IRC launched programming in Bangladesh in August 2017 in response to the influx of nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. IRC serves Rohingya refugees living in 30 camps and host communities, providing Health, Protection, Education, Emergency Preparedness and Response, and WASH services. IRC advocates for the protection of refugees and empowers women, children, and adolescents through skills development and raising awareness to prevent all kinds of violence, abuse, and exploitation. In response to COVID-19, IRC expanded vaccination efforts into southern Bangladesh, vaccinating Rohingya refugees and reaching more than 400,000 people through a COVID-19 sensitization campaign in coordination with the Government of Bangladesh.
We are seeking an experienced professional with a hands-on senior management record in humanitarian programming in a complex context. They must be able to motivate and lead a diverse and committed team and provide pro-active representation and advocacy within the humanitarian community, with funding partners, with authorities, and to international policy-makers. They must also demonstrate sound financial and operational management skills and have solid experience of leading and managing in highly complex operating environments. In return, IRC promises a prominent role in one of the most testing and rewarding environments for humanitarian assistance globally, and an opportunity to contribute to delivering real improvements for crisis-affected people in Bangladesh.
Scope of work
The Country Director will represent the IRC to external stakeholders at all levels; develop strategic relationships; identify and cultivate partnerships/funding opportunities in coordination with IRC teams across the organization; and engage in appropriate and coordinated advocacy and communications on relevant issues. The Country Director will provide the strategic vision and leadership for the country program. They are responsible for ensuring the design and delivery of quality programs, donor and government relations, fundraising and budget management, security and operations management, and developing a motivated and professional team. Reporting to the Regional Vice President Asia, the Country Director will work closely with, and receive support from regional and headquarters’ program technical units, safety and security services, regional finance, and operations staff.
Success in this position requires an individual with exemplary and 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 day-to-day operation. They will focus on growing the portfolio of the country program to maximize scale, reach and impact by building a strong network of partnerships and diversifying 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 and 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 local organizations.
• Ensure that 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 IRC and its partners, as well as the lives and the needs of the people IRC seeks to serve.
• Play a leadership role in efforts to improve humanitarian coordination around the Rohingya Response in Cox’s Bazaar and strategic programming in Southern Bangladesh.
• Ensure IRC is appropriately represented and is an active and strong member of the relevant in-country humanitarian coordination forums and platforms.
• Develop and sustain strong working relationship and support from the government authorities towards IRC’s operations, including timely renewal of registration and obtaining necessary permissions for uninterrupted delivery of programs, services and operations.
• Appropriately represent IRC to external local, regional and global audience including media and press in consultation with the RVP.
Strategic Direction, Program Quality and Growth
• Working closely with the Regional Vice President, and regional team, execute the strategic vision and direction of the program to develop the highest quality of programming and delivery that is adapted to the Bangladesh context and is completely aligned with IRC’s Strategy 100.
• Grow the portfolio of the country program to reach increasing number of clients at scale with impactful programs.
• Ensure high program quality is consistent throughout the country program.
• Actively seek out and pursue opportunities to expand humanitarian programming in Bangladesh to reach under-served and hard-to-reach areas.
• Ensure that systems are in compliance with IRC standards, and that they support program delivery and promote management coordination and efficiency throughout the country program.
• Establish strong communication and working relationship with key internal stakeholders at regional and HQ level to support country program operations and delivery.
• Actively pursue and promote IRC’s Gender Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (GEDI) agenda through innovative approaches and initiatives in line with global ambitions and commitments to foster an inclusive organizational culture and environment.
Fundraising, Donor & Partner Relations
• Remain current on national, regional and international issues impacting the program and partners, and develop responsive strategies to ensure the IRC’s mission can be carried out appropriately in rapidly changing contexts.
• Seek out and pursue opportunities to raise the profile of the work of the IRC and its partners in Bangladesh, as well as the lives and needs of the people the IRC seeks to serve.
• Ensure submission of appropriate, timely high-quality proposals and lead required donor negotiations.
• Assure diversified funding.
• Develop and maintain a high level of understanding of donor priorities, country plans and planned funding initiatives.
• Maintain and expand participation with key donors, host government, local stakeholders and relevant policy and coordinating bodies.
Stewardship and Operational Management
• Lead with commitment, integrity and accountability to the “IRC Way” – Global Standards for Professional Conduct.
• Drive operational excellence to achieve optimal efficiency and cost-effectiveness in all functions and operations of the country program.
• Oversee the operation and utilization of IRC’s Global policies including 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 HR, finance and supply chain.
Budget Management
• Provide timely and effective oversight of the financial position of the country program including identification and implementation of required changes to match funding levels.
• Monitor and identify appropriate sources for match fund requirements and coverage of funding gaps.
• Maintain effective and coordinated budget monitoring processes for grant funds and discretionary funds.
People & Culture: Human Resource Management, Staff Well-being, Development & Retention
• Develop a positive work environment for all staff supported by a professional level human resource management function.
• Support and hold management staff accountable for providing staff development opportunities and planning.
