This is a hybrid position open to internal and external candidates based in countries where IRC operates who have the right to work in their location. Successful candidates will be hired on a local employment contract and according to local salary scale.
This role is open to candidates located and with the right to work in Nigeria, Chad, and Cameroon.
Job Description
Airbel is the IRC’s innovation lab. We work alongside people affected by conflict and crises to design more useful, dignified, and sustainable services. This position places a designer at the heart of this work in West and Central Africa, working closely with communities, frontline staff, and the issues that determine whether a product or service truly helps someone.
You will be our eyes and hands on the ground. You will conduct design research, interact with clients and suppliers, observe what they do and why, and transform your findings into prototypes that you will test and refine in the field. You will work closely with the Human-Centered Design Manager, who will support you in synthesizing and developing concepts while you shape your own work.
Main responsibilities
• Conduct design research in the field: interviews, observation and time spent with customers and frontline staff.
• Stay in contact with the same geographical area or the same line of work long enough to identify trends that only appear over time.
• Make sense of what you observe on the ground and identify the sparks of innovation already present in the solutions and ideas of the people themselves.
• Transform research into prototypes, test them with real people and iterate as you learn, rather than following a fixed script.
• Report what you learn in a way that is useful to the team: clear notes, visuals, user journeys, anything that makes an observation meaningful.
• Collaborate with country program teams, technical managers and frontline staff with care and respect, gaining the access on which good research depends.
• Intervene in French-speaking West and Central Africa, and in other humanitarian contexts as needed, adapting quickly to new contexts and new teams.
Job requirements
Professional experience
We would like to understand your way of thinking and working, in particular:
• Experience conducting research with people, in any setting: design research, ethnography, UX or product research, participatory or action research, or any other type of qualitative research. What matters is that you went beyond a script to understand why people act the way they do.
• You have built or implemented something (a service, a small pilot, a tool, an application, or even a rough paper version of an idea), tested it with the people involved, and developed it further based on what you learned. We call this “prototyping,” but you don’t need to have used that word.
• A sense of observation for everyday opportunities: workarounds, small details and what people have already discovered on their own.
• Something that demonstrates your thinking: a portfolio, a case study, a research report, photos of a prototype, or a project you helped shape. It’s okay if it’s not fully developed, but we’d like to see your thinking in some form.
Demonstrated skills
• Strong research skills: you know how to design and conduct fieldwork, communicate with everyone, respect ethics when dealing with vulnerable people, and read a situation for what it reveals, with care in your way of collecting and recording what you find.
• Strong prototype testing skills: you build in a rough manner, test early and adjust during testing rather than waiting for a finished version.
• A genuine curiosity about what motivates people to act the way they do, and the discernment to detect the spark of an idea within it.
• Ease in the field: you can spend two weeks in a row on a site and do a good job.
• An ability to adapt to changing cultures, languages ​​and plans, supported by humility and care for the people you work with.
Language skills
Functional French and English are required, sufficient in both languages ​​to conduct research and work with teams elsewhere on the continent. Proposals and presentations can be written in either language and then translated.
Desired experience and skills
• An eye for making lessons understandable through visuals, maps, and simple presentations.
• Experience in humanitarian, health or community settings.
Work permit
Candidates must have the legal right to work in the country where the position is based.
Compensation : (Salary ranges in Nigeria: 1,368,460 to 2,189,540 NGN per month; in Chad: 15,864 to 20,616 USD per year; in Cameroon: 895,050 to 1,158,300 XAF per month). These ranges take into account various factors, including the labor market, the type of position, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are determined based on the job location, experience, and each candidate’s skills in relation to the defined job requirements.
Work environment
This position is based in an IRC country office in the DRC, Nigeria, or Chad, with standard office facilities. The work involves frequent travel, up to 40%, to sites in various humanitarian contexts, both regionally and internationally. A design research or prototyping mission may involve two consecutive weeks in remote, low-resource, and sometimes insecure locations, with basic accommodation, limited connectivity, and long working days. If being close to the ground is what appeals to you, this position is for you.
IRC and IRC employees must adhere to the values ​​and principles contained in the IRC Way (Standards of Professional Conduct). These are Integrity, Equality, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, IRC operates and enforces policies on beneficiary protection from exploitation and abuse, child safeguarding, workplace harassment, financial integrity, and retaliation.
