Regional Vice President

Position Overview

The Regional Vice President will oversee the Middle East and North Africa Region. This position is responsible for an annual budget in excess of US$120+ million, a team of over 2,100 staff across the region, and offices located in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Tunisia and Libya. The RVP will be based in Amman and report to the Vice President and Head of Program Delivery.

The Regional Vice President, Middle East and North Africa will hold overall responsibility for the leadership and management of IRC’s country programs. S/he will work collaboratively with technical and functional counterparts to strengthen performance and accountability in all areas of work. S/he will be an ambassador for IRC values, organizational priorities, cascading measurable goals to country programs and leading delivery of IRC’s Strategy. Equally, the RVP plays a vital role in representing field priorities to HQ departments.

The RVP will collaborate closely with the full range of HQ stakeholders, across the technical support, operations, finance, fundraising, awards management, advocacy, communications, compliance and legal functions. As part of the IRC’s Senior Leaders Group, the RVP will play an important role in organizational leadership discussions, and will be expected to represent not just the region but the Crisis Response, Recovery and Development department (CRRD) more broadly in these fora.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy & Programs

• Oversee implementation of IRC’s global Strategy across the regional portfolio. Ensure all country program Strategy Action Plans (SAPs) guide program design and operational decision-making, and are measured and evaluated regularly.

• Exercise overall responsibility for successful delivery, management and growth of the regional portfolio, comprised of numerous multi-year, multi-donor, large scale projects.

• Drive organizational growth consistent with IRC’s Strategy so that our programs reach more people with greater impact; Lead cogent business development planning which is reflective of SAP outcomes and the priorities of new and existing donors. Ensure that programs are designed and implemented in support of IRC’s vision of cost-effective, outcomes-driven and evidence-based interventions which are responsive to local context and the priorities of our beneficiaries.

• Develop a regional program portfolio that represents the breadth of IRC’s mission – working across the ‘arc of crisis’ to support people to survive, recover and gain control of their lives.

• Support countries to establish and foster a network of local civil society and municipal government partners, wherever possible empowering those entities to take the lead in humanitarian service delivery.  Position the IRC as the partner of choice amongst civil society and government organizations.

• Oversee the implementation of IRC’s measurement strategy across all country programs resulting in measurable, continuous improvement in program implementation, reporting and decision-making.

• Monitor and analyze regional political trends and ensure that IRC is positioned to nimbly adapt to changing contexts. Contribute actively to IRC’s external engagement in support of reforming the humanitarian system and improving aid delivery.

• Support delivery of IRC’s global Strategy, representing both the region and CRRD department more widely.

Team Leadership & Development

• Ensure a consistently high level of team performance across the region; Manage, mentor, give feedback to and coach all Country Directors and regional team members, inspiring and modeling healthy, collaborative intra and inter-departmental working relationships. Indirectly oversee all staff across the region.

• Continuously expand and deepen internal and external talent pipeline through leadership development and networking to ensure nimble recruitment, succession planning and long-term retention of high-caliber staff.

• Lead measurable efforts to ensure IRC’s workforce – including at leadership levels – reflects the diversity of the places we operate and the people we serve.

• Foster an environment of trust and cross-functional collaboration and a ‘One IRC’ way of working, both within the region and between the region and the wider organization.

• Act as a champion for collaborative ‘Management in Partnership’ demonstrated through joint planning, shared commitments to outcomes, mutual accountability, alignment of resources and quality assessment.

• Cultivate a safe and protective working environment for all staff, combining locally-led initiatives with wider organizational efforts related to Duty of Care and Safety & Security.

• Oversee all matters relating to safeguarding; fully implement actions as outlined in the IRC’s Safeguarding Strategy and Action Plan.

Financial, Operational & Risk Management

• Ensure that all country finance, human resources, supply chain, safety and security and IT functions are appropriately resourced and managed in accordance with IRC and donor policies and standards.

• Champion humanitarian access and security management strategies across the MENA region

• Actively partner with the Ethics & Compliance Unit to strengthen IRC’s efforts to prevent, detect and respond to issues of fraud and misconduct. Ensure staff are aware of our expectations and their obligations under the ‘IRC Way’ and our corporate policies.

• Foster a balanced and diligent approach to risk management across all country programs: ensure that the IRC fully meets our obligations, including compliance, to donors and governments while supporting staff to take necessary and appropriate risks in the service of our humanitarian mission. Identify and monitor a full spectrum of risks across the region, ensure HQ is regularly informed, and implement mitigating actions as appropriate.

