• Keep accurate coaching records while protecting confidentiality.
• Refer financial, legal, medical, safeguarding, or specialized technical issues to qualified personnel.
• Avoid creating participant dependency or making decisions on their behalf.
• Coordinate complex cases with the Training, Coaching & Mentorship Specialist.

1. Workplace and Practical Learning

• Support participant preparation for apprenticeships, workplace learning, demonstrations, and practical placements.
• Coordinate learning objectives and participant expectations with the Field Coordinator.
• Visit workplaces or practical training sites when assigned.
• Observe whether participants can apply acquired skills in real work environments.
• Provide technical coaching to participants and workplace supervisors where appropriate.
• Collect feedback from participants and employers.
• Report unsafe conditions, harassment, exploitation, discrimination, unpaid labour, or other serious concerns.
• Do not independently confront employers about sensitive allegations.
• Support participant assessment based on verified workplace performance.
• Document workplace-learning activities and outcomes.

1. Post-Training and Enterprise Follow-up

• Conduct participant follow-up after training, productive asset assistance, enterprise establishment, or employment placement.
• Assess whether participants are applying acquired knowledge and skills.
• Identify technical challenges affecting employment, business operations, production, service quality, or income generation.
• Provide approved technical advice and practical corrective guidance.
• Refer complex market, financial, safeguarding, or operational issues to the responsible specialist.
• Support enterprise coaching, refresher sessions, peer learning, and problem-solving workshops.
• Collect basic information on business operation, customer demand, production, sales, costs, and employment.
• Document participant progress, challenges, and support provided.
• Contribute to pathway reviews where a participant’s original option is no longer viable.

1. Inclusion and Learning Accessibility

• Promote the equal participation of women, persons with disabilities, and vulnerable participants.
• Identify literacy, language, disability, mobility, care, safety, or learning barriers.
• Use visual materials, demonstrations, repetition, peer support, and practical instruction where appropriate.
• Apply reasonable accommodations agreed with the project team.
• Avoid stereotypes or assumptions about participant ability based on gender, disability, age, or background.
• Monitor participation and ensure no individual dominates or excludes others.
• Report accessibility barriers that require programmatic or logistical action.
• Maintain the same competency standards while adapting the method of learning and assessment appropriately.

1. Safeguarding and Professional Conduct

• Comply with AGO’s Code of Conduct and safeguarding policies.
• Maintain appropriate and professional boundaries with all participants.
• Never request or accept money, gifts, favours, services, political support, or sexual activity in exchange for training, assessment, certification, referral, or assistance.
• Never provide preferential treatment to relatives, friends, or associates.
• Avoid private or inappropriate communication with participants.
• Conduct coaching and training in approved and safe settings.
• Immediately report suspected sexual exploitation, abuse, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, fraud, or misconduct.
• Do not investigate safeguarding allegations or pressure participants to disclose information.
• Protect participant dignity, privacy, and confidentiality.

1. Occupational Safety and Environmental Responsibility

• Conduct safety briefings before practical training.
• Ensure participants use appropriate personal protective equipment.
• Inspect training tools, equipment, materials, and workspaces before use.
• Stop any activity presenting an immediate risk of injury or harm.
• Report accidents, near misses, damaged equipment, and unsafe conditions immediately.
• Ensure participants understand emergency procedures and safe equipment use.
• Promote responsible use of water, energy, raw materials, agricultural inputs, and waste-management practices.
• Avoid training on illegal, harmful, or environmentally damaging practices.
• Maintain basic incident and safety records.
• Cooperate with any safety review or corrective action.

1. Monitoring, Documentation and Reporting

• Maintain accurate attendance, session, assessment, coaching, and follow-up records.
• Complete training reports using approved templates.
• Record topics covered, participant engagement, challenges, assessment results, and recommendations.
• Submit documentation to the Field Coordinator within established deadlines.
• Support MEAL monitoring, observations, surveys, and data-quality checks.
• Participate in participant satisfaction and training-evaluation exercises.
• Respond accurately to clarification and verification requests.
• Collect photographs or participant stories only when formally requested and with informed consent.
• Maintain secure electronic and hard-copy training files.
• Immediately report lost records, data breaches, falsification, or documentation concerns.

1. Government Capacity Strengthening

• Participate in Training of Trainers and joint implementation with social workers, agricultural extension workers, and government personnel.
• Model effective adult-learning, competency-based training, coaching, and assessment practices.
• Support government trainers through demonstration, observation, feedback, shadowing, and learning-by-doing.
• Share approved training materials and methodologies through authorized channels.
• Document government participation and capacity-development progress.
• Respect government roles while maintaining approved project quality standards.
• Report technical or institutional capacity gaps to the Training, Coaching & Mentorship Specialist.
• Contribute to the gradual transfer and sustainability of training functions.

1. Other Responsibilities

• Participate in staff meetings, technical reviews, refresher training, and learning sessions.
• Prepare individual work plans and coordinate schedules with the Field Coordinator.
• Comply with AGO’s administrative, financial, security, safeguarding, confidentiality, and operational requirements.
• Perform other relevant training and coaching duties assigned within the scope of the position.

