Director, Strategy and Measurement in Emergencies

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 50 countries and more than 25 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

IRC’s Emergencies & Humanitarian Action Unit

The IRC’s Emergencies & Humanitarian Action Unit (EHAU) is responsible for IRC’s global emergency response and humanitarian action efforts. This encompasses setting and sharing knowledge on organization standards for emergency response and humanitarian access, analysis, and ethics; maintaining organizational level crisis foresight and management systems, including for the IRC’s emergency funding; and finally, retaining and deploying surge staff to lead and support in the delivery of emergency response programming.

Job Overview

The Director, Strategy & Measurement will be the engine leading continuous improvement in the way IRC responds to emergencies and enables aid delivery into the toughest places around the world. The role will establish and manage core routines for the Emergency and Humanitarian Action Unit of the Crisis Response Recovery and Development (CRRD) department, focused on performance management, coordination, and collaborative delivery.

In this role, the Director will devise and manage IRC’s strategy for Emergencies and Humanitarian Action critical to the success of IRC’s emergency responses and delivery into complex contexts. The Director, Strategy & Measurement will also support the SMT’s management and communications needs, and drive forward our commitment to measurement, thereby providing insightful, data-driven advice to the delivery teams and the SMT when making complex strategic decisions, ensuring EHAU effectively meets objectives in alignment with Strategy100 goals. The Director, Strategy & Measurement will likewise ensure all of EHAU’s initiatives are integrated and communicated both within the unit and across the global IRC so as to ensure a systematic method is implemented to assess EHAU’s alignment with strategic priorities.

This role will lead a team of Strategy and MEAL colleagues to ensure effective planning, delivery of and accountability for IRC’s Strategic Action Plan for emergencies, as well as appropriate cross-departmental strategic integration and program design with CRRD HQ, CRRD Regions, and other HQ departments. The Director will also lead the creation of internal communications and ensure the efficiency and transparency of EHAU’s SMT. The position will be managed by the Senior Director for Quality in Emergencies, and will closely partner with the Vice President of Emergencies and the Senior Director of Policy and Planning for CRRD.

Responsibilities

Lead Emergency and Humanitarian Action Strategy (60%)

• Lead, structure and project-manage the long-term development, improvement, delivery, and measurement of IRC’s Strategy Action Plan (SAP) for Emergencies and Humanitarian Action. This includes identifying and prioritizing initiatives relating to all areas of IRC’s emergency response strategy, influencing decision-making, advocating for and allocating resources, and establishing trusted metrics to measure progress.

• Via close intra- and cross-departmental collaboration, identify opportunities for EHAU’s growth and improvement and facilitate discussion amongst relevant stakeholders regarding high-potential action areas. Ensure actionable strategies and goals are appropriately integrated into the broader unit expectations and areas of focus.

• Utilizing insights from the MEAL team and other organizational sources, lead on governance and performance management for EHAU, providing quarterly data and insights, identifying key management and performance metrics, establishing overarching routines for tracking, coordination, discussion, and debate, and monitoring and communicating performance and financial health across EHAU teams.

• Serve as a thought partner, sounding board, and idea crafter for the EHAU VP and SMT. Create written and presentation content to advance the unit’s major needs and requests. Support stakeholder management and presentation strategy with senior stakeholders.

• Be responsible for managing and identifying risks and challenges that may impact EHAU’s efficiency and ability to meet strategic goals. Develop contingency plans and partnerships to detect and prevent issues from arising.

• Effectively manage the communication of the unit’s strategy to senior management, team members, CRRD regional leaders, and other IRC stakeholders to ensure all levels of the organization are aligned and working towards a shared goal. This includes managing the update of SAP content and narrative to reflect up to date priorities and progress, overseeing the proper implementation and focus of team events, and ensuring a “One-IRC” approach to messaging.

• Establish routines and structures that support efficient working of the SMT in collaboration with VP Emergencies.

• Act as a full voting member of EHAU’s SMT. Routinely attend CRRD SMT as an advisor.

