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 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 delivers 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.
We aim to make our programs a model for the highest global standards and to cultivate power and lasting change not just for our clients but for all people affected by humanitarian crises. To achieve that vision, the IRC’s Technical Excellence (TE) group, located within the Crisis Response, Recovery and Development (CRRD) Department, provides technical assistance to IRC’s country program staff and shares what we learn to influence policy and practice.
IRC’s Technical Excellence team is comprised of five teams or sector “Units” which have deep expertise in their respective fields: Education, Economic Wellbeing, Governance, Health, and Violence Prevention and Response, as well as teams which provide measurement and finance/grant management support. Technical teams are also matrixed with a team that focuses on the quality and content of cross-sectoral programming in emergency responses.
IRC’s Technical Excellence teams offer five core services to IRC country programs and the wider organization:
1. Program Design: We support country and regional teams to design state of the art programming, incorporating the best available evidence, cost data, and expertise of what has worked elsewhere, with the knowledge that country teams, partner organizations and our clients bring to the table.
**2. Quality Assurance:**We partner with our measurement teams to design and drive the use of indicators to measure progress towards outcomes; we partner with regional and country teams to review program delivery progress and help address implementation challenges and adapt interventions to changed circumstances.
**3. Business Development:**We partner within and outside the IRC to design winning bids and identify winning consortia; we deploy technical expertise in public events and private meetings to position IRC as a partner of choice.
4. Research & Learning: We partner with our research lab to design cutting edge research to fill evidence gaps, and with country teams to learn from implementation such that we continuously improve our future design and delivery.
**5. External Influence:**We showcase the IRC’s programs, technical insights and learning in order to influence and improve the humanitarian sector’s policy and practice.
Technical Excellence is currently going through a change process called “Regional and Technical Alignment.” We are doing this to ensure that the impact of our programs and the influence of our ideas create meaningful change for people affected by crisis. This next phase of IRC’s commitment to program quality will more deliberately resource and link global thought leadership with practice on the ground. Updated Technical Unit structures will have new roles with clearer mandates. The Global Practice Lead is a new leadership role introduced by this change process.
The Violence Prevention and Response Unit at the IRC –
The Violence Prevention and Response Unit (VPRU) is one of IRC’s five Technical Units alongside Health, Education, Economy Recovery and Development and Governance. Technical Units provide support to our country programs in the design, delivery, quality assurance and continuous learning for programs advancing the outcomes areas the IRC supports and driving thought leadership around those areas of work.
Programming addressing violence, abuse and exclusion in crisis situations represents the organisation’s second largest programmatic portfolio.
The VPRU brings together the disciplines of Child Protection, Women’s Protection and Empowerment, and Protection- Rule of Law. We seek to reduce people’s vulnerability to violence and support them to recover from the consequences of violence through programs tailored to individual needs and contexts, as well as strategies addressing systemic gaps which contribute to the perpetuation and exacerbation of violence in crisis and conflict environments. Our prevention work focuses on programs that shift power dynamics, promote human rights, and empower people affected by violence and inequality to transform their future. Our response work focuses on ensuring lifesaving and survivor-centered services for people affected by violence and inequality in all their diversity. We work with the people most at risk and seek to address the needs of populations of all ages and backgrounds through a context-relevant, client-centered, intersectional approach.
We also know from evidence and experience that in most contexts women and children are disproportionally impacted by unequal power, and therefore those at greatest risk of violence. For this reason, we are committed to specialized approaches for these populations.
To advance IRC’s delivery of Violence Prevention and Response programming across over 45 countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America, we rely on team of more than 70 professionals committed to provide best-of-class expertise, evidence-based insights based on continued attention to sectoral developments and learning from cross-regional programming insights in order to realize our ambitions for safer, more inclusive lives for our clients. They are supported in this by an intentional and strategic use of research and evidence, a commitment to the highest quality standards and continued engagement in industry-wide development including coordination mechanism, policy to promote innovation and high-impact, cost-efficient interventions. We partner with IRC country program teams and local actors to create and capture innovations in protection programming which can be used by humanitarian actors to improve the protection and empowerment of women and girls, children and adolescents, people with disabilities, with diverse Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) and other people at risk.
