Internship Programme Coordinator "Maktab Rahal"

Location: Baghdad
Department: People & Culture
Reporting to: People Team
Employment Type: Full time Paid Internship / Temporary Contract (Hybrid)
Initial Contract Duration: From 3 to 6 months according to individual performance 
Potential Full-Time Transition: January 2027, subject to program continuity and individual performance 

About Rahal

Rahal is the travel mini-app inside Iraq’s Super Qi ecosystem; a Rocketship redefining how millions of travelers search, book, and manage journeys across flights, hotels, and digital services. We make travel simple, safe, and accessible to everyone, everywhere.

About Maktab Rahal Programme

Maktab Rahal is Rahal’s internship and early-career talent development program, designed to identify, develop, and nurture the next generation of Rahal talent.

The program gives young participants meaningful exposure to the business, hands-on learning opportunities, mentorship, cross-functional collaboration, and the opportunity to demonstrate their potential for future roles within Rahal.

Maktab Rahal is intentionally designed as a company-wide program, not a department-specific internship. Participants will have the opportunity to work with different teams across the business among multinational teams, learn how Rahal operates, and build a broader understanding of the travel-tech ecosystem.

Why Rahal

🌍 Be part of Iraq’s fastest-growing travel platform inside the SuperQi ecosystem.
🚀 Work in a high-growth, entrepreneurial environment where ownership, speed, and creativity truly matter.
🤝 Collaborate with passionate builders shaping the future of digital travel in the Middle East.
💡 Solve real traveler problems at scale from seamless flight booking to next-gen experiences.
🌴 Play a central role in Rahal’s regional expansion across the GCC.

About the Role

• As part of our growing People & Culture team, we’re introducing Maktab Rahal Internship Program and looking for a Maktab Rahal Coordinator to help bring the program to life.
• This role will own the day-to-day coordination of Maktab Rahal from a People Team perspective, working closely with the People Team and cross-functionally with Marketing, Operations, Product, Technology, and other teams.
  You’ll be the key point of connection throughout the participants’ journey creating structure, keeping everyone aligned, removing blockers, and making sure the program delivers the experience and vision we have for Maktab Rahal.
• You don’t need years of experience, we’re looking for someone with a little more experience than the participants they’ll support, someone who can relate to their perspective, connect with them naturally, build trust, and provide the right level of guidance throughout their journey.
• What matters most is that you are organized, proactive, people-oriented, accountable, hands-on, and excited about building something from the ground up.

What You’ll Own

• Own the end-to-end coordination and day-to-day operations of the Maktab Rahal program, from onboarding through graduation.
• Serve as the primary People Team point of contact for participants, ensuring they have clear expectations, the right support, and someone they can rely on throughout the program.
• Track attendance, engagement, progress, development, and overall participant experience, maintaining accurate program records and documentation.
• Coordinate weekly stand-ups, check-ins, learning activities, and key program milestones, keeping participants and stakeholders aligned.
• Work closely with mentors, managers, and department representatives to ensure participants are meaningfully integrated into their teams and receive the right exposure and guidance.
• Maintain regular communication across participants and stakeholders, ensuring information, updates, and follow-ups are clear and timely.
• Gather feedback from participants and stakeholders, identify recurring themes or challenges, and work with the People Team to turn insights into practical improvements.
• Prepare concise weekly progress updates and reports covering key achievements, challenges, participant progress, and areas requiring attention.
• Proactively identify and escalate concerns, blockers, performance issues, or engagement risks, ensuring they are addressed early and appropriately.
• Support the People Team in identifying high-performing participants and potential future talent, including supporting the transition of successful participants into potential full-time opportunities.
• Support the planning and execution of Maktab Rahal graduation ceremony, ensuring the program concludes with a meaningful experience for the cohort.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role means creating a Maktab Rahal experience that is structured, connected, engaging, and valuable for both participants and the business.

You’ll know you’re succeeding when:

• Participants know where to go for support and feel connected, supported, and engaged throughout the program.
• Teams hosting participants are aligned on expectations and actively contribute to their development.
• The program operates smoothly, with strong communication, clear ownership, and timely follow-up across all stakeholders.
• Participant progress and engagement are visible to the People Team, allowing challenges to be addressed before they become bigger issues.
• Maktab Rahal remains a cross-functional, business-wide program, giving participants meaningful exposure beyond a single department.
• Feedback is actively used to continuously improve the participant experience and the program itself.
• Strong performers are recognized and considered for future opportunities with Rahal.
• Participants complete the program with meaningful experience, stronger skills, valuable connections, and a genuine understanding of what it means to be a Rahaler.

“ Please read carefully”
About The Personality We’re Looking For:

The right person for this role is not just a coordinator, they are someone who can connect with young talent, create structure, and keep the entire program moving.

🚀 Biased for Action :You don’t wait for everything to be perfectly defined. You take initiative, figure things out, act quickly, and learn along the way.

✈️ Traveler-Obsessed: You naturally think from the participant’s perspective. You care about their experience, understand what they need, and constantly ask:
“How can we make this journey better?”

🤝 A Natural Team Player: You collaborate naturally across functions and geographies, build relationships easily, and know how to bring different stakeholders together around a common goal.

⚙️ Operator Mindset: You enjoy getting things done. You’re comfortable in a fast-moving startup environment where priorities can evolve, things can get messy, and someone needs to step in and make them work.

🎯 Strategic & Executional: You can understand the bigger vision of Maktab Rahal while also being willing to handle the details, from organizing a weekly stand-up to following up with a participant who needs support.

💡 People-First & Approachable: You’re someone participants feel comfortable coming to. You listen, understand, encourage, and know when to support, when to challenge, and when to escalate.

🔥 Ownership Mentality: You treat the program as something you own, not simply a list of tasks assigned to you. You care about the outcome and take responsibility for making it successful.

About The Technicality We’re Looking For:

• 2-3 years of experience in People & Culture, HR, Program Coordination, Learning & Development, Talent, Community Management, or a similar people- or coordination-focused role.
• Experience working with interns, graduates, early-career talent, or development programs is a strong plus.
• Strong organizational skills and excellent follow-through, with the ability to manage multiple moving pieces without losing attention to detail.
• Strong communication and stakeholder-management skills, with the confidence to work across different teams and levels of the organization.
• A proactive, hands-on approach and a genuine sense of ownership someone who sees what needs to be done and gets it moving.
• Comfortable working independently, navigating ambiguity, and adapting as the program evolves.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build genuine relationships with young talent while maintaining the right balance of approachability, structure, and accountability.
• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify issues early and turn them into practical solutions.
• Comfortable working with trackers, reports, documentation, and progress updates.
• A genuine interest in people development, talent, and creating meaningful early-career experiences.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English; Arabic is a strong plus.
• Positive energy, curiosity, and a genuine desire to help people learn, grow, and succeed.

Contract & Growth Opportunity

This role will initially be offered as a 3-6 month paid internship / temporary contract as part of the launch phase of Maktab Rahal.

For the right person, there will be an opportunity to transition into a full-time position in January 2027, subject to the continuity of the program and demonstrated performance throughout the internship. The successful candidate will become a permanent member of the Rahal People & Culture team.

We want this journey to be meaningful for both the Maktab Rahal participants and the person helping us build it. Ideally, you’ll be standing alongside the cohort at their graduation ceremony celebrating their growth and achievements while also celebrating your own journey into the Rahal team.

If you’re excited about building something from the ground up, working closely with young talent, and helping shape the next generation of Rahalers, we’d love to hear from you 🤝