Lead EHAU’s MEAL Team (40%)

• Provide technical leadership and strategic direction to the Quality in Emergencies’ MEAL team.

• Participate in QiE Leadership team to ensure clear coordination and support of pillar-wide MEAL needs.

• Closely collaborate with QiE STAs to ensure relevant programmatic lens is brought into MEAL deliverables. Provide oversight to MEAL technical and strategic direction to responses and technical projects.

• Develop and lead QiE’s Learning Strategy in close collaboration with QiE and Delivery pillar leads. Work closely with the MEAL TA to establish routines and consistent learning products.

• Backstop and provide mentorship in the completion of learning exercises for relevant emergencies.

• Foster and champion a cultural of data driven decision-making in emergencies.

• Ensure EHAU MEAL team is well synced with global Measurement Unit shifts, policies and guidance.

• Serve as focal point for any incoming EHAU level requests for MEAL support.

• Work with the Systems TA in the development of governance structure for Airtable and documentation around maintenance. Ensure EHA SAP measurement and analysis backend is maintained.

Team Culture

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with EHAU, TechEx, and regional colleagues and continually promote a culture of partnership and collaboration.

• Cultivate and maintain a positive, collaborative, safe and protective work environment, while additionally setting an example of ‘One IRC’-way of working within the team, EHAU and the wider organization.

• Contribute to efforts across EHAU to promote gender equality, diversity and more inclusive practice across our programming and our ways of working.

Key Working Relationships:

• Position Reports to: Senior Director, Quality in Emergencies

• Position directly supervises: Strategy Officer, Unit & Events Officer, MEAL Systems Technical Advisor and MEAL Technical Advisor.

• Partners with: Vice President of Emergencies and Senior Director of Policy and Planning for CRRD

• Works closely with: EHAU SMT, ERT MEAL Coordinators, QiE Leadership Team, HQ Technical Leaders, TechEx Leaders, CRRD Regional Leaders, Regional Emergency Directors, Departmental Strategy focal points and Directors of Policy and Planning, Strategy Unit focal points.

Job Requirements:

Essential:

• Strong strategic leadership and ability to drive forward project implementation with minimal oversight and support.

• Ability to proactively identify challenges and develop creative solutions in close collaboration with partners. Shown ability to understand the bigger picture, make connections across the organization, and identify trends and opportunities.

• Exceptionally well-organized and structured critical thinking, work planning, and execution – with ability to remain adaptive and flexible to changing circumstances.

• 10+ years’ experience working in the humanitarian sector.

• 5+ years in progressively senior roles in MEAL or strategic analysis; shown ability to design tools, guidance and learning exercises in emergency contexts.

• An ability to accurately distil information, data, and opinion to draw out key messages and critical details.

• Shown ability to collaborate across diverse roles, functions, and geographies to devise and inspire change.

• Excellent communication and presentation skills, orally and in writing, within a diverse team. Includes active-listening and the ability to incorporate feedback.

• High integrity and ethical standards, collegial and collaborative behavior, high energy, resiliency, and creativity.

• Experience developing and leading capacity strengthening initiatives around MEAL.

• Experience leading teams toward the achievement of joint goals.

• High dedication to fostering a working environment of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

• Excellent spoken and written English.

• Ability to travel globally up to 20% of the year.

Preferred:

• Master’s degree or equivalent relevant work experience.

• Consistent record serving as a role model, empowering others to translate vision into results; effective at delegating the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority.

• Receptive and collaborative leadership approach.

• Demonstrated ability to successfully work in fast-paced, often insecure and stressful environments.

• Working knowledge of Arabic, French, and/or Spanish.

Compensation:
Posted pay ranges apply to US based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.

US Benefits:
The IRC offers a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. All US employees are eligible for sick time, a 403b retirement savings plans: up to 4.5% immediately vested matching contribution, plus an 3-7% additional IRC contribution, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support in times of crisis and mental health struggles.