Since 2014, the IRC has been a leading partner in the UK Department for International Development (DFID) programme: What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls.What Works is an unprecedented investment in both funding and evaluating innovative approaches to preventing violence against women and girls (VAWG), as well as making vital contributions to the evidence base on the prevalence, forms and drivers of VAWG. As the What Works programme draws to a close at the end of 2019, DFID is preparing to make a further investment of up to £67.5 million through their What Works to Prevent Violence: Impact at Scale(What Works 2) programme. This will focus on implementing and evaluating the scaling of VAWG prevention approaches; continuing to test new and innovative approaches; building capacity at multiple levels to deliver cutting edge violence prevention programmes; and building evidence to inform more effective VAWG policies and programmes. To prepare for this anticipated What Works 2 programme, the IRC will convene a consortium to oversee all aspects of programme delivery, capacity development, research uptake and programme leadership. DFID is likely to also require the What Works 2 consortium to award a portfolio of multi-year grants to fund violence prevention programmes in both development and humanitarian contexts.

We are now seeking qualified candidates for the position of Consortium Director. The Consortium Director will ensure quality programme implementation, including providing strategic guidance to consortium partners and overseeing fund management, financial and performance management, M&E, partnership management, and relationships with external actors. The Consortium Director will be the key focal point for DFID, and will be accountable for the overall delivery of the programme.

Responsibilities:

Technical leadership

• Provide overall technical and strategic leadership, in line with the Theory of Change and consortium principles
• Establish and monitor adherence to programme quality in line with international standards, evidence and best practice in VAWG prevention
• Oversee the development and implementation of fund management systems and processes
• Provide leadership in the application of an intersectional approach, accountable to all women and girls both in programming and organisational management
• Oversee the development and implementation of capacity building, technical support, research uptake and influencing strategies
• Establish and lead on coordination with consortium and other strategic partners

Expert programme management

• Oversee the development and roll out of a comprehensive PBR contracting framework to ensure adherence to donor compliance, incentivize programme delivery, and effectively manage contract risk.
• Establish a comprehensive programme management framework, including advisory and accountability structures.
• Monitor and evaluate project activities and outcomes against donor targets and requirements.
• Oversee and monitor the financial management of the project.

Team recruitment, leadership and supervision

• Lead the establishment of a multidisciplinary team of directors, technical specialists, project and finance managers and grants and compliance staff, located across multiple partner organisations. 
• Lead the programme team to review progress, establish workplans, set performance targets and identify challenges to achieve project aims.

Consortium leadership

• Develop and lead a well-functioning consortium, built around collaborative leadership and decision making, capitalizing on the expertise and capacities of all partners.
• Oversee collaboration with the separate What Works 2 research consortium, ensuring effective integration and alignment.

DFID

• Represent the IRC and the consortium with SROs and other high level stakeholders within DFID.
• Ensure timely, accurate and good quality reporting.
• Ensure the IRC meets DFID contractual project, legal and financial requirements.

Representation and research uptake

• Represent and promote the IRC and What Works 2 in high level policy and advocacy forums.
• Manage external public relations, ensuring the distribution of information about project achievements and lessons learned.
• With the Research Uptake Director, support development and implementation of research uptake plans.

Essential

• Significant demonstrable experience working on violence against women and children in the Global South, including on prevention programming. 
• Extensive experience providing technical leadership of VAWG prevention and response programmes, including designing, implementing and monitoring quality across diverse contexts and organisations.
• Experience working within or in close partnership with feminist/women’s movements and/or organisations in the Global South, preferably in leadership roles.
• Strong understanding of VAWG and VAC as human rights violations and their relationship with other forms of intersectional oppression.
• Experience of working closely with academic and other research partners to conduct research on violence and evaluate VAWG and VAC programming, including a good understanding of the ethical implications of doing research on VAWG and VAC.
• Proven ability to represent an organisation at a senior level and to build strong relationships at the local, national and international levels.
• Experience of managing or leading large consortia.
• Proven ability to lead diverse staff and teams, manage performance, foster a positive working environment and manage issues sensitively and diplomatically 
• Experience of managing large institutional donor contracts and/or grants, including Payment by Results contracts.
• Experience of working in a large and complex international organisation.

Desirable

• Experience of fund management or competitive grant making desirable
• Experience working on VAWG and/or VAC in humanitarian settings
• Advanced degree (postgraduate or postdoctoral) from an accredited university desirable
• Experience of working with DFID and managing DFID contracts preferred.
• Experience in developing and implementing intersectional and coalitional approaches to prevent and respond to VAWG and VAC preferred.

IRC-UK is committed to equality of opportunity and non-discrimination for all applicants and employees. IRC-UK seeks to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce regardless of gender, race, religious belief, nationality, ethnic/national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability.

IRC-UK encourages applications from all candidates, including refugees who have the right to work in the UK or an IRC location and candidates from the global south.

If you have any questions or need assistance with the online recruitment process, please contact the UK HR team at applications@rescue-uk.org 

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