Bureau Chief, Iraq – Reuters

Reuters is seeking a dynamic, hardworking and experienced journalist to run its Baghdad office and lead coverage of Iraq, one of the fastest-moving and most rewarding beats in the Middle East. The role is an unaccompanied posting based in Baghdad and covers a demanding file across a broad range of topics, from oil and gas to politics and diplomacy, conflict to climate crisis. Nearly 20 years after the U.S. invasion, Iraq has descended into a new round of violent unrest. Five years after the defeat of the Sunni extremist Islamic State, the new political crisis is driven by a power struggle among the Shi’ite Islamist leaders, clerics and militants who rule the country. Iraqis fear that the struggle between Shi’ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and a kaleidoscope of Shi’ite armed groups backed by Tehran will send their country once more down a path to civil war, or at best, a failing state. Oil and gas are a key topic for Reuters clients and a big part of the Iraq file. Iraq’s clout within OPEC makes it a crucial source of energy at a time of soaring global demand. China and Russia are big players in the Iraqi oil sector as Western majors increasingly hesitate to invest.