The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

The IRC’s Global Surge Team (GST) is a roster of highly qualified humanitarian professionals who deploy on short notice to emergency and non‑emergency contexts to support the IRC’s mission. GST members provide specialized, time‑bound support where capacity gaps exist, typically for deployments of up to three months. The GST is a flexible, occasional employment opportunity. Deployment needs vary based on demand. Staff can take on additional deployments as opportunities arise and if they are interested.

Deployment opportunities depend on organizational and operational requirements and may vary over time; as such, deployments cannot be guaranteed. Staff supporting emergency responses must be prepared to deploy within 72 hours as needs arise.

Background/IRC Summary:
The IRC’s Emergency Unit (EmU) oversees IRC’s global acute emergency preparedness and response activities. The mission of the EmU is to expand and improve IRC’s ability to help affected communities survive in acute emergencies and hard-to-reach contexts by investing in people, systems, and solutions to complex humanitarian challenges.  The EmU team achieves this mission through ongoing rigorous risk analysis, investing in capacity strengthening of frontline humanitarians, partnership with local actors, offering collaborative support and technical assistance to teams working in emergencies and hard to reach places, and deploying and supporting world class emergency response staff as they help people affected by acute crisis situations.

At-work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. IRC reaches over a million children annually with education and child protection programs in 25 countries around the world. We ensure that even the hardest to reach children in the most challenging places are able to go to school and thrive. In the midst of conflict and disaster, education is one of the first things parents and children say they need. Education is a human right. It also helps keep children safe and gives them the skills needed to be resilient, do well now, and later in life. Education offers a glimmer of hope. The IRC’s educational interventions strive to help children and youth gain valuable skills and knowledge that will increase their opportunities and life chances and contribute to their well-being and livelihood. The IRC supports formal and non-formal learning and development activities that lead to tangible learning and developmental outcomes in literacy, numeracy, socio-emotional learning, and marketable skills and promotes the protection and psychosocial well-being of conflict-affected young and school aged children and youth.

Job Overview/Summary: The IRC’s Global Surge Team (GST) is a roster of esteemed and highly qualified humanitarian professionals who deploy on short notice to non-emergency and emergency contexts to support the IRC’s mission. Members of the GST provide specialist support where talent is most needed for short-term deployments of up to three months. The GST is a flexible, occasional employment opportunity. Deployment needs vary based on demand. Staff can take on additional deployments as opportunities arise and if they are interested

Major Responsibilities:

Emergency Response

• Ensure high quality and timely assessments of Education in Emergency including Early Childhood Development needs in large scale/complex emergences and provide prioritized recommendations for Education and ECD interventions to the Emergency Country Director and/or Deputy Director for Programs.

• Design creative, context and client -responsive Education and/or ECD program responses and strategy in line with the Education unit’s EiE approach and in collaboration with local partners/actors where relevant.

• Inter-agency representation including education cluster and other spaces. 

• Understanding and knowledge of how to apply global EIE/ECDIE guidelines, global resources and materials

• Lead the rapid start-up (or scale up where needed) and management of holistic EIE and/or ECD interventions focused on either school aged or preschool aged children in acute crises, including recruitment and onboarding, technical supervision and coaching, procurement, financial monitoring, and proactive transition and handover planning.

• Design and implement appropriate monitoring and evaluation systems ensuring consistent reporting and analysis of results to enhance program effectiveness and quality.

• Work closely with the IRC’s Emergency Protection, health and economic recovery and development units to promote cross sector collaboration in line with client needs and priorities.

• Oversee the delivery of high-quality technical proposals and reports, in line with donor requirements. This includes:

  - Work in close collaboration with IRC grants and finance staff to finalize proposals and respond to any requests for additional information;
  - Manage grant/program implementation including staff recruitment and training, work plan development, procurement and inventory planning, and budget management; and
  - Ensure consistent reporting and analysis of results to enhance program effectiveness and quality.

• Ensure – through program design and practice, team capacity and behavior – that children, teachers and other education stakeholders and their caregivers participate in the design and implementation of IRC programs, and that their access to services and programs is meaningful and safe.

• Comply with and ensure that new Education staff understand the IRC Code of Conduct and policies related to Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Child Safeguarding. This includes ensuring that staff and communities have knowledge of and safe, confidential access to reporting mechanisms and support services.

• Coordinate and liaise with local/regional education authorities, NGOs, private sector actors, coordination mechanisms, and other international partners including UN agencies on all education program activities.

• Coordinate with internal and external actors, particularly linking as relevant to early learning, education continuity, health and nutrition services and cash programming targeting children, teachers and caregivers.

• Support media and communications activities as requested by the Emergency Country Director/CD/in-county emergency lead.

• Provide a comprehensive handover to a successor including ensuring transfer of all related documentation, program monitoring data and staff performance information.

Key Working Relationships:

Position reports to: Varies by deployment and supported by the Senior Technical Advisor for Education in Emergencies          
Position directly supervises: Varies by deployment

Job Requirements:

• Ability to commit to deployment within 72 hours of notification of assignment for up to 12 weeks.

• At least five years of experience developing and managing Education programming with preference with experience in ECD programming in humanitarian contexts, including demonstrated experience with rapid program start up in acute emergencies.

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with agencies, local governments and community leaders and develop multi-stakeholder support for humanitarian priorities and advocacy initiatives.

• Ability to support both direct and indirect implementation by working closely with local partners and when possible co designing content and activities collaboratively.

• Demonstrated ability to identify creative and appropriate solutions for the populations affected by crisis, considering factors including the context and an individual client's developmental stage, gender and status.

• Strong program planning, fiscal management, organizational and communication skills.

• Supervision and training experience, specific experience training for local teams and local partners as an asset.

• Experience implementing programs for large public and private donors.

• Strong report and proposal writing experience.

• Prior experience in representation and coordination.

• Fluency in English is a requirement and professional Arabic language skills strongly preferable. French language skills an advantage.

Professional Standards: All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.

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Equal Opportunity Employer: 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, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.