Country Director - Occupied Palestinian Territory (oPT)

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 launched an emergency response in oPt in 2023, responding to the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, as well as expanding operations to the West Bank. Implementing a diverse, integrated program of health, protection, cash and scaling up in WASH and nutrition, these programs prioritize local partnerships with both public institutions and civil society, and span emergency, humanitarian, recovery, and development modalities, while serving vulnerable Palestinians in oPT 

The IRC is working directly and with partners to increase medical aid, empower and protect women, provide essential water and nutrition services and support children in Gaza and working with partners to increase medical aid, health care assistance and capacity strengthening for people in Gaza. IRC is also working through partners to deliver child protection, women’s protection and empowerment and education. 

IRC and its partners launched a program to enhance emergency preparedness for health services in the West Bank, in areas worst hit by violence in the last year. We are working to strengthen the health system's capacity and maintain critical health services during crises, saving as many lives as possible.

Job Overview/Summary

The oPT Country Director sets the vision and strategic direction for IRC’s operations in oPT The Country Director is responsible for developing staff structure to fit for purpose and the overall leadership and supervisory management of IRC’s staff as well as all programming and operations, including program quality and accountability, stewardship of resources, staff safety and security, performance management, and external representation. The Country Director is IRC’s principal representative on behalf of the oPt country program to government officials, non-governmental actors, oPt civil society, donors, international organizations, and the media.

Success in this position requires an individual with exemplary, demonstrated leadership abilities who deploys strong communications and interpersonal skills effectively, both internally and externally. The successful candidate will enjoy contextual analytical skills with an ability to translate the impact of geopolitical events to our program and operational strategies. They will build a network of partnerships and diversify program resources. They will be directly responsible for the overall coordination and strategic direction of the country program; providing oversight and coaching for directly supervised senior managers; leading country program teams to identify, design and deliver responsive, high-quality programs; ensuring efficient management of public grants and private funds for results, compliance, and focused, timely reporting; and oversight of financial management and compliance systems.

Major Responsibilities:

Leadership and Representation
•    Develop a vision and carry out strategies that result in contextualized high-quality programs that meet the identified needs of clients. 
•    Lead the country program by maintaining open and professional relations with colleagues, promoting a strong team spirit and providing guidance, oversight and resources to enable staff to perform successfully.
•    Initiate and sustain strong, mutually beneficial, and authentic partnerships with oPt organizations.
•    Ensure that the IRC remains a partner of choice for major international (institutional and non-institutional) donors.
•    Seek out and pursue opportunities to raise the profile of the work of the IRC and its partners, as well as the lives and the needs of the people IRC seeks to serve.

Staff Management, Learning and Development
•    Supervise and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting performance objectives, and providing regular and timely feedback.
•    As part of a succession plan, identify, train, and develop the capability and capacity of staff to successfully transition specific roles and responsibilities to national staff. 
•    Promote and monitor staff care and well-being. Model healthy work-life balance practices.
•    Develop and be accountable to a culture of psychological safety, inclusion, respect, and teamwork. 

Stewardship and Operational Management
•    Drive operational excellence to achieve optimal efficiency and cost-effectiveness in all functions and operations of the country program.
•    Oversee the development, deployment and utilization of financial and operational policies, procedures, and systems to deliver compliance with IRC and donor requirements. 
•    Ensure responsiveness and appropriate levels of in-person and remote support to all offices, especially in the areas of P&C, finance, and supply chain.
•    Provide timely and effective oversight of the oPt country program’s financial position.
•    Maintain effective and coordinated budget monitoring processes for grant funds and discretionary funds.

Security Management 
•    The CD remains the ultimate responsible for ensuring that all security arrangements are in place for staff and partners. Through supervision of humanitarian access and security staff, ensure absolute conformity to security rules and regulations, application of security plans, timely communication to team in case of concern; 
•    Liaise with the regional office, with peer agencies and use the tools and information portals available to keep abreast of all security-related matters; In case of necessity, ensure adequate roll-out of emergency procedures.

Communications
•    Model and encourage active practice of the principles of the “IRC Way – Global Standards for Professional Conduct” throughout the oPt country program.
•    Maintain a healthy and empowering office environment that encourages open, honest, and productive communication among IRC staff and with partner organizations.
•    Maintain open communication with regional management staff and technical advisors, and HQ departmental staff.

Key Working Relationships: 
Position Reports to:  Regional Vice President - MENAU
Position directly Supervises: A senior management team responsible for Programs, Operations, Finance, People & Culture, and Security as well as communications. 

Key Internal Contacts: 
•    Country Program: All staff
•    Regional Office: MENAU Regional Team 
•    HQ: Crisis Response and Recovery Department (CRRD), Ethics & Compliance, Operations and Strategy, Finance, Global Philanthropy & Partnerships, Technical Excellence and General Counsel

Key External Contacts:  
•    Partner organizations and donors
•    Host country government officials and foreign governments 
•    Public and private donor agencies 
•    International and national NGOs 
•    UN agencies 

Job Requirements:
 

Work Experience: 
Strong leadership abilities and interpersonal skills, and ability to deploy strong communications effectively, both internally and externally. Develop networks to build partnerships and diversify program resources. 
•    Graduate degree in a relevant field preferred.
•    At least 12 years of dynamically responsible international work experience, including leadership at the Country Director level of multi-site, multi-sectoral operations in a complex operating environment, with preference for experience in the MENA Region.
•    Prior experience working within organizational structures in transition.
•    Experience working in conflict/post-conflict or disaster response situation.
•    Professional fluency in written and spoken English. Arabic is a preferred asset. 

Demonstrated Technical and Leadership Competencies
•    Provide strategic leadership and day-to-day management of multi-disciplinary teams operating in cross-cultural and complex settings, fostering collaboration and high performance.
•    Mentor, coach, and develop high-potential staff to support their professional growth and ensure strong internal leadership pipelines.
•    Lead and facilitate difficult or sensitive conversations with staff, partners, donors, and external stakeholders, demonstrating sound judgment, technical expertise, and a compassionate, respectful approach.
•    Oversee the design, implementation, and monitoring of high-quality, client-centered programming, ensuring that interventions are relevant, impactful, and aligned with organizational goals.
•    Manage a diverse portfolio of complex, high-value, donor-funded projects, ensuring appropriate oversight, compliance, and achievement of results across sectors.
•    Build and maintain senior-level networks and partnerships that result in new funding and strategic opportunities for the organization.
•    Demonstrate a proactive and innovative approach to navigating unpredictable operational, programmatic, and funding environments.
•    Represent the organization in high-level forums, including with media, government representatives, and international stakeholders, effectively communicating program context, constraints, and achievements.

Ability to Travel: Approximately 50% within and outside the region.
 

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.

Cookies: https://careers.rescue.org/us/en/cookiesettings

#li-1