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.
Airbel—IRC’s Impact Lab—designs, tests, and scales life-changing, cost-effective solutions for people affected by conflict and disaster. Applying deep technical expertise and field experience, Airbel takes a multi-disciplinary approach to problem solving in humanitarian contexts. With a desire to think afresh and the experience and reputation of a large-scale implementing organization, Airbel creates impactful and cost-effective interventions.
The IRC’s Best Use of Resources (BUR) team conducts analysis on the cost-efficiency and cost-effectiveness of key IRC programs. Humanitarian needs are growing while financial resources to meet those needs are limited. Project teams are faced with the complex decision of using limited budgets to bring the most impact to the greatest number of people in need. Providing technical assistance on cost-efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and strategic resource allocation to country teams, technical units, and partner organizations, the BUR team ensures programs have the greatest possible reach and impact per dollar.
This position will lead IRC’s research portfolio, as well as lead research and technical assistance across a given focus area.
Major Responsibilities:
• Lead IRC’s cost research portfolio, identifying key questions about the cost-efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the IRC’s activities and developing research strategies to answer these questions.
• Develop a research agenda, scoping and coordinating new analyses and work plans to answer key stakeholder research questions. Lead ad hoc strategic analyses that feed into organizational decision making.
• Partner with research and technical counterparts to ensure the design of studies is appropriately targeted to our programs, targets, and learning priorities.
• Supervise Best Use of Resources staff, provide oversight of deliverables, conduct quality assurance on all analyses, and ensure projects are on track and following appropriate guidance.
• Develop evidence synthesis and lead strategic projects to inform organizational learning, and apply lessons from cost analysis to decisions about scaling and replicating effective interventions.
• Consult on evidence recommendations and support project leads to decide how cost research should be included in proposals.
• Collaborate on advocacy, identifying and scoping strategic partnerships, reviewing collateral, and building relationships.
• Contribute to fundraising for BUR team, including proposal writing for projects led by other teams.
• Serve as focal point in conversations with external stakeholders on costing methodology and results, and connect IRC teams with external sectoral researchers and technical experts for cross collaboration and learning.
• Create guidance and templates to improve overall research and methodology, including scenario tools, cost-efficiency models, methodology guidance, etc.
• Oversee research project reporting, including writing reports, delivering presentations, supporting communications staff, and contributing to broader BUR/IRC reports.
• Oversee portfolio contracting, budget, and finances, including leading the budgeting and planning for BUR staffing on cost research.
• For given focus area(s), lead research and technical assistance in the same capacity as a BUR advisor.
Job Requirements:
Work Experience
• Master’s degree in economics, public policy, or a related field required; PhD strongly preferred;
• 4+ years of similar work experience; preference for 1+ years in LMICs strongly preferred.
Demonstrated Skills and Competencies
• One or more years of experience managing individuals and/or teams;
• Experience managing fifteen or more projects and/or projects in excess of $200k;
• Knowledge of evaluation methods, applications, and cost-evidence literature in LMICs;
• Demonstrated proficiency in spreadsheet-based data cleaning and analysis, data visualization, evidence interpretation; and statistical analysis software;
• Strong writing skills including demonstrated ability to write for non-technical audiences with an advocacy focus;
• Excellent speaking and presentation skills;
• Ability to work as part of a remote team across time zones, cultures, and contexts;
• Excellence communication skills, cultural sensitivity, flexibility, ability to improvise, team player;
• Commitment to IRC’s core values.
Strongly Preferred
• Experience in writing peer-reviewed publications;
• Fluency in spoken and written English required; fluency in French or Arabic highly desirable.
Working Environment: This role may require working remotely full or part-time and part-time remote employees may be required to share workspace. Applicants must have a home or alternate workspace they can effectively complete their work from during regularly scheduled work hours. Some international travel, as needed, up to 30%.
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.
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.
**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.
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