• Oversee country operating budgets and the financial health of programs. Identify and communicate gaps or concerns in a timely manner, and proactively seek out viable solutions.

Representation, Influence & Partnership

• Ensure strong representation of the IRC to local, regional and global stakeholders – including governments, donors, and civil society partners.
• Ensure IRC remains a partner of choice for major local and international donors. Support IRC’s business development and fundraising efforts through cultivating a strong network of donor contacts, engaging with the HQ fundraising team, and ensuring that country teams build and maintain strong donor relationships.
• Identify priority policy issues that affect our beneficiaries or our ability to deliver our programs; support the development of creative, impactful approaches to address these, both locally and in concert with the global advocacy team.
• Raise IRC's profile through inventive and appropriate engagement with diverse forms of media, working closely with the regional and global communications and advocacy teams.

• Relevant university degree required, graduate degree strongly preferred.

Work experience

• Extensive field experience leading humanitarian, protracted and/or post-crisis development programs with demonstrated ability to manage complex and often insecure working environments.

• Minimum of 15 years of professional experience with 10 or more years in leadership with increasing levels of responsibility. Must have demonstrated success in overseeing and growing multi-year, large scale projects through a diverse range of donors and portfolios of $30 – $50M++.

• Demonstrated ability to plan strategically and implement long term goals while remaining adaptive and nimble to changed circumstance.

• Experience working in, and deep contextual understanding of, the Middle East and North Africa region is strongly preferred.

Technical skills

• Advanced acumen in adapting global strategy to local contexts; ability to successfully design high-quality programs and tailor portfolio to meet beneficiary needs.
• Superior ability to build personal networks at a senior level, resulting in securing new opportunities and strategic growth for the organization.
• Proven experience delivering appropriate levels of oversight of a portfolio consisting of a variety of complex, high-value donor-funded projects.
• Strong aptitude in applying a holistic risk management approach including integration into strategic planning, risk identification and risk mitigation tactics.
• Ability to represent program context, constraints, and successes to media, government, civil society and boards in a compelling manner.

• Exceptional financial and operational analysis and management skills, including project management.

• Excellent presentation, written and verbal communication skills; commitment to open and transparent communication and top-notch diplomatic skills

• A keen understanding of the political complexities of the region and/or demonstrated experience employing international political analysis.

Leadership & managerial competencies

• Proven track record serving as a role model, empowering others to translate vision into results and effectively manage change; Effective at delegating the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority.

• Skilled at establishing and maintaining relationships with a broad range of stakeholders to understand needs and gain support;

• Ability to anticipate and resolve conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions;

• Ability to act decisively and judiciously in ambiguous or critical situations, often under extreme time pressure and with limited information.

• Commitment to diversity and inclusion; proven experience in incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of all staff in all areas of work.

• Receptive and collaborative leadership approach that contributes to positive team environment, builds and maintains strong relationships with people from all backgrounds, genders, cultures and viewpoints
• Demonstrated capability to continuously multitask in high-pressure and insecure environments, while simultaneously exhibiting resilience, valuing and pursuing personal work life balance and managing with a staff care lens.

Languages Required/Preferred: 

• Professional fluency in written and spoken English.

• Arabic language skills strongly preferred.

Ability to Travel:approximately 25 - 40% within and outside the region for workshops, representation and conferences.

Diversity, Inclusion and Gender Equality

IRC acknowledges and honors the fundamental value and dignity of all individuals. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability.  IRC is also 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 parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits.

Returning National Candidates:  IRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified national staff in our programs and we strongly encourage national or returning national candidates from the countries within this region to apply. If you are a national of the Country in which this position is based and are currently located outside of your home country, the IRC has introduced a generous remuneration package. The package includes competitive compensation, return flight to post, shipping allowance, temporary housing and a relocation allowance. Certain restrictions may apply.

Work Environment: The position will be based in Amman with frequent travel to Lebanon, Iraq, North East Syria, Turkey, Tunis and Libya.  The situation in Amman is relatively calm and stable. The IRC regional office is in Amman located in a modern professional building. Accommodation is in private individual housing, which includes basic modern amenities including internet, water and electricity. Access to health care and educational facilities is readily available.

Benefits and Allowances: In line with IRC Global Benefits Policies, Regional Vice President will be offered a competitive package including competitive saving plan, private housing and utilities, international medical coverage, individual transportation and educational allowance.

#LI-GR1