Humanitarian Access Advisor At International Rescue Committee

The IRC is pursuing a new funding to implement a multi-country last mile immunization initiative in fragile, emergency and refugee settings. The Humanitarian Access Advisor will have overall responsibility for developing the projects strategy for accessing missed communities and zero-dose children in areas outside of government control or reach in East Africa.

Position Summary

The Humanitarian Access Advisor will work closely with the Emergency and Humanitarian Action Unit’s humanitarian access team, the immunization project team, and IRC country teams to develop and implement contextually relevant strategies to enable immunization activities to have sustained access to zero-dose children in conflict affected and/or remote areas.

Major Responsibilities

• Facilitate and support the analysis, development and delivery of strategies and plans to advance humanitarian access – for the immunization project as a whole as well as within target countries.

• Advise and support target countries on key subject areas such as principled access strategies, negotiations with line-ministries or technical departments as well humanitarian negotiations and engagement with security forces and armed groups

• Work closely with country programme and project teams to design/adapt and enable effective delivery of immunization programmes in the targeted environments

• Support capacity development through training and/or coaching for key colleagues

• Develop partnerships and networks to support the project’s health-humanitarian access goals

• Support the development and uptake of global guidance and tools for humanitarian access

• Share learning with colleagues and partners, and contribute to a community of practice and culture of learning and reflection

• Maintain currency with methods, approaches and professional developments in humanitarian access and related topics

Job Requirements

Minimum requirements

Work Experience:

• Significant and senior experience leading or supporting humanitarian programs in complex crises.

• Experience in strategy development, planning, project management, operations and/or external relations

• Understanding of health policy, -programming and -systems, preferably in the domain of immunization.

Technical Expertise:

• Excellent knowledge of international humanitarian law and principles

• Teamwork: Able to work with remote, multi-cultural, and multi-disciplinary teams

• Communication Skills: Excellence in cross cultural communication and ability to persuade and influence across teams

• Training Skills: Able to transfer technical knowledge and skills

• Willingness to travel to fragile / conflict-affected contexts.

• Language Skills: English required

• Work Environment: Expected Travel 40% of the time.

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Standards for Professional 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, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.