Openings at International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)

The Role

The Humanitarian Director leads the development and delivery of IPPF’s global humanitarian programme, which focuses on providing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services in humanitarian crises.

The Director oversees a diverse team of programmatic, communications, technical, safety and security, and operational experts in the field of humanitarian work. This multi-disciplinary team is located across various IPPF Secretariat offices. The Director’s role involves coordinating and enhancing humanitarian capacity across all six regions of the organization. Currently, the humanitarian team is primarily situated in the Secretariat offices located in Kuala Lumpur and Suva. The team supports Member Associations (MAs) to prepare to respond to acute crises by delivering the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) for reproductive health in crisis settings, and to scale provision of essential services for people affected by protracted crises.

The Director oversees IPPF core funds dedicated to the Humanitarian Programme known as Stream 3 funding and a growing portfolio of restricted funded projects in each region. The Director also represents IPPF at external meetings and advocates for the achievement of our mission and the SRH rights of people living in crisis settings. The post-holder will build and leverage strategic partnerships to mobilise resources for IPPF’s humanitarian efforts.

Role Deliverables

• Coordinate the implementation and growth of IPPF’s humanitarian programme and integration of humanitarian work across the development and humanitarian nexus in alignment with the new Strategy (2023-2028), working closely with senior leaders in the organisation at global, regional and MA levels.
• Manage and support Humanitarian Team members and consolidate working approach and capacities across the global humanitarian programme team to strengthen common purpose, technical approaches and collaboration on priority work objectives.
• Support the development of an IPPF Humanitarian Community of Practice which will include members of the Humanitarian Team, Humanitarian Architects of Cooperation, regional Advisors and humanitarian coordinators. The Community of Practice (CoP) will be a platform to share and contribute to Humanitarian Programme scope of work through regular calls and meetings to support a cohesive and standardised approach to humanitarian action across the federation.
• Work closely with colleagues in the Strategic Partnerships Division to mobilise restricted funding to support humanitarian programming.
• Oversee the delivery of various restricted funded projects and strategic engagement with donors including the Australian Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade, which is a donor of the humanitarian flagship programme, SPRINT.
• Expand the capacity and capabilities of MAs, supporting them to respond effectively to humanitarian crises and facilitating capacity sharing and peer learning.
• Ensure IPPF publications and approaches (e.g. annual performance reports, technical guidance and quality standards) reflect current trends in the humanitarian sector, best known practices in humanitarian contexts and promote localisation.
• Strengthen financial and operational systems to support the delivery of the humanitarian strategy and the underlying programme through collaboration with Finance, Supply Chain Management and other teams.
• Lead engagement with international humanitarian architecture, including Health cluster and Protection cluster engagement.
• Strengthen global partnerships which assist IPPF MAs to strengthen their preparedness, build their humanitarian response capacities and/or mobilise funding.
• Collaborate with partners in strategic and technical fora including the Inter Agency Working Group on SRH in Crisis, SRH technical cluster working group, and Call to Action on GBV to advocate for IPPF’s policy positions on SRH in crises and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) with key stakeholders.
• Guide IPPF advocacy positioning within the humanitarian space and collaborate closely with the Advocacy team on events and key messages development.

Responsibilities

• Manage a team of 16 staff (line and matrix management) including humanitarian specialists in communications, SGBV, clinical SRH service delivery, monitoring and evaluation, operations, safety and security and programme management.
• Oversee a restricted project funding portfolio of more than USD 6m per year and core funding of USD 1.2m per year.
• Ensure gender is effectively mainstreamed within the remit of the post and in line with IPPF’s Gender Equality Policy.
• Build and maintain positive relationships with all members of staff, and contacts within and outside the Federation.
• Provides leadership on developing and implementing an IPPF feminist humanitarian approach.

