Senior Director, Strategy and Planning

BACKGROUND

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future. Founded in 1933, the IRC is at work today in over 40 countries and 28 U.S. cities. The IRC’s Resettlement, Asylum and Integration (RAI) department creates opportunities for refugees and other vulnerable migrants to survive and thrive in the US and Europe. RAI serves more than 200,000 individuals each year in the US, including thousands of newly arrived refugees and asylum seekers as well as the broader immigrant community, through a diverse portfolio of programs aimed at five core outcomes: Health, Safety, Economic Wellbeing, Education and Power.

ROLE OVERVIEW

Reporting directly to the Senior Vice President, the Senior Director, Strategy & Planning will support the Senior VP and the RAI ELT as a thought partner, strategist, driver, problem solver, and effective partner to the rest of the organization and to external stakeholders. This role will provide both clarity of vision, strategic guidance, policy implementation support, and tactical support to strengthen RAI’s effective translation of the global trends and demands to our organizational activities both in the U.S. and Europe. The Senior Director of Strategy & Planning will champion, oversee, and drive the successful implementation of the IRC strategy in RAI.

Working with the SVP and the Leadership Board, the Senior Director will:

• Work with the Senior VP to deliver on organizational commitments, such as S100
• Design and lead the SVP’s thought leadership and communication agenda.
• Manage and drive special projects.
• Identify and resolve program challenges across the RAI organization.
• Use sound judgment to advise the Senior VP on complex internal and external issues.
• Coordinate and integrate the work of RAI with the rest of the IRC, ensuring effective engagement with all departments.

MAJOR RESPONSABILITIES

Policy and Influence

• Develop a strategic thought leadership agenda and priorities for the SVP, including surveying the landscape and identify opportunities where RAI is best able to have impact and influence.
• Have a deep understanding of and engagement with all levels of the IRC with and on behalf of the Senior VP.
• Represent the Senior VP and act as junction for competing demands, RAI priorities and time requirements.
• Actively partner with the Senior VP to optimize their leadership.
• Coordinate and/or oversee the development of policies, procedures, speeches and strategies relating to complex policy issues for RAI.
• Conduct research and analysis to support the strategic aims of RAI.
• Draft strategy documents, reports, speeches, briefing notes, and talking points at the request of the SVP.
• Work to expand and develop key relationships with critical advocacy targets.

Strategy and Planning

• Work closely with the Senior VP on identifying priorities for short and medium-term engagements. This includes setting RAI organizational priorities, working with the senior management team to identify departmental priorities through the delivery letters, selecting departmental priorities that require SVP’s engagement throughout the year, and developing complementary accountability systems including but not limited to performance metrics and budgeting process.
• Represent SVP in the RAI S100 Governance, keeping the RAI SVP well-informed, responding to feedback, and taking direction regarding progress and next steps.
• Sets the agenda for for RAI Executive Leaders group, retreats and other key management meetings.
• Through the Senior Leaders Group and the governance boards keep an active overview of the work of departments to ensure effective and coordinated support to and response from the SVP.
• Oversee strategic planning and prioritization of Senior VP’s time, including travel.
• Ensure that opportunities are maximized including, but not limited to, meetings with decision makers, public speaking events, board meetings and field visits.
• Incubate cross-functional strategic projects and ensure through the creation of delivery teams success from inception to completion.

Coordination and Communication

• Provide timely and effective communication of instructions and decisions of the SVP to stakeholders at all levels.
• Track and document key strategic internal and external meetings, ensuring that key action points are communicated and follow up occurs.
• Work with internal and external stakeholders to commission and/or develop briefings.
• Foster teamwork and communications among the RAI Executive Leaders Group and the RAI Senior Leaders group
• Build relationships across the organization in order to deepen contextual understanding of how and why the organization operates the way that it does.
• Represent RAI at key internal and external meetings.
• Directly supervise the RAI Department Manager and RAI Senior Project Manager to ensure that time is used efficiently and effectively.
• Maintain sensitivity and diplomacy with senior colleagues.

Other

• Collaborates closely with RAI department manager and RAI project manager
• Management in partnership of RAI S100 Strategy director with VP of Program Delivery
• All other duties as requested by the Senior VP

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Position reports to: Senior Vice President (SVP)

Directly manages: RAI Department Manager, and RAI Senior Project Manager

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Unique and critical personal characteristics

• The ideal candidate is a strategist, advisor, counselor and thought partner that has the ability to identify organizational issues and challenges, design and deliver solutions and to drive results
• This individual is able to operate as an organizational intersection of strategies, priorities and sensitive special projects with a keen eye for political and policy nuance
• As a manager they will engage, rally, and inspire the team to the highest quality of work

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies

• Ability to organize, plan, schedule, determine priorities and meet deadlines
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills are essential
• Ability to anticipate and assess situations accurately and recommend/implement effective courses of action required
• Ability to coordinate multiple meeting tasks and a myriad of complex details on a concurrent basis
• Ability to communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders with tact and diplomacy, both orally and in writing, including working with all staff levels and diverse personalities
• Ability to exercise discretion in dealing with sensitive material and maintain the confidentiality
• Ability to handle stress, function effectively under pressure and meet time parameters
• Ability to expand on own initiative in performance of duties
• Must have excellent discretion, judgment, tact, initiative, creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, organizational skills, and self-motivation

Education

• Post graduate degree in relevant field

Work Experience

• Minimum of ten years including significant policy, communications and strategy experience

WORKING ENVIRONMENT

This position requires occasional flexibility, afterhours demands and the ability to attend evening and weekend events, when needed

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

Compensation: Posted pay ranges apply to US-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirement

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement: In accordance with IRC’s duty to provide and maintain a workplace that is free of known hazards and our commitment to safeguard the health of our employees, clients, and communities, IRC requires new hires to furnish proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to be considered for any in-office or hybrid positions. All IRC US offices require full vaccination to attend any in-office functions (e.g., meetings, trainings).

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity: IRC is committed to building a diverse organization and a climate of inclusivity. We strongly encourage applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they can contribute to this goal.

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. 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.

US Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days (depending on role and tenure), medical insurance starting at $145 per month, dental starting at $7 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare, childcare, and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with up to 4.5% immediately vested matching contribution, plus a 3-7% base IRC contribution (3 year vesting), disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.