Vacancies at International Rescue Committee

Major Responsibilities
Strategy, Program Design and Business Development

• Develop and guide the implementation of a comprehensive global strategy for promoting climate readiness and resilience, considering environmental, social, and economic impacts of CRRD programs across all outcome areas
• Act as the organizational leader for CRRD in climate resilience programming conversations, internally and externally
• Support IRC Technical Units and Country Programs in the development of sustainable and scalable solutions to promote climate resilience and adaptation, and reduce vulnerabilities to climate impacts for the people and communities we serve, in line with Technical Unit and Country Program strategic priorities related to renewable energy, conservation, water security, climate-smart agriculture, and more
• Collaborate with other Global Practice Leads to promote integrated, adaptive program designs within TechEx, and across all IRC sectors that increase scale and deepen impact
• Develop strategic partnerships with climate and environmental organizations to complement/strengthen IRC’s capacities to deliver climate-resilient programming
• Guide Technical Excellence global business development for Climate-resilient programming and support strategic project level proposals
• Coordinate with AMU and respective other Global Practice Leads to drive fundraising from Public and Institutional donors and with External Relations to drive fundraising from Private donors to meet the organizational strategic priorities related to climate

Global Practice Implementation and Leadership

• Accountable for the development of high-value tools and methodologies to better integrate climate resilience into programs
• Oversee Technical Excellence-led strategic awards in Climate, working closely with respective other Global Practice Leads and regional Technical Advisors as applicable, and the Grant Operations and Analytics Team
• Build and lead (as funding permits) a multidisciplinary team of professionals, sometimes via management in partnership (MiP) with other respective TUs, fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture
• Overseeing budgets and resource allocation for climate programs, ensuring effective use of funds and alignment with organizational goals

Research, Data, Knowledge Management, and Organizational Learning

• Staying abreast of the latest advancements in climate resilience interventions and policy work, to integrate innovative approaches and solutions into programming
• Lead a Community of Practice and other channels for collaboration on climate resilience, to ensure proactive and inclusive management across sectors with sustained learning, professional development, innovation, and best practice sharing for colleagues
• Guide research and evidence-use efforts at the intersection of climate and other topics, together with the Airbel Research & Innovation department and respective other Global Practice Leads, as well as regional colleagues
• Establish robust monitoring and reporting mechanisms to track the impact and progress of climate-related programming initiatives, and communicate results to relevant stakeholders

External Influence, Relationships and Representation

• Work with governments, organizations, and stakeholders, together with IRC’s policy and advocacy teams, to influence and shape climate-related policies affecting our clients at international, national, and local levels
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with key stakeholders, including governments, NGOs, businesses, and local communities, to foster collaboration and collective action
• Serving as an advocate for climate-related issues, both internally within the organization and externally, to raise awareness, mobilize support, and drive positive change
• Represent IRC in external forums as relevant
• Collaborating with international partners, institutions, and organizations to create a unified and coordinated approach to addressing global climate challenges

Key Working Relationships

• Position Reports to: Vice President, Head of Technical Excellence
• Direct Reports: Climate Specialists

Education
Desired Experience and Skills

• Advanced degree (Master's or Ph.D.) in environmental science, climate studies, sustainability, public policy, development studies, or a related field

Experience

• Minimum of 10-15 years of progressively responsible experience in climate-related roles, with a track record of leadership and impact
• Demonstrated experience of people management, mentoring and coaching, creating and fostering inclusive and diverse work environments and ensuring continuous growth and learning of individuals as well as the organization in the areas of climate resilience
• Substantial experience working at an international level, collaborating with diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, businesses, and communities
• Proven success in developing and implementing global programming strategies and programs for people affected by climate change, with preference for experience in humanitarian and crisis affected contexts

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Responsibilities
We are now seeking an experienced and strategic leader to advance our Environmental Health/WASH programming globally to the next level. This leader will be responsible for:

• Developing the vision and strategy for IRC’s Environmental Health programming globally, and raising its quality, impact, and scale. Environmental Health (EH) is the term that IRC uses for WASH.
• Leading the development and integration of innovative WASH solutions in IRC programming to achieve multiple outcomes including health, protection, and economic development.
• Leading the Health Unit’s efforts to address climate change in health programming, and establishing a center of excellence on WASH and Climate Health.
• The Global Practice Lead will serve as the organizational leader for Environmental Health and climate-health nexus for the IRC’s Crisis Response, Recovery and Development (CRRD) department and will be a core member of the Health Unit’s Leadership Team.
• This role has significant potential for impact, allowing you to directly shape the quality and reach of our WASH programs and ensure scalable solutions that improve people’s lives in humanitarian and fragile settings worldwide.

Major Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership and Innovation
• Act as the organizational and strategic leader for Environmental Health/WASH internally and externally.
• Lead strategic direction and delivery planning for Environmental Health, in line with the organizational global strategy (both S100 and Health Strategy).
• Develop sustainable and scalable water solutions to mitigate the impacts of climate change on water security and human health.
• Responsible for identifying global areas of programmatic risk in EH and elevating issues to Regional Leads and Health Unit leadership.
• Facilitate collaboration across Health, Nutrition, and EH Practice Areas to develop climate adaptation, mitigation, and anticipatory actions.
• Champion Environmental Health/WASH Technical Excellence
• Provide technical oversight for global technical standards, methodologies, and tools for EH based on evidence-based best practices in partnership with Technical Advisors and specialists.
• Lead development of high-value tools and methodologies to integrate cross-cutting issues such as gender equality, diversity and inclusion, and climate adaptation into Environmental Health programs.
• Establish competency framework for Environmental Health practice area and work closely with Regional Leads to identify competency gaps and drive capacity strengthening.
• Accountable for ensuring Technical Advisors and Technical Coordinators have the tools and resources that are needed to measure EH programs.
• Oversee Technical Unit-led strategic awards in EH, working closely with regional Technical Advisors as applicable and the Grant Operations and Analytics Team.
• Line manage global specialists, as applicable.
• Support Technical Advisors and Technical Coordinators with thorny technical problems, career planning support, and mentorship, as appropriate.
• Foster Learning and Research to Drive Best Practices
• Set up and lead a Community of Practice for Environmental Health to ensure pro-active and inclusive management with sustained learning, development, innovation, and best practice sharing.
• Coordinate with Regional Leads and Technical Advisors to lift up program learning for cross-sharing and incorporation into global best practice.
• Guide research and evidence use efforts in Environmental Health and the climate-health nexus, working closely with colleagues and leaders in Airbel, the Health Technical Unit, other technical units, and regional colleagues.
• Establish knowledge management systems to keep Regional Leads and Technical Advisors updated on global standards and methodologies.
• Provide technical inputs to EH-specific MEAL tools, and support data interpretation in learning routines.
• Expand External Influence and Strengthen Business Development
• Lead Technical Unit-led business development for Environmental Health and support strategic project level proposals, and coordinate with Awards Management Unit (AMU) for public and institutional fundraising and with External Relations (ER) for private donor engagement to achieve strategic priorities.
• Act as a key strategic advisor to Policy & Advocacy, Research & Innovation, and External Relations teams on advocacy campaigns and priority policy and practice shifts related to EH.
• Responsible for identification, development, and maintenance of strategic relationships and global partnerships with relevant stakeholders (e.g. donors, UN agencies, NGOs, research and educational institutions, private sector actors) in EH Global Practice area.
• Represent IRC in external forums as relevant.