The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.
Program Brief
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC works with people forced to flee from war, conflict and disaster and the host communities which support them, as well as those who remain within their homes and communities. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.
The humanitarian crisis in Venezuela continues to intensify. Venezuelans face hyperinflation, which puts them out of reach of basic goods and services, including health care and food. A shortage of medical supplies means that it is difficult to diagnose and treat communicable diseases and sexual and reproductive health needs, among other services. The lack of food has resulted in hunger and malnutrition. From 2015-2018, over three million Venezuelans left to seek goods and services in primarily neighboring countries.
IRC has responded to the crisis by supporting Venezuelans crossing the arc of the migration pattern, including Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. In Colombia, IRC works in the areas of health, protection, education, and multipurpose cash assistance in Cúcuta, Medellín, Cundinamarca, Norte de Santander, and Nariño (specifically Ipiales). In Venezuela, IRC has been developing programs through the support of local partners. Since January 2021, we have expanded our response in Ecuador and in 2022 to Peru, establishing projects and strategic alliances with local partners, with emphasis on border corridors. IRC works to strengthen the capacity of local partners to provide access to quality sexual and reproductive health services, nutrition, basic needs, and dignified livelihoods for the migrant population.
Scope of work
DDP is one of the very exciting role in IRC. The DDP will provide a leadership, decision-making and coordinating role on programmatic issues, fundraising and responsible for the quality and timeliness of both proposal development as well as the effective implementation of projects . The Deputy Director of Programs (herein DDP), Peru, will manage all programming in Peru, including staff based in and traveling to the country
This position will report to the Country Director VCR (Venezuela crisis response), who is also responsible for Peru. You will closely coordinate with the Deputy Director, Operations (DDO), Finance (DDF) – both based in Colombia, and the Technical Advisors of the above mentioned programs.
As a senior member of the SMT, the Deputy Director Programs leads on the formulation of strategies and implementation of programming. All functions of this position adhere to the IRC strategy, the VCR Program strategy and strive for program excellence, gender equality, maximum beneficiary support, and client voice and choice. This role will require the highest level of discretion, with special attention to security protocol, to protect staff, partner organizations, and beneficiaries. Additionally, the DDP will need to consistently adapt to scenarios as the context evolves, to ensure both security and program delivery.
Specific Responsibilities
• Lead the scale up of programming in Peu, through partnerships or other modalities to implement IRC programs
• Work through the IRC’s Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results System (PEERS), a comprehensive set of compliance tools to set up, manage, and close out partnerships and sub-awards.
• When delegated, represent the IRC for Peru, including internal requests, as well as with external humanitarian stakeholders such as donors, UN, and other international and national organizations. Representation will be in close collaboration with the VCR Country Director as well as any staff based in Peru, to ensure messages are aligned.
• Liaise with partner organizations, by supporting the Partnership Manager, to ensure that all partners are clear about objectives, next steps, reporting requirements, and any feedback they have to improve their services and the relationship with the IRC.
• Identify, recruit, and orient new staff to the IRC, including operations (HR, admin, security, and supply chain), programs, compliance, finance, and partnership management. Orientation will be supported by focal points within the IRC.
• Manage all staff terms of reference, objectives, outputs and performance, including staff based in Peru and traveling to Peru.
• Manage all aspects of project workplans, including adaptations, mitigating risks and scenarios to deliver services to the affected population, and completion of results within each grant.
• Create the monitoring plan and ensure all aspects of monitoring are completed. This will be done in collaboration with the program staff and partners, as well as the Partnership Manager.
• In coordination with IRC/VCR DDF, oversee preparation of monthly financial reports, sub-grant financial monitoring and reporting and any other finance related tasks.
• Ensure compliance, including donor requirements, spending and financial reporting, and writing narrative reports per donor compliance.
• Contribute to fundraising efforts, including speaking with donors, and take the lead on writing proposal narratives, logframes, and drafting budgets and budget narratives.
• Work with Global Supply Chain, in collaboration with the Deputy Director of Operations, to ensure appropriate procurement for partners and/or guide partners in procurement procedures that need to be adhered to as part of funding agreements, or to comply with IRC or donor requirements.
• Support partners’ efforts to seek their own funding as a mechanism to transition.
• If possible (security permitting), conduct any further assessments (either sector-specific, or a multi-sector needs assessment) to gather data from beneficiaries as well as the affected population. This will be done in conjunction with the IRC’s Accountability Team and Technical Advisors to ensure appropriate quality and standards.
• Continue ensuring feedback mechanisms on behalf of partners so that beneficiaries and partners can contact the IRC and the IRC can improve services.
• Collaborate with the Safety and Security VCR Coordinator to ensure appropriate security protocols and adaptations as required.
Collaboration within Peru
• Program and operations staff: including the Partnership Manager, and program focal points
• Partnership organizations to support the Partnership Manager with monitoring, reporting, compliance, and feedback
• Humanitarian organizations, including INGOs, IGOs (e.g. Red Cross), UN, and local organizations
Collaboration within the IRC
• Country Director VCR
• Other Colombia-based staff, including operations, security, finance, and grants
• Technical Advisors (based globally) and any roster staff required to support program staff inside Peru
• Awards Management Unit to support all compliance and reporting for partners, as well as proposals
• Communications and Advocacy units to support any key messages at external meetings
• Global Security to support any risk analysis and mitigation
Job Requirements:
Strong leadership abilities and interpersonal skills, and be able to deploy strong communications effectively, both internally and externally; enjoy developing networks to build partnerships and diversify program resources.
• Graduate degree in a relevant field.
• At least 12 years of dynamically responsible international work experience, including leadership at the Country Director level of multi-site, multi-sectoral operations in a complex operating environment, supervising diverse teams.
• Experience working in conflict/post-conflict or disaster response situation.
• Professional fluency in written and spoken Spanish and English.
Demonstrated Technical Skills:
• Experience managing security in a complex and rapidly changing security context.
• Confirmed ability to negotiate and work with partner organizations. Experience with organizational capacity strengthening and partnership building is helpful.
• Strong budget and fiscal oversight capacities.
• Demonstrated representation and fundraising success, including prior experience with European, US, private and other international donors.
• Established capacity to handle stressful situations in a healthy, constructive manner.
• Ability to respond to multiple priorities in a timely manner, producing high-quality outcomes.
• Proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite, especially Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Experience using technology for response in humanitarian or development context a plus.
Demonstrated Managerial/Leadership Competencies:
• Experience building personal networks at a senior level, resulting in securing new opportunities for the organization.
• Demonstrated successful leadership and management experience with a multi-disciplinary teams in cross-cultural settings, including active mentoring and coaching.
• Effective in developing high-potential staff to achieve career growth and maximum contribution.
• Confirmed experience delivering suitable levels of oversight of a portfolio consisting of a variety of complex, high-value donor-funded projects.
• Opportunity-awareness. A successful innovative approach to unpredictable programming, operational, and funding contexts.
• Ability to represent program context, constraints, and successes to media, government, and other senior audiences.
Professional Standards : The IRC and IRC workers adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality 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.
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 or disability.
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.