4. Key Deliverables

Each Livelihood Trainer will be responsible for producing or supporting:

• Detailed training schedules and session plans.
• High-quality delivery of assigned curriculum modules.
• Complete participant attendance and training records.
• Pre-training, formative, practical, and post-training assessments.
• Participant competency and completion records.
• Individual or group coaching plans and records.
• Business-planning, employability, or technical training outputs.
• Practical and workplace-learning records.
• Participant follow-up and refresher support.
• Regular training and coaching reports.
• Documentation of learning barriers and corrective actions.
• Government trainer coaching and capacity-strengthening records.
• Accurate inputs for MEAL monitoring and project reporting.
• Properly maintained tools, equipment, materials, and training files.

5. Minimum Qualifications and Experience

Education

• Bachelor’s degree or recognized technical qualification in vocational education, agriculture, agribusiness, business administration, entrepreneurship, economics, education, engineering, information technology, or another field relevant to the assigned training area.

A recognized vocational certificate combined with extensive practical experience may be accepted for specialized trades.

Professional Experience

• At least three years of relevant experience delivering livelihood, vocational, agricultural, entrepreneurship, business, employability, or technical training.
• Demonstrated practical expertise in the assigned training subject.
• Experience using adult-learning and participatory training methods.
• Experience conducting participant assessments and providing coaching or mentoring.
• Experience working with vulnerable households, women, or persons with disabilities is desirable.
• Previous experience with NGOs, government vocational institutions, UN agencies, or WFP-funded programmes is an advantage.
• Experience supporting apprenticeships, workplace learning, employment, or enterprise development is desirable.
• Completion of a recognized Training of Trainers programme is preferred.

6. Required Skills and Competencies

• Strong technical competence in the assigned livelihood or training area.
• Strong facilitation, demonstration, coaching, and presentation skills.
• Ability to make technical content practical and understandable.
• Knowledge of adult learning and competency-based training.
• Ability to assess participant knowledge and practical performance fairly.
• Strong communication, patience, professionalism, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to support participants with different literacy levels and abilities.
• Knowledge of occupational safety and responsible equipment use.
• Strong recordkeeping and reporting skills.
• Basic proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, email, and digital communication tools.
• Fluency in Arabic is required; working knowledge of English or Kurdish is an advantage.
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly to assigned training and project locations.

7. Core Values and Behavioural Expectations

The postholder is expected to demonstrate:

• Integrity, professionalism, fairness, and accountability.
• Respect for diversity, inclusion, privacy, and human dignity.
• Commitment to safeguarding and prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment.
• Zero tolerance for fraud, favouritism, discrimination, harassment, and manipulation of assessment results.
• Patience and respect for different learning needs.
• Strong professional boundaries with participants.
• Commitment to practical learning and continuous improvement.
• Responsible use of training tools, equipment, and project resources.

8. Performance Indicators

Performance will be assessed against:

• Quality and timeliness of training delivery.
• Participant attendance, retention, completion, and satisfaction.
• Participant improvement in knowledge and practical competencies.
• Quality and consistency of assessments.
• Quality and regularity of coaching and mentorship.
• Application of acquired skills in employment, self-employment, agriculture, or enterprise activities.
• Quality of training documentation and reports.
• Inclusion of women, persons with disabilities, and vulnerable participants.
• Compliance with approved curricula, schedules, and training standards.
• Proper use and maintenance of training tools and equipment.
• Compliance with safeguarding, occupational safety, confidentiality, and data-protection requirements.
• Effectiveness of support to government trainers and capacity transfer.
• Responsiveness to technical supervision and quality-assurance recommendations.

9. Safeguarding Statement

Aid Gate Organization is committed to safeguarding children and adults at risk and maintaining a working environment free from sexual exploitation, abuse, harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. The selected candidate must comply with AGO’s Code of Conduct, safeguarding policies, professional-boundary requirements, and reporting procedures.

Any request for money, gifts, favours, services, or sexual activity in exchange for training, assessment, certification, referral, or project assistance constitutes serious misconduct and may result in immediate disciplinary action and referral to the appropriate authorities.

10. Equal Opportunity Statement

Aid Gate Organization is an equal-opportunity employer. Qualified candidates are considered without discrimination based on gender, disability, ethnicity, religion, age, marital status, or other protected characteristics. Women, persons with disabilities, and qualified candidates from targeted communities are strongly encouraged to apply.

11. Application Requirements

Interested candidates should submit:

• An updated curriculum vitae.
• A brief cover letter identifying their technical training specialization.
• Copies of relevant academic, vocational, or Training of Trainers certificates.
• Contact details for at least three professional references.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Interested applicants must apply via the link below

Community Mobilizer | AGO

Note:

• Applications not meeting the specified minimum requirements may not be considered.
• The CVs received after the closing date may not be considered.
• Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview that may include a written test of communication and writing skills.
• Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Candidates are encouraged to apply early, as applications may be screened prior to the vacancy deadline.