Equal Opportunity Employer : The IRC is an equal opportunity employer. The IRC evaluates 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 : All International Rescue Committee (IRC) staff members must adhere to the core values ​​and principles outlined in the document “IRC Way – Standards of Professional Conduct.” Our standards are integrity, service, equality, and accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC implements and enforces policies related to safeguarding individuals, conflicts of interest, financial integrity, reporting irregularities, and protection against retaliation. The IRC is committed to taking all necessary preventative measures and creating an environment where everyone feels safe, as well as taking all necessary corrective action in the event of harm. The IRC builds teams of professionals who foster critical thinking, shared responsibility, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to those we serve.
Job Overview
Airbel is IRC’s innovation lab. We work alongside people affected by conflict and crisis to design services that are more useful, more dignified, and more likely to last. This role puts a designer in the middle of that work in West and Central Africa, close to the communities, the frontline workers, and the questions that decide whether a product or service actually helps someone.
You will be our eyes and hands in the field. You will run the design research, interact with clients and providers, notice what they do and why, and turn what you find into prototypes you test and refine on the ground. You will work closely with the Human Centered Design Lead, who will support synthesis and concept development as you shape your own work.
Major Responsibilities
- Run design research in the field: interviews, observation, and time spent with clients and frontline workers.
- Stay close to one geography or work stream long enough to notice the patterns that only show up over time.
- Make sense of what you see on the ground, and find the sparks of innovation already present in people’s own workarounds and ideas.
- Turn research into prototypes, test them with real users, and iterate as you learn rather than following a fixed script.
- Bring what you learn back in a form the team can use: clear notes, visuals, journey maps, whatever makes the insight legible.
- Partner with country program teams, technical leads, and frontline staff with care and respect, earning the access that good research depends on.
- Work across francophone West and Central Africa, and other humanitarian settings as needed, adapting quickly to new contexts and teams.
Job Requirements
Work Experience
We would like to see how you think and work, including:
- Experience doing research with people, in any setting: design research, ethnography, UX or product research, participatory or action research, or any other kind of qualitative research. What matters is that you went past a script to understand why people do what they do.
- You have built or set up something (a service, a small pilot, a tool, an app, even a rough paper version of an idea), tested it with the people it was for, and changed it based on what you learned. We call this prototyping, but you do not need to have used the word.
- A way of noticing opportunities in the everyday: workarounds, small details, and the things people have already figured out for themselves.
- Something that shows how you think: a portfolio, a case study, a research write-up, photos of a prototype, or a project you helped shape. It does not need to be polished, but we would like to see your thinking in some form.
Demonstrated Skills and Competencies
- Strong research skills: you can plan and run fieldwork, talk with anyone, hold ethics with people in vulnerable situations, and read a situation for what it is telling you, with care in how you gather and record what you find.
- Strong prototype testing skills: You build rough, test early, and change things during testing rather than waiting for a finished version.
- Real curiosity about why people behave as they do, and the judgment to find the spark of an idea inside it.
- Comfort in the field: You can spend two weeks at a stretch in a field site and do good work there.
- Adaptability across cultures, languages, and changing plans, held together by humility and care for the people you work with.
Language Skills
Working French and English, enough of both to do research and to work with teams elsewhere on the continent. Proposals and presentations can be written in either language and translated.
Preferred experience & skills
- An eye for making insights legible through visuals, maps and simple decks.
- Experience in humanitarian, health, or community settings.
Work Authorization
Candidates must have the legal right to work in the country where the position is based
Working Environment
This role is based in an IRC country office in DRC, Nigeria, or Chad, with a standard office setup. The work involves regular travel, up to 40%, to sites across humanitarian settings, in the region and globally. A design research or prototyping visit can mean two weeks at a time in places that are remote, low-resource, and sometimes insecure, with basic accommodation, limited connectivity, and long days. If being close to where the work happens is the part that draws you in, this is a role built for that.
Compensation: (Nigeria Pay Rate: NGN 1,368,460 – 2,189,540 monthly; Chad Pay Rate: USD 15,864-20,616 annually; Cameroon Pay Rate: XAF 895,050 – 1,158,300 monthly). 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.
Equal Opportunity Employer: 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: 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 taking all necessary preventive measures and creating an environment where people feel safe, and to taking 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.
How to apply
Visit IRC Careers: https://theirc.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/External_Careers/job/Abuja-Nigeria/Associate-Designer_JR00005797