Technical Advisor, Cash Relief

Background/IRC Summary:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC), responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people survive, recover and gain control of their future. The IRC is working to improve the safety, health, education, economic well-being and power of people in crisis affected places. The Economic Recovery and Development Technical Unit (ERD TU) supports the development and implementation of sustainable and ethical programs such as, but not limited to, cash and voucher transfers, food security promotion, climate-smart agro-pastoral production and enterprise development and employment promotion. The TU’s technical assistance to this wide variety of programs ensures quality and use of evidence-based best practices; promotes innovation, diversity, equity, and inclusion; and drives data-based management.

Job Overview/Summary:

The Cash Technical Advisor (TA) will provide technical support in the design and development of economic programs -- both cash and voucher assistance (CVA) & livelihoods in countries in crisis and post-crisis settings to ensure the most appropriate delivery of assistance for affected populations. The position will also support and lead select global and country-led initiatives to support the scale-up of CVA activities across the IRC’s outcomes of interest and across the operations departments involved in programming, in line with the organization’s CVA ambitions. The selected candidate should have familiarity with the operational aspects of CVA, including supply chain and finance; as well as supporting social protection systems in fragile economies.

The position requires a dynamic, self-motivating, driven and forward-thinking personality with experience in working remotely with a broad range of people from very different cultural backgrounds. The remote nature of this position with both the TU team and countries teams that are being supported means that TAs need to be excellent in pro-active communication and relationship building.

Specific Responsibilities:

The Cash Technical Advisor (TA) will spend at least 80% of their time delivering technical assistance in-person and remotely to program colleagues focused on programming, CVA program model development across sectors as well as general economic program design, implementation and learning support. This is a primarily field-facing position with the central responsibility concentrated on program quality. The remaining 0-20% is spent on influence, advocacy, research and internal strategic design related to cash program quality and operations, at the discretion of their supervisors. The Technical Advisors’ specific responsibilities are as follows:

Guiding program design:

• Support with the crafting of programs and projects as well as CVA programming models within other sectors (health, education, protection). Ensure that these programs are:
• Aligned with organizational strategy, which includes supporting staff with contextualizing outcomes and the theories of change, and selecting interventions based on the best available evidence, the local context analysis and the country program’s Strategic Action Plan;
• Responsive to client needs and preferences, as well as incorporating a strong component of promoting equality and local partnership.
• Support assessments on basic needs, food security, labor markets, and delivery and financial services. Additionally, provide input on the design of monitoring plans, including indicator selection.

Engaging in business development:

• Review technical quality of economic programming proposals and other sector proposals that include CVA and livelihoods components
• Input into go / no go decisions on proposals and on budgets required for project delivery
• When necessary, write technical narratives of proposals
• Engage with donors and do outreach in support of country programs

Building resources for technical sharing with country program staff to ensure quality and innovation:

• Share cross-context learning across the region and conduct technical training and ongoing resource sharing, including on IRC outcomes, theories of change, evidence and indicators
• Review and share program-specific tools, resources, data, curricula, and work with Technical Unit specialists and other colleagues to contextualize and adapt global and country-specific materials or to assist with periodic review
• Support recruitment and onboarding functions

Support/lead cash strategic projects to improve IRC global cash programming implementation and operations:

• Work closely with cash team members on relevant strategic projects centered around improving the IRC’s ability to scale and implement high quality cash transfer programming and IRC's approach to social protection.
• Foster relationships with the supply chain and finance departments internally, to inform operational aspects of CVA such as contracting new financial service providers and troubleshooting procurement issues.
• Lead IRC’s Global Payment Toolbox and supports its rollout and expansion

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Senior Technical Advisor – Cash & Emergencies (located in New York, NY)

Position directly supervises: N/A

Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal: Close, regular relationships with regional and country program coordinators, managers, and teams. Regular communication with education, violence prevention and response, health, economic recovery & development, governance, research, evaluation and learning, internal cash working group, and gender equality technical unit teams. Interacts with IRC internal departments, including business development, procurement, and finance, external relations and advocacy departments.

External: Serve as IRC program representative in outside regional meetings and global meetings and academic forums with donors, online forums, other non-governmental organizations, inter-agency groups and foundations.

Job Qualifications:

Education: Master’s/post-graduate degree in development, humanitarian affairs, economics, business administration or relevant field or equivalent combination of education and experience is required. Participate in ongoing training courses and share knowledge and skill sets within the unit.

Work Experience: A minimum of 5 years implementing and/or managing cash-based humanitarian programming in crisis or post-crisis field settings, preferably with a focus on markets. Experience in women and/or youth-focused livelihoods programming. Experience in design and monitoring of CVA programming to meet basic needs, food security, NFI, and/or shelter program activities as well as technical tools and materials development, monitoring and evaluation, and research in relation to education is highly desired. Experience working with social protections systems highly preferred. Must be practiced in CVA operations.

Demonstrated Skills and Proficiencies: Expertise in program design, monitoring and evaluation, with the ability to turn concepts and strategy into measurable action. Demonstrated dedication to a Do No Harm approach, gender quality and inclusion. Excellent social skills involving listening to, interacting with, and communicating clearly with people from diverse nationalities and backgrounds, and senior level internal and external partners, with a high degree of integrity and pro-activity. Solid organizational skills: proficiency inworking independently and productively in a fast-paced environment and under remote team and management structures

Language Skills: Fluency in English and at least one additional IRC language required, which strong preference for Spanish or Arabic. French proficiency would be an added bonus.

Working Environment: Up to 40% travel is expected, Covid-19 restrictions permitting. This position will be based in any IRC global office. Preference will be given for the Middle East (Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria); Latin America (Mexico, El Salvador, Colombia, or Venezuela); or Asia (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Malaysia, Thailand, or Myanmar).

IRC et les employés de IRC doivent adhérer aux valeurs et principes contenus dans le IRC WAY (normes de conduite professionnelle). Ce sont l’Intégrité, Egalite, le Service, et la Responsabilité. En conformité avec ces valeurs, IRC opère et fait respecter les politiques sur la protection des bénéficiaires contre l’exploitation et les abus, la protection de l’enfant, le harcèlement sur les lieux de travail, l’intégrité financière, et les représailles.