The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.
BACKGROUND:
Responding to the world’s worst humanitarian crises in a great variety of roles, the International Rescue Committee’s staff is a force for humanity and hope. If you’re skilled and passionate, we would like to add your energy to ours.
Through its Emergency Unit (EmU), the IRC is one of the world’s largest humanitarian agencies, leading rapid emergency responses that provide life-saving assistance, early recovery, and stabilization support to people affected by conflict, displacement, natural disasters, and complex emergencies across multiple contexts worldwide. We are committed to innovation, agility, and strong partnerships to deliver timely and effective humanitarian action.
Active in public health, education in emergencies, cash and basic needs and protection and promotion of rights, we assist people from harm to home. The IRC recognizes that people affected by crisis and the actors closest to them are best placed, have the right, and should have the power and resources to respond and drive lasting change. We commit to increasing the share of funding channeled to local actors in emergencies, ask ‘Why not partner?’ whenever we plan programming, and partner as equals.
CONTEXT:
The Ministry of Public Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) declared the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak on May 15, 2026, following laboratory confirmation of Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) in Ituri Province. On May 17, 2026, WHO declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), and it has since become the largest Ebola outbreak ever reported in DRC and the fastest-expanding on record. The outbreak is unfolding in a highly complex humanitarian and security context marked by chronic insecurity, armed group activity, repeated population displacement, and high levels of cross-border movement, particularly with Uganda and South Sudan.
The IRC is supporting containment of the outbreak in Ituri and North Kivu. IRC’s primary focus is to support existing primary health care (PHC) facilities to ensure safe continuity of services, strengthen infection prevention and control (IPC) practices and infrastructure, raise community awareness of behaviors that limit further spread, and reinforce the protective environment, including through MHPSS support.
JOB OVERVIEW:
The position of Program Lead, Ebola Response (PL) is a member of the Ebola Response Senior Management Team and is integral to the successful implementation of IRC’s programs in the affected provinces. Working under the direction of the Ebola Response Director, the PL will be responsible for overall leadership in the design, implementation, and management of the Ebola Response’s programs to address clients’ needs and priorities. She/he will be responsible for providing strategic direction of programs, conceptualizing and promoting innovations, and continuing to deepen the impact of IRC’s programs on the ground.
The PL assists the Ebola Response Director in the integrated planning and implementation of activities crucial to the success of local programs. This includes internal and external coordination and stakeholder engagement, including with donors, government and non-government partners, and IRC technical and regional support teams; overseeing multi-sector project design and implementation; managing sector teams to propose, coordinate, and deliver quality programs aligned with strategic priorities and beneficiary needs; and managing strategic funding opportunity tracking, partnering and pre-positioning decisions.
MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:
Program Strategy, Design and Fundraising
- Lead the operationalization of IRC’s current Ebola Response strategy and actively engage in strategic planning processes to shape the response’s longer-term direction.
- Perform regular analysis of the outbreak and ensure IRC’s strategy and operational presence is responsive to those needs and highly mobile program models.
- Work closely with Coordinators and HQ-based Emergency Unit and Technical Unit staff to ensure that project design reflects IRC’s program quality standards and adheres to industry best practices.
- Lead efforts to achieve sustainable program growth, proactively identifying opportunities for new programming initiatives and placing particular emphasis on securing multi-year funding to sustain them.
- Provide leadership and strategic support to program and grants teams as they develop competitive, evidence-based, and cost-effective funding applications.
- Provide guidance, strategies, and tools to ensure that program choices are grounded in the findings of needs assessments (drawing on both primary and secondary data), rigorous analysis, meaningful input from affected communities, a thorough understanding of context, technical best practices, and operational viability.
- Formulate integrated program initiatives that allow technical sectors to complement one another, while promoting the mainstreaming of protection principles and gender-responsive approaches throughout programming.
Program Management — Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation
- Provide overall leadership of IRC’s Ebola Response program portfolio, ensuring strategic coherence, well-managed growth, and full compliance with IRC and donor regulations.
- Build the capacity of program team members, both individually and as a team.
- Work with Program Coordinators and the Operations team to develop and adapt detailed, realistic, and feasible implementation plans.
