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.

In Europe, the IRC currently operates in the UK, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Greece and Poland. This role is part of the global People & Culture (P&C) function at the IRC, which has its global headquarters in New York, New York.

THE PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The selected candidate will step into the Transformation Lead, P&C Services Europe role during the incumbent’s parental leave.

They will work closely with senior stakeholders across Europe and the US, partnering with European and global P&C leaders to understand priorities, secure resources, and deliver organisational design and transformation work aligned with IRC Strategy 100.

In this role, they’ll help lead change, strengthen the employee experience, and support a culture of continuous improvement across the full employee life cycle. Their leadership will play a key part in improving our organisational culture, enhancing the services we provide to colleagues, managing our cost base, and building a resilient P&C organisation for the future.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

  • Reports to the Director, P&C Partner Services & Transformation and Regional Director, P&C, Europe.
  • Works closely with P&C Partners, Country P&C Focal Points, and global P&C teams such as Operations, P&C IT, Recruitment, Compensation, Duty of Care, GEDI, or People Development.
  • Regularly engages with P&C leadership, HQ teams, and Senior Leadership in Europe.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Strategic Planning & Organizational Alignment (~20%)

  • Help turn the global P&C strategy into a clear, actionable plan for Europe and the US.
  • Work with senior leaders to assess readiness, set priorities, and align resources.
  • Stay ahead of external trends and workforce changes to shape our future of work approach.
  • Maintain strategic roadmaps that guide how P&C services evolve for our European teams.

Program & Project Management (~45%)

  • Lead and deliver transformation and process improvement projects that strengthen employee experience, efficiency, and service quality.  Current initiatives include but are not limited to:
    • Quarterly People Trends Metrics Reports
    • Manage Europe P&C Calendar and support key milestones
    • Skillsurvey rollout
    • Absence, leave, and time tracking rollout
    • Workday Onboarding enhancement
    • EU Pay Transparency Directive – monitoring local implementations and finalising our internal framework and operational processes
    • Exit Survey Redesign
    • Mapping for Impact – supporting the planning and execution to reconcile identified gaps at each location
  • Build tools and routines to track KPIs, progress, risks, and impact.
  • Develop practical project plans and communication approaches to support initiatives across multiple countries.
  • Provide local expertise to ensure global P&C plans reflect European needs.
  • Manage program-level risks, dependencies, and issues.
  • Use project management tools effectively to support planning, delivery, and reporting.

Continuous Improvement (~35%)

  • Use data and insights to drive transparency, effective decision making, and operational excellence.
  • Apply internal and external HR best practices to improve processes and outcomes.
  • Partner closely with P&C teams across Europe to ensure strong execution and alignment.
  • Promote a culture of learning, innovation, and continuous improvement.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Experience

  • Significant senior HR experience with both strategic and hands-on project management responsibilities, ideally in large, complex global organisations.
  • Minimum 5 years’ experience supporting European HR required; experience supporting US HR preferred.
  • Experience contributing to organisation-wide change, improving processes, and supporting global P&C transformation in a matrixed environment.
  • Strong understanding of business transformation, organisation development, process improvement, programme and project management, and change-focused communication and engagement.
  • A track record of delivering results in fast-moving, evolving environments.

Skills & Knowledge

  • Strong consulting skills with the ability to influence, challenge thinking, and solve problems collaboratively.
  • Comfortable working across countries and cultures with an inclusive, consultative, and resourceful approach.
  • Excellent written and spoken English.

New Hire candidates may be based in the United Kingdom or Germany.  Candidates based in the United States may also be considered, provided they are able to work a schedule aligned with European time zones.

Current employees are welcome to apply regardless of location.

Compensation: (UK: 55,000 - 62,933; US: 74,987 - 84,960). 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 requirements. 

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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