Qualifications

• Postgraduate qualifications in a relevant field: international development, public health, health management, social science or equivalent.
• Substantial and significant experience in humanitarian settings, including preparedness, disaster response and recovery, fragility and conflict.
• Advanced application of health, SRHR, rights, and/or protection in humanitarian settings.
• A strong track record of leadership and senior staff management, including developing and inspiring performance of staff from diverse backgrounds and cultures and remote management.
• Extensive experience in programme and project management and budget oversight, with proven ability in producing results.
• Extensive networks within the global humanitarian system and experience with international humanitarian coordination architecture, aid systems and agencies.
• Significant exposure to, or experience working in, clinical settings or with clinicians, with a specific focus on the provision of SRHR services Including SGBV.
• Demonstrated ability to think and operate strategically and transform strategy into results.
• Strong policy and programme development skills, including managing funding by multiple donors.
• Well-established resource mobilization skills, including in preparing technical, humanitarian proposals, bids and tenders for a range of humanitarian donor agencies.
• Strong representation, advocacy and influencing skills at regional and international levels with a proven ability to build consensus.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to express technical concepts clearly and concisely to a variety of audiences.
• Fluent in spoken and written English and proficiency in Spanish, French or Arabic is highly desirable.
• Willing to travel internationally, up to 60 days per year.
• Demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to safeguarding in a local and international context.
• Demonstrates ability and willingness to work in a diverse, multicultural, multilingual and intergenerational environment that is anti-racist and respectful of others
• An intersectional (pro) feminist, passionate about sexual reproductive health care rights and justice, including safe abortion.
• Supportive of people’s rights regardless of sexuality or gender identity/expression and supportive of worker’s rights and access to health care in sex work.

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Role Deliverables

• Conduct preliminary data analysis for the purpose of developing new community engagements and partnerships with community networks.
• Organise outreach meetings/events with community partners in support of our aim to provide opportunities for challenge, engagement and disruption.
• Recommend community engagement improvements that optimise the relationship between marginalized groups and IPPF.
• Provide practical guidance on engaging with community partners so those we serve can challenge and disrupt how we think, speak and act.
• Create and maintain regional opposition maps based on gathered/shared intelligence for use in informing decisions and priorities for action.
• Support and enable a safe environment, adhering to the safeguarding reporting and monitoring requirements of this role.
• Collaborate with IPPFAR teams, MAs and Community partners to ensure that the views, and priorities of community groups are included in our work.

Qualifications

• Lived experience within a stigmatized population an asset; an activist who works within and across multiple community networks challenging the system; standing up and speaking out.
• Builds authentic relationships and can relate to people from different cultures and backgrounds in a positive, engaging and thoughtful way.
• Inclusive, curious, and open to other’s ideas as well as coming up with and articulating their own ideas.
• Problem solver.
• Good at organizing themselves.
• Understands how to leverage new technologies and digital spaces to support activism.
• Fluent in written and verbal English; fluency in French and/or Portuguese is an advantage.
• Demonstrates an understanding of and commitment to safeguarding in a local and international context.
• Demonstrates ability and willingness to work in a diverse, multicultural, multilingual and intergenerational environment that is anti-racist and respectful of others.
• An intersectional (pro) feminist passionate about sexual reproductive health care rights + justice.
• Supportive of people’s rights regardless of sexuality or gender identity/expression and supportive of worker’s rights and access to health care in sex work.

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Role Purpose

The post holder will be expected to lead the positioning of IPPF in the region; to move the sexuality agenda forward and build solidarity for change by shifting norms, building strategic partnerships and supporting social movements, and amplifying the work of IPPF. They will also lead on IPPFs commitment to stand up, and speak out as defined in IPPF Strategy (2023–2028).

