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Cordaid

Digital and Cyber Security Helpdesk Specialist

Posted as: Digital and Cyber Security Helpdesk for Civil Society Organisations

  • Erbil · Baghdad · Basra · Mosul
  • Part time
  • 20 hours ago
Salary
Not stated
Deadline
Oct 28, 2026
Languages
Arabic

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Cybersecurity Specialist · Erbil

Cordaid is seeking specialists or firms to provide on-demand digital and cyber-security helpdesk services for civil society organisations under the SOUTNA programme in Iraq. Responsibilities include technical support, incident response, security assessments, and digital safety guidance.

About the job

SOUTNA is a 24-month civil society strengthening programme implemented by Cordaid in Iraq across Baghdad, Erbil, Basra and Ninawa. It works with 180 civil society organisations (CSOs), selected in three cohorts, and runs CSO Resource Hubs in the four governorates. Under Activity 1.4, SOUTNA sets up three specialised helpdesks for CSOs: digital security, legal advice and protection, and psychosocial first aid.

To provide practical, accessible and confidential digital and cyber-security assistance to participating CSOs, helping them prevent, identify and respond to common digital risks, incidents and unsafe practices.

Responsibilities

  • Provide timely first-line digital-security guidance and incident triage.
  • Help CSOs secure accounts, devices, communications and data.
  • Support containment, recovery and referral for incidents.
  • Build practical cyber-hygiene skills.
  • Support CSO staff and volunteers facing online extortion, harassment, impersonation or hacked personal accounts linked to their work.
  • Provide proportionate digital-security assessments and action plans.
  • Coordinate with legal and MHPSS helpdesks where incidents overlap.
  • Password/passphrase and MFA guidance.
  • Secure configuration of email, cloud, messaging and collaboration accounts.
  • Updates, encryption, screen locks, backups and secure storage.
  • Phishing, social engineering and account-takeover prevention.
  • Secure communications and safer public-Wi-Fi/removable-media practices.
  • Triage suspected compromise, phishing, malware, unauthorised access or data exposure.
  • Containment guidance including recovery and session/credential management.
  • Evidence-preservation guidance where safe.
  • Recovery and post-incident recommendations.
  • Referral to specialist digital-forensics, legal or platform support where required.
  • Rapid review of accounts, devices, access control, backups, communications and basic policies.
  • Priority risks and practical mitigation plan.
  • Follow-up review where requested.
  • Cyber hygiene and phishing awareness.
  • Account/device security.
  • Secure communications and data handling.
  • Incident reporting and first response.
  • Basic digital-security policy/checklist.
  • Incident-response and escalation procedure.
  • Access-control, backup and staff onboarding/offboarding guidance.
  • Protecting the personal data of the people CSOs serve, in line with each CSO's protection and safeguarding policies.
  • Immediate safety advice: do not pay, do not negotiate, do not delete messages.
  • Securing and recovering personal accounts, including social media accounts.
  • Guidance on documenting evidence safely for reporting.
  • Reporting to platforms and requesting removal of content or fake accounts.
  • With the person's consent, referral to the legal helpdesk for a complaint to the competent authorities, and to the MHPSS helpdesk for psychosocial support.

Requirements

  • Individual cyber-security, information-security, digital-safety and IT specialists may apply.
  • Small specialist firms, consultancies, NGOs and companies may apply.
  • One qualified specialist or a small team is acceptable.
  • Relevant technical qualifications/certifications may be provided; equivalent demonstrated experience is acceptable.
  • Experience with NGOs, civil society, humanitarian actors, journalists, activists or comparable users is preferred.
  • Demonstrated experience handling online extortion, harassment or account-takeover cases, including reporting to social media platforms.
  • Ability to provide a female specialist on request is an advantage.
  • Arabic is required; Kurdish capacity is strongly preferred for Erbil.
  • Applicants must accept Cordaid security, confidentiality, data-protection, safeguarding and code-of-conduct requirements.

Notes

  • The service is on-demand; no minimum volume is guaranteed.
  • Cordaid may contract one or several providers by location, specialisation, language, availability and value for money.
  • Applicants may offer the full scope or selected service categories.
  • Services may be delivered remotely, at SOUTNA hubs or another agreed safe location.
  • Travel is undertaken only when requested/approved.
  • Services are requested only through SOUTNA. A cohort CSO contacts its hub focal point, and the SOUTNA team issues a written service order stating the case code, service level and agreed number of units. Work done without a service order is not paid.
  • For confidential cases the service order carries only the case code. The provider keeps the identity of the person or organisation served in its own records and does not pass it to Cordaid.
  • Each completed service is documented in a short service record, signed by the provider and confirmed by the requesting CSO focal point or, for confidential individual sessions, by the service user against the case code. The confirmed service record is the basis for payment.
  • With the consent of service users, Cordaid may run spot checks to verify delivery and quality.
  • Only authorised defensive security activity is permitted.
  • No unauthorised access, exploitation, credential theft, surveillance or destructive activity.
  • No access to third-party systems without explicit authorisation.
  • Do not request or retain passwords, OTPs or private keys except under an exceptional authorised secure process.
  • Security testing must have a defined written scope.
  • No software, monitoring or remote-access tools are installed on a CSO device without the written consent of the CSO, and remote-access sessions are closed once the task is done.
  • The provider never asks for, views or keeps intimate images or similar material, and never contacts or negotiates with the perpetrator.
  • Nothing is reported to the authorities without the informed consent of the person affected.
  • All case information is confidential and handled on a need-to-know basis.
  • Collect only information necessary to provide the service.
  • Use coded/anonymised case records where possible.
  • Report relevant safeguarding or security incidents through the agreed Cordaid channel.
  • Use secure communication, storage and file-transfer methods appropriate to the sensitivity of the information.
  • Conflicts of interest must be declared before accepting a case.
  • Providers shall comply with Cordaid Code of Conduct, safeguarding, PSEAH, anti-fraud and data-protection requirements.
  • Providers shall not use SOUTNA/Cordaid information for unrelated purposes.
  • Cordaid and its authorised auditors may inspect relevant records as required.
  • Cordaid may suspend or terminate services for serious quality, safeguarding, security, confidentiality or compliance concerns.
  • Payments are subject to any tax deductions Cordaid is legally required to make in Iraq or the Kurdistan Region.
  • Cordaid may cancel this call or decide not to contract, without obligation to applicants. Applicants bear their own costs of preparing an offer.

Skills

  • Incident response
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • Phishing prevention
  • Security assessment
  • Data protection

Details

Profession
Cybersecurity Specialist
Category
IT & Software
Openings
Several people
Education
Bachelor's degree

How to apply

  • Technical proposal, maximum 8 pages, covering services, methodology, response model and referral/escalation.
  • CV(s) of proposed specialist(s), qualifications and relevant experience.
  • Professional/company registration or licence where applicable.
  • Two relevant references, where available.
  • Unit-rate financial proposal using the table above.
  • Signed declaration covering independence, conflicts of interest, confidentiality, safeguarding and acceptance of Cordaid policies.
  • Declaration of honour that the applicant is not in any situation of exclusion and is not on any international sanctions list. Cordaid screens all selected providers before contracting.
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