Background

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. IRC has been working in Ethiopia since 1999 and is implementing coordinated, community-managed programs aimed at improving the quality of lives and recovery of livelihood of the disaster-affected population, including host communities, through promoting individual participation, strengthening institutions, and emergency response.

 Position overview

As a member of the IRC Ethiopia Senior Management Team, the Deputy Director for Emergencies (DDE) will provide leadership and strategic direction to all aspects of IRC’s emergency response programs, those implemented directly and those implemented by partners. The DDE will manage IRC’s emergency team and two donor funded emergency rapid response mechanizes, working with national and international partners.

 Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Rapid Response Mechanisms

• Lead IRC’s emergency rapid response funding mechanizes, encompassing direct responses by IRC and responses implement by partners.
• When response gaps are identified, ensure the rapid response mechanizes respond in a timely manner
• and supports the implementation of contextualized emergency responses.
• Ensure projects redefect international best practices.
• Act as the primary liaison for the rapid response funding mechanizes with the relevant donors.
• Provide inputs into the development of proposals.

 Coordination, trigger monitoring and mobilizing

• Lead coordination with the UN clusters, humanitarian forums, working groups, and the government.
• Ensure close coordination with other emergency response funding mechanizes operating in Ethiopia.
• Ensure that IRC is represented in all relevant emergency forums, working groups and donor meetings.
• Lead on the development and renewal of trigger thresholds for response, based on most likely scenarios
•  Lead ongoing trigger monitoring, in collaboration with country program’s security focal points, closely monitor the situation and developments in population movements, security context, accessibility constraints, and natural or environmental phenomena.
• Identify gaps in emergency response and as appropriate mobilize resources to respond.
• Lead a participatory process to develop a selection criterion for responsible agency (IRC or pre-identified partner / consortium member) to respond to assessed emergency. 

Partnership

• Collaborate with the Partnership Unit to conduct NGO partner identification, vetting and selection in accordance with IRC Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results System (PEERS) procedures.
• Oversee the review and appraisal of partner’s response proposals.
• Supervise the submission of partner’s proposals for donor review, ensure the proposals are in line with the donor’s requirements and expectations.
• Ensure monitoring of partners performance through, regular meetings / check-ins, review of project technical and financial reports and field monitoring visits.

Direct interventions:

• Lead the IRC emergency response as emergencies arise, including deploying to support assessments, implementation, and monitoring.
• Adhere to (and update, as needed) the IRC's emergency preparedness and response priorities, ensuring that programming is in line with IRC Ethiopia's Strategy Action Plan.
• Collaborate with program technical teams, Grants and Finance, to ensure projects are designed based on sound assessments to address the identified needs and take into consideration best practice and lessons learnt.
• Oversee the implementation of the IRC emergency response programs and ensure that stated goals and objectives are met in a timely manner and deliver agreed outputs/outcomes.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain to ensure the timely propositioning of relief items.

 Monitoring

• Collaborate with the MEAL Department to ensure ongoing monitoring and active engagement with feedback/accountability mechanism.
• Facilitate knowledge and data management, including identification and documentation of lessons learned.
• A continual focus on adapting projects to reflect lessons learned on earlier intervention and changes to on-the-ground realities.
• Ensure high quality and timely donor reporting.

Job Requirements

• 6 plus years related experience with Postgraduate or with first degree, respectively.
• At least 5 years demonstrated experience at a senior level, in emergency response program management, coordination in emergencies, and emergency program design
• Oversees/international experience with an international NGO is advantageous
• Demonstrated experience, at a senior level, in emergency response program management, coordination in emergencies, and emergency program design
• Demonstrated experience in managing large, multi-sectoral grants, including monitoring budgetary spending and devising course-correction strategies, indicator tracking, detailed donor and internal reporting, coordinating clear program modifications, and sub-granting
• Demonstrated experience in representation and ability to interact professionally with donor and external program stakeholders
• Significant experience in and knowledge of the related humanitarian architecture
• Proven ability to convene/chair high profile meetings and ability to productively interact with a wide range of organizations
• Demonstrated experience in managing and capacity strengthening of staff
• Strong ability to communicate concisely and with impact in English
• Consistent track record of proactively identifying and communicating potential problems and proposing solutions
• Must be able to function effectively in a sophisticated work environment and to set appropriate priorities and deal effectively with competing priorities and pressure

How to Apply

Candidates who meet the above qualifications; please send your CV and application letter only through IRC career site:

External Link

Your application letter/cover letter must include the following information: 

• Name of the position you have applied for
• Date of application
• Summary of your qualifications and experience
• Motivation/objective of why you have applied for the job
• Please include at least 3 references from current and former supervisors.

Standards of Professional Conduct: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and carries out policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Gender Equality: We are 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 and allowances

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.