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.
IRC UK
IRC UK is part of the IRC global network, which has its global headquarters in New York. Our team in the UK works to raise profile, deliver policy and practice change, and increase funding to help restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Since 2021, IRC UK has also provided integration services directly to refugees in England.
In Europe, the IRC also has offices in Berlin, Bonn, Brussels, Geneva and Stockholm.
The Purpose of the Role
The External Relations (ER) department includes private fundraising, marketing & communications and advocacy. ER’s goal is to mobilize external audiences to raise funding to meet core organization needs deliver programs that support our clients to recover and gain control of their lives; influence policy changes to improve outcomes for our clients; and build and grow our global brand.
The Strategy & Planning (S&P) team is responsible for supporting ER to advance our ambitious global strategy, driving impact and strategic change. The S&P team works with leadership to (1) define ER’s strategic goals and associated plans, (2) monitor progress towards them, and (3) lead strategic projects that address barriers or pursue opportunities to advance our ER strategy. Examples of strategic projects include facilitating decision making on when to enter new fundraising markets; building an operating model for collaborative fundraising at the local and global level; improving processes to strengthen the donor experience and financial accounting.
The Senior Strategy Manager will be expected to lead large, complex strategic projects, developing solutions that solve complex problems and delivering high quality results at a fast pace, in partnership with senior global leaders. This role requires a high level of personal initiative, strong interpersonal skills, sharp problem-solving skills, the ability to think creatively, and the desire to work in a multicultural, dynamic environment.
Key Working Relationships
- Business Operations and Analytics team, inclusive of Strategy & Planning, Financial Planning & Analysis, Global Donations Operations, Prospect Research & Management, and Analytics teams
- ER Leadership Team
- ER Department Leads
Key Accountabilities
Project Leadership and Problem Solving
• Lead large, complex strategic projects, with minimal supervision
• Use strategic and critical thinking to quickly structure ambiguous problems, facilitate collaborative problem-solving, and rapidly iterate towards evidence-based solutions
• Lead cross-functional project teams, including structuring the work across the project team, sharpening quality of work, and managing and coaching team members
Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration
• Collaborate closely with global senior leaders, building trusted relationships, serving as thought partner, making recommendations that account for their needs, and influencing them to act
• Promote a positive, collaborative, and efficient working environment where colleagues enjoy working with each other, and feel inspired to grow and develop in new ways
Analysis & Insight
• Structure and conduct rigorous quantitative and qualitative analyses, including stakeholder interviews to gather needs, concerns and perspectives
• Generate actionable insights and recommendations, informed by analysis, best practices, and an understanding of the IRC and the challenges and opportunities we face
Communication & Delivery
• Produce high-quality deliverables (often PowerPoint decks, memos, and analysis) with little re-work required
• Confidently present analysis and recommendations to global leaders to facilitate decision-making and alignment
Person Specification
Skills, Knowledge and Qualifications:
• Demonstrated ability to lead large, complex strategic projects; solution-oriented and able to drive results independently**
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with stakeholders at all levels, especially senior leadership, and navigate difficult discussions**
• Strong analytical skills – analyze, interpret, and translate quantitative and qualitative data into actionable insights**
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills – communications are clear, concise and tailored to the relevant audience**
• Strong organizational and time-management skills – proven ability to prioritize against simultaneous demands and deliver at a fast pace
• Highly collaborative and effective in a dynamic, cross-functional global team structure
• Adaptable; respond enthusiastically and positively to ambiguity
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Office suite, especially PowerPoint and Excel
Experience:
• Demonstrable experience (7-10 years) in a strategy, consulting, or business transformation role, with a track record of high performance.
• Experience in running large-scale, cross-functional projects that solve complex organizational problems and implement strategic change
• Experience partnering with senior and executive leadership as a strategic advisor, shaping key decisions and enabling leaders to effectively influence and drive strategy
Criteria in the Person Specification marked with ** are the minimum criteria in line with our commitments under the Disability Confident Employer Scheme in the UK.
UK based candidates who state that they have a disability and meet these criteria, will be invited to interview.
Standard Responsibilities
Promote and actively participate in initiatives and efforts to build team engagement, inclusion and cohesion in IRC.
Foster ongoing learning, honest dialogue and reflection to strengthen safeguarding and to promote IRC values and adherence to IRC policies
Related standard content:
IRC strives to build a diverse and inclusive team at all levels who as individuals, and as a group, embody our culture statement creating a working environment characterized by critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity for us to achieve our aspirations as a team and deliver the best possible services to our clients.
UK
Narrowing the Gender Gap: The IRC is 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 flexible hours (when possible), enhanced maternity/adoption leave and pay and gender-sensitive security protocols.
The salary range for the role is GBP 52,000-67,000 per annum
Candidates must have the right to work in the UK.
The application deadline is 9th October 2025
IRC UK strives to be an equal opportunities employer. IRC UK is committed to equality of opportunity and to non-discrimination for all job applicants and employees, and we seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce regardless of gender, race, religious beliefs, nationality, ethnic/national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability.
IRC UK welcomes applications from all candidates, including underrepresented groups and refugees who have the right to work in the UK.
IRC UK will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided with reasonable adjustments to participate in the job application and/or interview process, and for essential job functions if appointed to a role. Please contact us if you may need such adjustments.
Recruitment Process
The process for this role will be as follows
• Screening call online
• First round panel interview online*
• Second round interview with hiring manager online*
If you have any questions or need assistance with the online recruitment process, please contact the IRC UK HR team at applications@rescue-uk.org
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Standard of Professional Conduct: The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.
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