As the Regional Vice President (RVP) for West Africa, you will lead one of IRC’s most dynamic and diverse teams to help people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster, including the climate crisis, to survive, recover and gain control of their future.
You will place clients at the center of our work and ensure their voices increasingly influence our decisions at all levels. Success will be defined by ensuring improvements in their safety, health, education, economic wellbeing, and power. You will ensure we prioritize opportunities to partner with and support local actors and systems, including in the context of emergency response. Equality and inclusion will be at the forefront of every decision and action, through thoughtful planning and implementation of all programs and services- both internally and externally.
In this role, you will serve as a champion of IRC’s new Strategy 100 and be a model of organizational leadership: developing new program opportunities, ensuring the quality of operations and partnerships, and driving performance and strategic growth in the region while actively promoting an inclusive culture and duty of care for all.
Position Overview
You will be responsible for the leadership and management of country programs in West Africa, representing an annual budget in excess of US $130 million and a team of over 3,000 staff. You will work collaboratively with technical and functional counterparts to strengthen performance and accountability. This role will be an ambassador for IRC values, organizational priorities, cascading measurable goals to country programs and leading delivery of IRC’s Strategy. Equally, you will play a vital role in representing field, country and regional priorities to HQ departments and ensuring that perspectives of frontline staff, clients and partners across West Africa influence organizational decisions.
You will collaborate closely with the RVPs of the other regions and the full range of HQ partners across the technical support, operations, finance, fundraising, awards management, advocacy, communications, compliance and legal functions. As part of the Senior Leaders Group, you will have an important voice in organizational leadership discussions.
Responsibilities include:
• Oversee implementation of IRC’s global strategy across the regional portfolio.
• Ensure a consistently high level of team performance; Manage, mentor, and coach all Country Directors and regional team members, modeling healthy, collaborative intra and inter-departmental working relationships.
• Lead measurable efforts to ensure IRC’s workforce – including at leadership levels – reflects the diversity of the places we operate and the people we serve.
• Cultivate a safe and protective environment for all people, combining locally-led initiatives with wider organizational efforts related to Safeguarding, Gender Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Duty of Care and Safety & Security.
• Ensure that all country finance, human resources, supply chain, and IT functions are resourced and managed in accordance with IRC and donor policies and standards.
• Champion humanitarian access and security management strategies across the region
• Actively partner with the Ethics & Compliance Unit to strengthen IRC’s efforts to prevent, detect and respond to issues of fraud and misconduct.
• Foster a balanced and diligent approach to risk management across all country programs.
• Ensure strong representation of the IRC to local, regional and global stakeholders – including governments, donors, and civil society partners.
• Support IRC’s business development and fundraising efforts through cultivating a strong network of donor contacts, engaging with the HQ fundraising team, and ensuring that country teams build and maintain strong donor relationships.
• Support the development of creative, impactful approaches to priority policy issues, both locally and in concert with the global advocacy team.
• Raise IRC’s and IRC partners’ profiles, working closely with the communications team.
Qualifications
Professional Profile
Success in this position requires an individual with exemplary leadership abilities, and extensive lived experience and deep understanding of the West African context.
Work experience/ Required skills
• Extensive field experience leading humanitarian, protracted and/or post-crisis development programs with demonstrated ability to manage in complex and often insecure working environments.
• Minimum of 15 years of professional experience with 10 or more years in leadership with increasing levels of responsibility.
• Ability to represent program context, constraints, and successes to media, government, civil society and boards in a compelling manner.
• Exceptional financial and operational analysis and management skills, including project management.
• Excellent presentation, written and verbal communication skills; commitment to open and transparent communication and top-notch diplomatic skills.
• Deep commitment to and knowledge of strategies to advance diversity, equality and inclusion; proven experience in incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
• Receptive and collaborative leadership approach that contributes to positive team environment, builds and maintains strong relationships with people from all backgrounds, genders, cultures and viewpoints.
• Professional fluency in written and spoken English and French; other languages spoken in West Africa a definite advantage
Diversity, Inclusion and Gender Equality
IRC acknowledges and honors the fundamental value and dignity of all individuals. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other protected characteristic. IRC is also committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits.
Returning Regional Candidates: IRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified staff in our programs and we strongly encourage candidates from the countries within this geographic region to apply. If you are currently located outside of the West African region, the IRC has a generous remuneration package, including competitive compensation, travel, shipping allowance, temporary housing and a relocation allowance. Certain restrictions may apply.
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
More Information
- Job City Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Senegal