- Collaborate with the Senior Management Team to uphold management, compliance, and performance standards, and to maintain effective systems for budget, knowledge, and risk management.
- Support program staff in capturing, documenting, and disseminating lessons learned and best practices, feeding them into future project design.
- Work with program staff to develop robust monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plans, including methodologies and tools that strengthen data collection, analysis, and reporting quality.
- Review M&E and accountability data with program staff to identify and address gaps in operational performance.
- Champion IRC’s “partner first” approach, building strategic, respectful, and empowering relationships with local organizations, and ensuring partners are actively engaged in decision-making, program design, and service delivery, positioning IRC as a partner of choice.
- Ensure partnership management is high-quality, accountable, and collaborative, including oversight of partner-led delivery, adaptive technical support, and consistent application of IRC’s partnership framework and principles.
Grants Management
- Provide strategic leadership in developing and executing a comprehensive funding strategy: expanding and strengthening the donor base, driving excellence in grants management and compliance, strengthening program and grants information systems, and contributing to high-quality proposals and reporting.
- Oversee internal and external reporting in coordination with the Ebola Response Director across programs and finance, ensuring reports are well-written, timely, and meet donor, IRC, and partner requirements; conduct thorough review of all external reports compiled by the Grants Coordinator.
- Ensure Program Coordinators conduct routine monitoring visits to implementation sites to verify donor compliance and program quality.
- Work with Program Coordinators and the Grants and Finance teams to maintain sound budget management, expense control, and timely contractual documentation.
- Support the Grants Coordinator in leading Grant Opening, Monitoring and Closing Meetings with relevant departments, ensuring these occur on schedule, and that programming staff are well equipped to manage project budgets.
- Ensure Program Coordinators review Budget vs. Actual reports regularly, and provide the leadership needed for effective monthly grant review meetings.
- Mitigate financial risk by working with the Finance Department to ensure programming staff fully understand the financial and administrative processes involved across project budget cycles.
- Integrate partnership considerations into program design and Go/No-Go funding decisions, engaging partners proactively throughout program and project development.
External Representation and Advocacy
- Maintain a strong working knowledge of IRC’s programming in the epicenter zones to represent IRC credibly in coordination forums and with implementing partners, authorities, and donors.
- Support the Ebola Response Director in cultivating donor relationships, including donor visits and the development of targeted advocacy.
- Build and sustain strong partnerships with implementing organizations through regular communication, cooperation, and joint decision-making where appropriate.
- Serve as the focal point for program-related communication between IRC’s regional and global country programs.
- Identify and track funding opportunities in collaboration with technical teams.
- Guide programmatic input into advocacy and communications efforts, both in-country and globally.
Staff Management and Development
- Supervise Program Coordinators and program staff, setting clear expectations and objectives, providing proactive wellbeing support, and delivering timely, constructive feedback.
- Foster an inclusive team culture centered on achieving individual and team results, grounded in mutual respect, inclusion, trust, active listening, ownership, learning, accountability, and openness.
- Apply IRC’s performance management system consistently, providing regular, thoughtful coaching, feedback, and professional development to direct reports, and ensuring they do the same for their own teams.
- Strengthen programming staff’s project management skills and ensure new capabilities are applied on the job.
- Lead recruitment, hiring, and development of high-performing staff, preparing them for greater responsibility.
- Provide leadership to ensure successful rollout of and adherence to IRC’s Global People and Culture Operating Policies and Procedures.
- Hold regular, high-quality 1:1s with each direct report (at least biweekly) balancing interpersonal connection with work priorities.
- Model and reinforce healthy work-life balance practices to support staff well-being.
KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
- Position Reports to: Ebola Response Director
- Position directly supervises: Ebola Response Program Coordinators (5)
- Internal: Ebola Response Senior Management Team members, Emergency Unit, Regional RPAS team, Finance department, Comms & ER, Regional and HQ Support Departments. Close collaboration with P&C on People matters.
