BACKGROUND
The IRC is one of the leading providers of high quality programming for refugees resettling to the United States. The mission of the IRC’s US Programs (USP) Department is to create opportunities for refugees to survive and thrive in America. The IRC’s USP Department currently provides services in 26 U.S. cities and through the IRC’s Resettlement Support Center (RSC) in East Asia. The USP portfolio has grown to encompass a spectrum of support in five program outcome areas with numerous local partners, hundreds of corporate, foundation, and government donors, and thousands of individual givers. The IRC resettles over 10,000 refugees on an annual basis, has a budget of $85 million, and has over 800 staff and 3,500 volunteers.
SCOPE OF WORK
The Regional Director (RD) supervises a portfolio of offices (currently seven) and has six primary areas of responsibility: Leadership and Management; Strategic Direction and Planning; Program and Operational Excellence; Staff Development and Mentoring; New Business Development; and Advocacy and Representation.
The RD’s primary responsibility is to provide dynamic leadership to the offices in the region for the promotion of programmatic and operational excellence and to grow IRC’s impact and relevance for clients in the outcome areas of economic well-being, education, health, safety and power. The position requires strong communication and coordination with USP HQ and field staff, and most critically across key support departments in HQ. The RD is expected to be well acquainted with the issues and local context of offices and will drive a regional advocacy and communications agenda to promote refugee resettlement and integration. He/she will also regularly lead regional meetings and actively engage offices in the implementation of IRC’s 2020 strategic plan. The RD is expected to be a high performer with strong analytical skills. He/she must be able to lead field offices to achieve their strategic goals as well as play a leadership role within the USP Department and the organization at large. The RD is a key member of the USP leadership team.
MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES
Leadership, Management & Staff Development
- Ensure the alignment of regional operations with the IRC2020 strategy.
- Supervise the Executive Directors and regional unit staff.
- Serve as a productive member of the USP leadership team.
- Support field office management to maximize program performance and accountability.
- Lead regional meetings on a regular basis; support peer-to-peer networks and sub-regional groups that can augment the region in terms of learning, information sharing and support.
- Develop close and productive relationships with external support departments – Finance, HR, Legal, Policy and Practice, Operations, and Revenue.
- Engage in higher level support on Human Resource issues in coordination with Human Resources Partner(s); with particular emphasis on staff development, Executive Director on-boarding, retention and succession planning.
- Serve as an active contributor of the Senior Leaders Group (SLG).
- Other duties as assigned by the Senior Vice President (SVP).
Strategic Direction & Planning
- Play an active role in delivering the IRC2020 Strategy.
- Support offices in the refinement and implementation of the Strategic Action Plans.
- Participate in and contribute to the USP Strategy Implementation Board (USIB).
- Work with Executive Directors to implement the IRC strategic plan and other USP-specific strategies.
New Business Development
- In coordination with the Resource Acquisition team, assist in strengthening the offices’ capacity to respond professionally to competitive calls in coordination with relevant stakeholders.
- Work closely with Executive Directors to ensure their fundraising targets are realistic and hold them accountable to the targets that are developed.
Program & Operational Quality
- Provide strong fiscal oversight in coordination with USP finance functions and the Finance Department to ensure the financial health of individual offices and the department as a whole.
- Oversee office operating budgets, burn rates, and financial planning.
- In collaboration with other stakeholders, maintain IRC’s commitment to technically sound and evidence based program design, monitoring and evaluation.
- In collaboration with the Program Quality and Innovation team, promote innovative programming within the department and work with individual offices to pilot new ideas.
- Work closely with technical staff to ensure that offices are implementing best practices and ensuring compliance with program deliverables.
- Work closely with the Sr. Director of Resettlement and Processing to ensure optimal implementation of the Reception and Placement, Matching Grant and Intensive Case Management programs.
In collaboration with the Research Analysis and Learning team track dashboard of indicators to monitor field office performance in key areas and help generate an evidence base for the impact of IRC’s work on the lives of its clients.
Travel regularly to have a good understanding of the local context and maintain a strong dialogue with each field office and the Executive Director as its leader.
Advocacy & Representation
- Represent IRC with key donors, policy makers, local government officials, public and private partners, and news media as required.
- Work closely with the Director of Policy and Advocacy to strengthen IRC’s advocacy work by identifying relevant issues to advocate for, implementing existing advocacy plans and developing new ones.
- Work closely with the Director of Communications to strengthen IRC’s media presence.
JOB REQUIREMENTS
- Bachelor’s degree required, with graduate degree in relevant area strongly preferred.
- Management experience in a non-profit agency, with increasing levels of responsibility; remote management experience is desirable.
- Experience in humanitarian programs required; demonstrated knowledge of US Refugee Admissions program highly desirable.
- Demonstrated experience in some or all of the following areas: program design, project management, strategic planning and/or fundraising.
- Demonstrated ability to motivate, retain and develop staff.
- Ability to coordinate a large, complex portfolio with competing demands
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including good computer skills.
- Strong and meticulous organizational skills with ability to juggle multiple tasks, set priorities, effectively manage time and meet deadlines, and proven ability to work under pressure.
- Experience working with and understanding cultural sensitivities.
WORKING ENVIRONMENT
Standard office work environment. 25%-30% travel required.
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