Job Overview
**The Global Practice Lead, Protection –**Rule of Law is the organizational leader for Humanitarian Protection , Rights and Rule of Law for the Crisis Response, Recovery and Development (CRRD) department and is a core member of the Violence Prevention and Response Unit’s Senior Management team. They are responsible for devising and leading strategies to raise the quality, impact, and scale of IRC’s Humanitarian Protection, Rights and Rule of Law programming.
**The Global Practice Lead Protection –**Rule of Law will ensure the scope, quality and relevance of global technical standards, including the generation and promotion of evidence in their technical area. Global Practice Lead will closely collaborate with Regional Leads, Technical Advisors, and Technical Coordinators in promoting technical best practice in CRRD programming. They will facilitate Technical Unit-led and high impact strategic business development by providing excellent technical insights and developing and maintaining strategic relationships and networks. In line with the Safety Strategy, the Global Practice Lead Protection – Rule of Law will lead strategic planning for the practice area. The Global Practice Lead reports to the Senior Director, VPRU and may manage highly specialized experts/specialists colleagues to generate global evidence and best practice as their portfolio requires.
This role provides overall leadership to policy, sectoral coordination, advocacy, learning and innovation for humanitarian protection, rule of law. It involves representing the IRC in key external engagements and global policy spaces, maintaining strategic partnerships with relevant stakeholders and movements, and relevant networks and campaigns globally.
This role advances IRC’s work in support of prioritizing protection programing in emergencies, supporting necessary system adaptations and changes, amplifying emerging learning, spearheading sector-wide transformative shifts towards more inclusive, localized, evidence-based programing.
The Global Lead will help to frame strong collective positioning across Humanitarian Protection and Rights priorities, building consensus and supporting learning and the generation of knowledge across the IRC and the wider Protection sector, in support of realizing the Centrality of Protection in humanitarian programming.
A key aim of this role is to encourage coherence between IRC’s work at local, national and international levels, seeking to consolidated gains, promote high-impact strategies and policy influencing work. In collaboration with the Airbel Research Lab and the Advocacy, the role will advance ground-breaking research and advocacy work. Close coordination with the Deputy Director of VPRU will ensure local learning feeds into global positioning, advocacy and mobilization.
This role will develop a strong collaborative relationship with the Global Leads for Child Protection, Women Protection and Empowerment, as well as counterparts in the Health, Economic Recovery and Development, Education and Governance in support of enhanced, integrative protection programming, supporting the overall coherence of IRC’s strategic priorities.
The Global Lead will lead and coordinate strategic resource mobilization and oversee management of innovation and strategic projects falling within the purview of the role.
Major Responsibilities
Strategy, Program Design and Business Development
• Act as the organizational leader for CRRD in Protection – Rule of Law internally and externally
• Lead strategic direction for Protection – Rule of Law in line with the organizational global strategy (both S100 and Violence Prevention and Response Strategy)
• Responsible for identifying global areas of programmatic risk in Protection – Rule of Law and elevating issues to Regional Leads and VPRU leadership
• Collaborate with other Global Practice Leads to promote integrated program designs within Protection and across all IRC sectors that increase scale and deepen impact
• Lead Technical Unit led global business development for Protection – Rule of Law and support strategic project level proposals
• Lead coordination with AMU to drive fundraising from Public and Institutional donors and with ER to drive fundraising from Private donors to meet VPRU’s strategic priorities related to Protection – Rule of Law
• Lead the ActionAid Federation’s advocacy, policy and programme work on economic justice and gender-responsive public services with feminist analysis on economic system change, supporting tax justice and global action on debt, while challenging austerity and public sector wage bill constraints.
• Oversee Technical Unit-led strategic awards in Protection – Rule of Law, working closely with regional Technical Advisors as applicable and the Grant Operations and Analytics Team
• Line manage global practice area and strategic project staff
Global Practice Implementation Support
• Responsible for drawing on evidenced-based best practice to provide technical oversight of IRC’s global technical standards, methodologies, and tools for Protection – Rule of Law
• Accountable for the development of a limited number of high-value tools and methodologies to better integrate cross-cutting issues into protection – rule of law programs (e.g., gender equality, diversity and inclusion, climate adaptation, etc.).
