In Baghdad, where he's worked for much of the last decade, he'll watch on from afar as his name appears back home among others celebrated as new members of the Order of Australia.

Despite working in a city that has lived through war, and in heat sometimes pushing above 50 degrees Celsius, Mr Fletcher said he wasn't sure he deserved the honour.

The Council for the Order of Australia is more willing to describe what his work has meant to the Department of Foreign Affairs, appointing him to the order for his "significant service to the protection and security of Australian personnel" in the Iraqi capital.

Mr Fletcher was quick to stress the honour belonged also to his wife at home in Canberra, and his team helping manage facilities for the Australian embassy in Iraq.

With him is his son, who joined him in Baghdad four years ago and stayed three years longer than first expected, working as a builder.

"This award is really a team award, from family support at home, and like-minded colleagues who have the same or similar approach to take on a challenge," he said.

"I am lucky to have a sound small team around me."

An electrician and refrigeration mechanic by trade, his career took him from Canberra to Queensland and then back.

He came into the thick of the Iraq War in 2008 after he joined a business and became part of a team there overseeing large construction projects and managing plant and equipment maintenance.

Later, he formed his own company - Argyle Pacific - and tendered for maintenance work at the Australian embassy, and today he spends nine months of the year working there.

"Baghdad offered a unique set of challenges and I felt I had something to offer to improve and maintain the critical infrastructure, allowing the post to function reliably and with minimal disruption," he said.

Mr Fletcher is clear-eyed on life working in Iraq, where he's lived during the US' withdrawal, and more recently, the rise and decline of ISIS. He described his time there as challenging, exciting and sometimes frightening.

"Especially the early days flying in and out with the military, incoming indirect fire and IEDs exploding and the ever-changing security environment," he said. He singled out 2008 and 2011 as bad years.

His team works to make the embassy safe by keeping power, stand-by power, water, all mission critical systems and equipment available for DFAT staff as close to 100 per cent of the time as possible.

Early on, the compound suffered from poorly installed systems, a hostile security environment, and a lack of skilled local trades and companies capable of providing quality services.

A tight timeframe to have the embassy functional and the conditions between 2005 and 2006 also affected its installations, while high ambient summer temperatures and dust storms have been among other trials demanding more attention for some equipment.

Mr Fletcher's team has made stand-by power more reliable with new generators, helped increase water storage, and trained local contractors to carry out inspections and tests.

He still enjoys working in Baghdad, regardless of ever-changing local rules.

"The security constraints limit options that would normally be available back in Australia, often having to find improvised solutions to keep the post operational and safe," he said.

"The logistics of obtaining equipment, parts and specialised support such as engineering services present challenges in their own right.

"There is great satisfaction in completing tasks having overcome all of the obstacles thrown in front of you."