Context of the role

• Works as part of the Regional Senior Leadership Team to promote, position, develop and grow the work of the Federation.
• Leads on nurturing and maintaining strategic partnerships in the region that will ensure IPPF is well connected and resonant.
• Ensures adequate resourcing. Leads on the relationship with regional donors, overseeing proposal development and resource mobilization at regional and supports the same at MA levels.
• Works as part of the Global Secretariat External Relations team to position IPPF as a proactive sector leader and to deliver IPPF Strategy (2023–2028).
• Ensures IPPF is responsive to the mos critical and urgent SRHR issues impacting the most marginalized and vulnerable.
• Is an active part of the change that IPPF is shepherding through, actively challenging IPPF to be more courageous and relevant.
• Ensures IPPF works towards an intersectional and feminist agenda; with youth voices better represented in its external positioning.
• Connects all the External facing work within a Region and builds optimal engagement of IPPF Member Associations/Partners.
• With the Regional Director, represents IPPF on political advocacy and external forums.
• Adhere to the safeguarding reporting and monitoring requirements of this role.

Management reporting

• Communications, voice and media
• Advocacy
• Community engagement and partnerships

Role Deliverables

• Develop and implement a progressive regional plan to deliver on IPPF Strategy (2023–2028), ensuring it complements global and regional plans.
• Ensure a strategic eye across business development and strategic engagements along with regional colleagues to support regional and country level fundraising.
• Responsible for ensuring the team is able and willing to prioritize business development.
• Ensures two way sharing of information across the regional office, and with the global and national teams.
• Build an evolving network of stakeholders, influencers, and partners, as well as knowledge managements on trends and opposition monitoring to inform/strengthen/ prioritize action.
• Measure and track key result areas, impacts and change to adapt/respond with agility.
• Distil IPPF’s identity and voice to speak to key stakeholders; develops a position/key messages on strategic/emerging themes.
• Gather intelligence and commissions research, leveraged through the global External Relations team, to deepen understanding and strengthen positioning/ influencing/delivery.
• Prioritise and focus on engagement with key strategic bodies to maintain presence and influence that will deliver tangible benefits.
• Create an environment that nurtures and leverages disruptive partnerships and strategic community networks.
• Prioritise, connect and amplify campaigns, placing MA and local voices at the forefront to advocate for the Federation.
• Oversee the framing, activation and mobilisation of high impact media and social media activity that builds on the work of MAs and acts with youth. Ensuring stories/impacts are captured and narrated in engaging and impactful ways.
• Lead on crisis management for the Region, connecting and escalating with Global Comms, Voice and Media as required.
• Create an environment where people perform at their best, leading and developing a team with the skills, drive, diversity and expertise to deliver. Acting as a role model for safeguarding, anti-racism and IPPF’s Code of Conduct.
• Support and enable a safe environment, adhering to the safeguarding reporting and monitoring requirements of this role.

Qualifications

• Track record in political influencing, inter-governmental negotiations and measurable change in SRHR related work internationally, with an emphasis on regional engagement.
• Track record of speaking out on sensitive issues, ensuring voice and agency.
• Evidence of inspiring and delivering cultural change; setting the tone of voice, ensuring values and integrity on SRHR inform decision making and setting the pace for a high performing team that can meaningfully connect with national and global partners.
• Demonstrable record in resource mobilization and maintaining donor relations in the Africa region.
• Has led policy/legislative change, campaigns and communication strategies at a regional level across multiple stakeholders and coalitions, including marginalised groups.
• Strong understanding of and experience in gender equality, sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice.
• Evidence of the ability to flex style in a diverse and multi-cultural environment to build positive relationships, combining drive with diplomacy.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills.
• Fluency in French and English is essential, good command of Portuguese is an asset.
• Evidence of being open to and enabling new and leading-edge ideas to build engagement and impact.
• Excellent team manager, leader and developer with strong planning, organizing and knowledge sharing skills.
• Demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to safeguarding in a local and international context.
• Demonstrates ability and willingness to work in a diverse, multicultural, multilingual and intergenerational environment that is anti-racist and respectful of others.
• An intersectional (pro) feminist passionate about sexual reproductive health care rights + justice.
• Supportive of people’s rights regardless of sexuality or gender identity/expression and supportive of worker’s rights and access to health care in sex work.