Background/IRC Summary:
The International Rescue Committee is at a critical juncture. A leading global humanitarian organization since its inception at the request of Albert Einstein in 1933, the IRC is modernizing, with a new strategic mission and vision, and a Strategy Unit that is leading the charge in turning that vision into reality.
As a core member of the Strategy Unit you will enable this organization of more than 12,000 staff to overcome the largest hurdles it faces in putting its new strategy into action. Whether it is supporting the development and execution of a strategy for how the IRC seeks to influence policy, or helping the organization to measure and improve its performance, your work will spread far and wide within the organization and ultimately impact the lives of those who interact with the IRC – 18 million people worldwide in places affected by war and disaster.
You will be expected to find solutions. You will persuade and influence, create and innovate, and use structured thinking and evidence to solve problems where there is no pre-defined methodology. Focusing on the highest priority initiatives of the organization and the CEO, you will build relationships across the IRC and deliver high quality results at a pace a leading private sector organization would be proud of.
This is a demanding role – you will be expected to work hard and to learn and grow quickly. Ultimately the measure of your success will be your impact – the lasting benefit you bring to the organization through your contributions.
Job Overview/Summary:
The Senior Advisor will provide strategic planning and problem-solving support to the organization, as part of the Strategic Projects team within the Strategy Unit. He or she will be part of a small, tight-knit project team that will quickly break down problems and iterate rapidly towards evidence-based solutions, creating buy-in and building partnerships along the way. This is a challenging position which requires strong strategic problem-solving skills, excellent interpersonal skills, a high level of personal initiative and the ability to work well in a distributed, multicultural, fast-paced environment.
This role can be considered equivalent in nature to post-MBA team-leading consulting positions at strategy consulting firms, for example the Engagement Manager role at McKinsey, or the Project Leader role at BCG. The Senior Advisor will play a similar role in the Strategic Projects team (which is set up to mirror this type of environment), albeit as part of a smaller team. They will be responsible for leading day-to-day project execution, managing and coaching more junior team members, overseeing problem structuring and solving, and primary responsibility for driving the quality of project findings and recommendations. The main difference to these larger contexts is that the small team size requires some flexibility in roles (acting up and down as needed) and potentially working across more than one project at a time. Comfort with ambiguity and complexity, and being truly driven by impact are critical requirements.
The role will report into the Director, Strategy Unit. The Director performs an oversight role for the entire Strategy Unit, and holds primary responsibility for determining project pipeline for the Strategic Projects team. The Director also provides oversight, coaching, and project assurance to the Senior Advisor.
The Senior Advisor role would suit someone with 1-3 years post-MBA experience at a management consulting firm, who is ready to bring the skills they have learned from that position into a nonprofit environment and continue to learn and grow in a small team of ex-consultants. We could also consider someone with post-graduate experience in the strategy development function of a global organization.
Major Responsibilities:
- Engage closely with staff across the IRC who are responsible for planning and implementing change, provide problem-solving support, and facilitate decision-making and consensus-building as part of a team
- Personally drive project delivery, generating critical insights and tailoring and delivering effective communications to drive change, through the proactive solicitation and use of information, judgment, problem-solving methodologies and sector knowledge
- Proactively pursue sources of data and insight needed to complete analysis and ensure pace of progress and quality of analysis are maintained in line with the expectations of the supervisor and project sponsor
- Collaborate closely and regularly with the supervisor to align on work planning, iterate on solutions and find workarounds as needed
- Effectively manage the work-streams of others on the team as required, and drive full-team problem-solving
- Closely manage progress against objectives, highlighting roadblocks as soon as they arise and taking full personal ownership for high-quality timely delivery
- Give and receive regular developmental feedback and contribute actively to creating a positive, focused and effective team environment
- Adopt a learning mindset and take personal responsibility for continuous performance improvement, and for supporting the ongoing growth and success of the Strategic Projects team against its broader objectives
Job Requirements:
Minimum Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent, with demonstrated high performance
- 6+ years of work experience
- Exceptional analytical skills
- A results-driven approach to work, proven personal initiative and an ability to work proactively and with a strong sense of urgency
- A strong focus on personal growth and development, and a willingness to regularly receive and act on performance feedback in pursuit of continuous professional growth
- Resilience in response to setbacks, and an ability to anticipate and overcome barriers to success
- Ability to respond proactively and positively to ambiguity
- A ‘no task too small’ mentality to achieve results in a small team
- A natural talent for evidence-based problem-solving, and a willingness to develop problem-solving skills
- A credible presence, strong presentation skills, and strong ability to communicate with senior leaders
- Capability to manage and make progress against multiple simultaneous demands in short time frames, and to adapt to new challenges in a dynamic context with shifting priorities
- Experience interacting and communicating effectively with members of a complex organization at multiple levels
- High level of comfort with MS Excel, Word and PowerPoint
Preferred Additional Requirements
- Experience in a strategy role at either a top tier strategy consulting firm, or in the strategy development function of a global organization
- An MBA or a Master’s degree in international development, human rights or another field related to the IRC’s work
- Experience leading teams to success
- Experience in a humanitarian or development organization, or similar
- Knowledge of French or Arabic
Working Environment:
- Standard office work environment
- Some travel as needed
IRC leading the way from harm to home.
IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability.
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