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 40 countries and 29 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.
The IRC Emergencies & Humanitarian Action Unit (EHAU)
The IRCs Emergencies and Humanitarian Action Unit (EHAU) leads and oversees IRCs global emergency preparedness and response activities. The mission of the EHAU is to help meet the immediate survival needs and reduce suffering in conflict or disaster affected populations during the acute phase of an emergency. The EHAU also works in protracted emergencies, where the risk to life may be reduced but the population is still subjected to rights abuses and a lack of basic services.
The Signpost Project
Housed within the EHAU, the Signpost Project is a rapidly scaling responsive information service, providing up to date and contextually adapted information and content to equip its clients to make critical decisions about their futures throughout the arc of a crisis. Signpost’s mission is to shift power back to our clients, and we do so b by developing information products that address self-expressed problems, and information needs in our client communities.
The Signpost project is at a critical point of inflection where its proven success is fueling a global expansion, and our vision is to install a Signpost project at the heart of every major humanitarian context worldwide – making community-led, responsive information a public good for the aid sector. Signpost has recently launched Signpost AI – a new initiative that will harness generative artificial intelligence to amplify our work and the civil society partners in our ever-expanding network. Business development, sustaining programs once deployed, identification of and vetting new partners, and attracting new donors is key for the success of the program and making our vision a reality. With rapid scaling, greater visibility on the health of finances in the field and grants is key for future growth and success of the program.
The Purpose of the Role
Reporting to the Director, Signpost, the Senior Program Officer (SPO) plays a vital role within the Signpost Global Team, which supports an award portfolio of humanitarian innovation programs. The SPO is playing both a strategic and tactical role in ensuring the smooth operation and overall effectiveness of the Signpost Project. The SPO is a problem solver, acting as a representative of project and thought partner to the Director, Signpost.
The position leads the internal coordination for Business Development and donor engagement for the Signpost Team. The SPO also supports the development, enhancement and implementation of awards management processes (including specific partnership and project management initiatives) and coordinates funding allocations to partners and IRC country offices.
The SPO also serves as a representative of the IRC Signpost project to internal and external stakeholders regarding business development, awards management and delivery processes.
Major responsibilities
Strategic Planning and Implementation Support
•Contribute to strategic Signpost initiatives that support Signpost Global Team, Partners and country programs as agreed with the Director, Signpost. Organize feedback sessions with partners and country programs, capture and communicate country program needs and suggestions for continuous improvements.
•Play a strategic role in the planning and successful resolution of implementation challenges, and act as thought partner to the Director, Signpost, advising together with the Program Lead and the Senior Technical Advisor on matters related to team priorities, engagement, and growth.
•Act as key point of contact for the implementation support of the Signpost Program Team as agreed with Director, Signpost.
•Ensure that important organizational data points are captured, relevant trackers are maintained and required updates and analysis are shared in a timely manner (using Signpost’s established systems and tools).
•Lead on Signpost awards portfolio data management efforts, ensuring that post-award data entry-points are maintained for accuracy and reflect correctly in various dashboards
•Lead on and mange contractualization, payments, and management of local partners (including PEERS processes and other due diligence for payments)
Program Quality and Delivery
•Highlight systemic awards related concerns or risks to the Signpost Global Team and/or country offices, through established pathways and processes, and provide guidance and/or recommendations on needed actions for resolution.
•Support members of the Signpost Global team to problem-solve on escalated awards and partnerships-specific compliance and policy matters, ensuring most effective resolution.
•Lead on management of multi-country and consortium grants including funds managements and reporting.
•Promote information sharing, standardization, and collaborative business process development efforts across partners and countries.
Business Development
•Lead and assist in the identification, tracking and updating of new business opportunities across a variety of technical sectors, regions, and clients.
•Lead capture planning including facilitating technical brainstorming, competitive landscape analysis and win theme sessions with Signpost technical staff and country staff as necessary.
•Build Signpost’s profile, by building visibility with donors, peers and partners; external and internal.
•Coordinating proposal work – assisting in budget development, ensuring document completion, organizing meetings and compiling notes, and drafting and proofreading proposal sections.
•Work with Signpost Global Team, technical units, country offices, and other staff to support conceptualization of winning programme and bid designs for new project activities and/or amendments to current projects.
•Managing coordination, communication and inputs from subawards or to our primes.
•Identifying partners, consultants, and other proposal development support as needed.
•Provide Quality Assurance/Quality Compliance support on proposals.
•Maintain accurate information in database and assist with conducting analysis of proposal development; and maintain accurate and timely electronic files.
•Advises by working collaboratively on organizational and system improvements, anticipating, identifying and proactively solving problems.
•Facilitates internal post-submission debrief sessions to glean lessons learned.
Requirements
•Very strong work experience in award management and/or business development, with extensive knowledge of institutional donors and their requirements (e.g., FCDO, ECHO, BHA, PRM, USAID, Sida, UN, etc.) as well as private donors. (5-8 years minimum)
•Good understanding of humanitarian aid and development programming including project design, quality and delivery in humanitarian and development settings
•Experience of working within an international context in a global organization, with complex reporting relationships; (required)
•Strong diplomatic and communication skills, including the ability to tailor language to different audiences (e.g., with internal stakeholders, peers, leaders) and to effectively handle a variety of relationships in a multicultural environment
•Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple and complex tasks
•The ability to, to efficiently prioritize, multi-task and manage deadlines effectively in within a fast-paced environment
•Demonstrated ability to collaborate equally effectively with colleagues across ‘remote’ and diverse teams
•Excellent written and oral communication skills, including experience in speaking on relevant issues with internal and external audiences
•Excellent analytical, negotiations and problem-solving skills
•Solid organizational and project management skills
•A flexible work attitude and a desire to contribute to the culture of a supportive, highly engaged team
•Strong computer skills and experience (beyond standard MS tools)
•Competence with budget building and drafting spending scenarios
•Fluency in written and spoken English is required, and French or Spanish is desirable.
Key Working Relationships
Position Reports to: Signpost Project Director
Position directly supervises: N/A
Other Internal and/or external contacts: Signpost Global Team and Consortium, IRC’s Award Management Unit (AMU), EHAU Grants and Finance team, Regional Teams, Country Teams
Compensation:
Posted pay ranges apply to US and UK-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.
In addition, full-time employees are eligible for 10 US paid holidays, 20-25 paid time off days, disability & life insurance, medical, dental, and vision insurance (employee contribution starting at $135, $7, and $5 per month respectively) and FSA for healthcare, childcare, and commuter costs. Part-time employees are eligible for a proportionate amount of paid time off. These additional benefits apply to employees who work at least 6 months within a 12 month time period.
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Standard of Professional Conduct:The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.
Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.