• Work with regional/HQ HR staff to identify and implement recruitment and retention strategies.
• Provide leadership support for the successful implementation of and adherence to the IRC Global HR Operating Policies and Procedures.
• As part of succession and talent identification process, identify, train and develop capability and capacity of staff to successfully transition to senior roles within the country and create opportunities for more senior roles in the organization.
• Promote and monitor staff care and well-being. Model healthy work-life balance practices.
• Supervise and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting performance objectives, providing regular and timely performance feedback, and leading documented semi-annual performance reviews.
Safety, Security and Access Management
• Take primary responsibility for overall management of safety and security for the country program, including appropriate response to emergency situations as they arise.
• Maintain a culture of safety and security throughout the country program.
• Keep security, evacuation and contingency plans current and accessible to country program staff.
• Maintain close coordination and communication with the Regional Safety and Security Director on safety, security and access concerns and evolving issues that could adversely affect IRC staff or operations.
• Ensure access to vulnerable clients and geographies for timely and quality service delivery.
Communications
• Model and encourage active practice of the principles of the “IRC Way – Global Standards for Professional Conduct” throughout the Bangladesh 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.
Advocacy
• Actively contribute to global, regional and national advocacy efforts to highlight and promote sustainable solutions for the clients we serve.
• Identify potential advocacy opportunities and initiate contextualized efforts to protect the rights of the clients and promote their needs for high quality and impactful services and support.
• Ensure IRC has a strong voice and contribution in national, regional and global policy and advocacy efforts aimed at improving the lives and livelihoods of the clients we serve in Bangladesh.
Key working relationships
Position Reports to: Regional Vice President – Asia
Position directly Supervises: A senior management team responsible for programs, operations, finance, HR, and security
Key Internal Contacts:
Country Program: All staff
Region: Asia Regional Team
HQ: Crisis Response and Recovery Department (CRRD), Ethics & Compliance, Safeguarding, GEDI, Operations and Strategy, Finance, Global Philanthropy & Partnerships, Technical Excellence and General Counsel
Key External Contacts:
Partner organizations
Host country government officials
Public and private donor agencies
International and national NGOs
UN agencies
Foreign governments
Requirements
• Significant international work experience covering emergency, post-conflict and development programming.
• Extensive program/ business development and fundraising experience with an entrepreneurial ability to spot and seize strategic opportunities.
• Proven experience with U.S., European, U.N., multi-lateral, corporate and other international donors.
• A strategic risk-taker who will explore innovative and compelling responses to difficult developmental and humanitarian issues.
• A passion for humanitarian aid and development work and the ability to motivate others to similar levels of enthusiasm.
• Skilled at building trusting effective relationships with government officials, donor representatives, staff, NGO partners, community leaders and clients.
• A keen understanding of the political, social, religious, ethnic and economic complexities of Bangladesh.
• Ability to work, live and thrive in a complex environment.
• Proven aptitude to inspire creative growth, innovation and learning.
• Experience in vigorously advocating to stakeholders for resources, responses and recognition of complex humanitarian and development problems.
• Strong human resource management skills including capacity building and mentoring.
• Experience supervising and managing a multi-disciplinary team in a cross-cultural setting.
• Previous budget and fiscal oversight responsibilities.
• Work experience from Asia is preferred.
Demonstrated Managerial/Leadership Competencies:
• Demonstrated successful leadership and management experience with a multi-disciplinary team in cross-cultural settings, including active mentoring and coaching.
• Demonstrated experience of creating diverse and inclusive team climates.
• Effective in developing high-potential staff to achieve career growth and maximum contribution.
• Proven experience in managing high quality programming that meet the needs of clients.
• Proven experience delivering appropriate levels of oversight of a portfolio consisting of a variety of complex, high-value donor-funded projects.
• Experience building personal networks at a senior level, resulting in securing new opportunities for the organization.
• Opportunity-awareness. A successful innovative approach to unpredictable programming, operational, and funding contexts.
• Ability to objectively represent program context, constraints, and successes to media, government, and other senior audiences.
Languages Required/Preferred:
• Professional fluency in written and spoken English.
• Bengali language skills an advantage.
Computer/Other Tech Requirements:
• Proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite, especially Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Working knowledge of file sharing protocols such as Dropbox, SharePoint, etc., an advantage.
Ability to Travel: approximately 25% within and outside the region for workshops, meetings, representation and conferences.
Gender Equality: IRC is 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 and allowances.
Attention Returning National Candidates: IRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified national staff in our programs. We strongly encourage national or returning national candidates to apply for this position. If you are a national of the country in which this position is based and are currently located outside of your home country and possess over two years of international work experience, the IRC has introduced an attractive remuneration package. The package includes competitive compensation, return flight to post, shipping allowance, temporary housing and a relocation allowance. Certain restrictions may apply.
Working Environment: This position will be based in Dhaka with frequent travel within the country and region. The security phase for Bangladesh is Yellow, and all employees are required to abide by any security directives put in place.
IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
Professional standards : The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Equality, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons and several others.
How to apply
https://rescue.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/29530?c=rescue