• Accountable for establishing information and knowledge management systems that support Regional Leads and Technical Advisors staying up to date on global technical standards, methodologies, and tools
• Establish competency framework for Protection – Rule of Law 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 programs in protection – rule of law
• Support Technical Advisors and Technical Coordinators with thorny technical problems, career planning support, and mentorship, as appropriate
Research, Data, Knowledge Management, and Organizational Learning
• Accountable for establishing and maintaining a Community of Practice and other channels for protection – rule of law 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
• Oversee Technical Unit-led strategic awards in protection – rule of law, working closely with regional Technical Advisors as applicable and the Grant Operations and Analytics Team
• Guide research and evidence use efforts in Protection – Rule of Law, working closely with colleagues and leaders in Airbel, VPRU, other technical units, and regional colleagues
• Provide technical inputs to Protection – Rule of Law specific MEAL tools and methodologies, and support data interpretation in learning routines
External Influence, Relationships and Representation
• 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 Protection – Rule of Law
• 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 [Global Practice] area.
• Represent IRC in external forums as relevant
Key Working Relationships
**• Position Reports to:**Senior Director, VPRU, CRRD Technical Excellence
• Direct Reports: Relevant global practice area and strategic project staff
Key Internal Relationships:
• VPRU Deputy Unit Director
• VPR Regional Leads across 6 regions, and regional Protection – Rule of Law Technical Advisors
• Global Practice Leads for Child Protection and Women’s Protection and Empowerment
• Prevention and Inclusion Advisers
• VPRU Policy and Advocacy Lead
• VPRU Business Development and Partnership Lead
• Policy Solutions, Advocacy Influence, and Systems Change Global Teams
• CRRD Senior Management Team and Leadership Group; Regional Leadership Teams
• Global HQ and AMU focal points
Key External Relationships:
• Global Protection Cluster leads and stakeholders
• Humanitarian protection, IHL, and human rights counterparts at other INGOs
• Humanitarian protection, IHL, and human rights counterparts at Red Cross/Crescent Movement
• International Protection Coordination Platforms and Coalitions
• Humanitarian protection, IHL, and human rights focal points for donors and policy makers’
• Humanitarian protection, IHL, and human rights counterparts in relevant UN agencies
Desired Experience and Skills
• Established or growing recognition as an expert in the practice area, at regional or global level, with a minimum of 12+ years of progressive experience of designing, leading and implementing programs with 7+ years in the areas of humanitarian protection, international humanitarian law, refugee law, rule of law in emergencies.
• Strong track record of driving uptake of evidence-based practice
• Demonstrated experience in sectoral strategy design and planning.
• Experience with sectoral policy and advocacy efforts and campaigns for change (as relevant)
• Excellent communication, influencing, and storytelling skills.
• Excellent management and leadership skills including coaching, mentoring, and performance management.
• Demonstrated ability to identify and convert business development opportunities for self and staff.
• Demonstrated ability to influence across a wide range of diverse stakeholders internally and externally.
• Demonstrated ability to shape the vision and agenda within the domain area they are working.
• Ability to work, manage, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment; outstanding business acumen, critical thinking, problem solving and decision-making skills required.
• Superb inter-personal, written and verbal communication skills with ability to collaborate across countries, cultures, and departments.
• Track record of scaled innovations preferred, ideally including experience working on both digital and analog solutions.
• Fluency in English required – Arabic, French and/or Spanish also strongly preferred.
• Ability to travel globally up to 25% of the time, occasionally on short notice.
Education: Master’s/post-graduate degree in International Law, Human Rights Law, international development or relevant field or equivalent combination of education and work experience background is required. Sound training on the use of data and research evidence for programmatic decisions and rigorous analytic skills are an advantage.
Compensation:
Posted pay ranges apply to 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.
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.
More Information
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