Program Advocacy and Engagement Director

Job Posting Organization:
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a prominent international humanitarian non-governmental organization (INGO) founded in 1933 at the behest of Albert Einstein. The organization operates in over 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities, focusing on restoring health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and empowerment for individuals affected by conflict and disaster. With a mission to help people survive, reclaim control of their futures, and strengthen their communities, the IRC is recognized as one of the largest humanitarian organizations globally. The IRC is committed to a culture of bold leadership, innovation, and accountability, advocating tirelessly for the most vulnerable populations. The External Relations (ER) Department plays a crucial role in mobilizing external audiences to raise funds, influence policies, and achieve practice changes that improve outcomes for clients while protecting the IRC's global brand. The Global Policy & Advocacy team within the ER Department is dynamic and focuses on leveraging IRC's ideas to address significant challenges faced by clients, influencing external stakeholders, particularly governments and multilateral institutions, to enact solutions that lead to meaningful change. The IRC UK team, part of the global network headquartered in New York, works to enhance the organization's profile, deliver policy changes, and increase funding to support those affected by crises. Since 2021, IRC UK has also provided integration services directly to refugees in England, with additional offices in Berlin, Bonn, Brussels, Geneva, and Stockholm.

Job Overview:
The Program Advocacy and Engagement Director serves as a strategic leader within the IRC, shaping the organization's global influence in crisis response contexts. This role is pivotal in guiding advocacy efforts that align with IRC's mission, focusing on strengthening advocacy strategies and practices. The director will oversee coordination and strategy building across national, regional, and multilateral advocacy efforts, collaborating with regional teams and senior leaders to optimize advocacy reach and advocate for impactful policy changes. The position is critical in ensuring that advocacy efforts are coherent and aligned with IRC's objectives, especially during times of resource constraints and increasing humanitarian needs. The director will identify strategic opportunities to cultivate relationships and influence policies at high levels, implementing creative strategies that target non-traditional stakeholders. This role also emphasizes the importance of connecting advocacy work to the experiences and needs of clients and programs, providing guidance, skills development, and best practice sharing within the global advocacy team.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Advocacy Strategy (45%): Lead the design and execution of integrated advocacy strategies for crisis response issues, collaborating with regional and national leaders. Support the development of advocacy strategies for country programs and emergency response teams.
• Policy and Advocacy Prioritization (25%): Contribute to policy generation by providing insights from program regions and collaborating with policy colleagues to enhance the credibility of solutions. Identify advocacy priorities based on impact, feasibility, and added IRC value.
• Multilateral Strategy (15%): Build relationships with multilateral institutions like the UN to influence policy and funding decisions.
• Senior Leadership Engagement (15%): Shape high-impact engagements for IRC’s senior leaders, including message development and event positioning.
• Steward Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: Promote gender equality and diversity within IRC's culture and policy solutions.
• Teamwork: Foster a positive team culture by collaborating openly and supporting colleagues.

Required Qualifications:

• Graduate degree or equivalent experience in fields such as Public Policy, International Development, Politics, Economics, Law, or International Relations.
• Proven track record of leading advocacy strategies that resulted in tangible policy changes across various contexts.
• Strategic and creative thinking abilities, particularly in politically sensitive environments.
• Extensive knowledge of humanitarian aid and refugee issues, especially regarding long-term displacement.
• Exceptional verbal communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively with decision-makers and colleagues.
• Strong writing skills to translate complex information into compelling narratives.
• Ability to work under tight deadlines with high accuracy.
• Initiative and independence in managing fast-moving issues and competing demands.
• Experience in development or humanitarian contexts is preferred. 1
• Familiarity with IRC’s strategy and advocacy agendas is preferred.

Educational Background:
Candidates must possess a graduate degree or equivalent experience in relevant fields such as Public Policy, International Development, Politics, Economics, Law, or International Relations. This educational background is essential for understanding the complexities of advocacy and policy-making in humanitarian contexts.

Experience:
Candidates should have demonstrated experience in leading advocacy strategy development and execution, particularly in complex humanitarian and development issues. Experience working at the multilateral or systems-change level in various geographic or political contexts is preferred. Additionally, experience within international NGOs or multilateral/intergovernmental bodies is advantageous, as is experience in national legislative or executive branches.

Languages:
Fluency in English is mandatory, and proficiency in additional languages relevant to IRC's operational contexts is considered a valuable asset. Candidates who can communicate in languages spoken by the populations served by IRC will have an advantage in this role.

Additional Notes:
This position is a fixed-term maternity leave cover until 31 January 2027, with a salary of 79,000 GBP per annum. Candidates must have the right to work in the UK. The application deadline is 1st April at 11.59pm GMT. The IRC UK is committed to being an equal opportunities employer, ensuring diversity in the workforce and providing reasonable adjustments for individuals with disabilities during the application and interview process. The recruitment process will include a screening call and two rounds of panel interviews conducted online.