The Program Lead will work in close coordination with the DRC Country Program leadership and technical teams to ensure alignment between Ebola response interventions and the broader country strategy, facilitate knowledge sharing, leverage operational and technical synergies, resource mobilization, and plan for the transition to the national program at the appropriate time, if the context permits - External: Other humanitarian organizations operating in Ebola-impacted areas, authorities, UN agencies, community stakeholders and donors
REQUIREMENTS
- Minimum eight years of leadership experience in emergency, conflict and epidemic outbreak settings, including at least five years managing NGO programs. Prior experience in an Ebola outbreak would be an advantage.
- Demonstrated ability to think strategically and prioritize under pressure, with a track record of rapid, sound analysis of complex issues, strong decision-making, and translating strategic priorities into actionable operational plans.
- Proven experience managing protection, WASH, cash, and primary health programs, along with experience partnering with local organizations.
- Track record of delivering programs successfully in rapidly changing, complex security environments.
- Demonstrated experience with mobile program models and remote management.
- Demonstrated success developing winning proposals for public and private-sector donors.
- Proven leadership of multi-disciplinary, cross-cultural teams, with strong mentoring, coaching, motivational, and team-building skills.
- Demonstrated commitment to inclusion and fair treatment of staff, and ability to identify and address barriers to inclusion for marginalized groups in emergency response.
- Prior experience managing programs funded by government agencies, FCDO, ECHO, foundations, and private donors required; experience in competitive funding environments a plus.
- Demonstrated ability to deliver projects on time, within budget, and to expected results.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities effectively while maintaining high-quality outcomes.
- Experience working in DRC is an advantage.
- Fluency in English and French required.
(French Version)
CONTEXT :
Responding to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, the staff of the International Rescue Committee are a force for humanity and hope. If you are skilled and passionate, we would like to add your energy to ours.
Through its Emergency Response Unit (EmU), the IRC is one of the world’s largest humanitarian agencies, delivering rapid emergency responses that provide life-saving assistance, early recovery, and stabilization support to people affected by conflict, displacement, natural disasters, and complex emergencies in multiple contexts around the world. We are committed to innovation, agility, and building strong partnerships to deliver timely and effective humanitarian action.
Active in public health, education in emergencies, cash assistance and basic needs, and the protection and promotion of rights, we support people from danger to a safe home. The IRC recognizes that those affected by a crisis, and those closest to them, are best positioned, have the right, and should have the power and resources to respond to the crisis and drive lasting change. We are committed to increasing the share of funding channeled to local actors in emergencies, asking ourselves “Why not partner?” whenever we plan programs, and working together as equal partners.
MISSION CONTEXT:
The Ministry of Public Health of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) declared the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak on May 15, 2026, following laboratory confirmation of Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) in Ituri province. On May 17, 2026, the WHO declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), and it has since become the largest Ebola outbreak ever reported in the DRC, as well as the fastest spreading on record. The outbreak is unfolding within a highly complex humanitarian and security context, marked by chronic insecurity, the activity of armed groups, repeated population displacements, and high levels of cross-border movement, particularly with Uganda and South Sudan.
The IRC is supporting the effort to contain the epidemic in Ituri and North Kivu. The IRC’s main objective is to support existing primary healthcare (PHC) structures to ensure the safe continuity of services, strengthen infection prevention and control (IPC) practices and infrastructure, raise community awareness of behaviors that limit the spread of the disease, and strengthen the protective environment, including through mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS).
JOB OVERVIEW:
The Program Manager, Ebola Response (PM) is a member of the Ebola Response Senior Leadership Team and plays a critical role in the successful implementation of IRC programs in the affected provinces. Reporting to the Director of Ebola Response, the PM will be responsible for the overall leadership of the design, implementation, and management of Ebola Response programs to meet client needs and priorities. They will be responsible for providing strategic direction to programs, conceptualizing and promoting innovations, and continuously enhancing the impact of IRC programs on the ground.
The Local Programme Officer (LP) assists the Ebola Response Director in the integrated planning and implementation of activities essential to the success of local programmes. This includes internal and external coordination and stakeholder engagement, including with donors, governmental and non-governmental partners, and IRC technical and regional support teams; oversight of the design and implementation of multi-sectoral projects; management of sector teams to propose, coordinate and implement quality programmes aligned with strategic priorities and beneficiary needs; and management of the monitoring of strategic funding opportunities, partnerships and pre-positioning decisions.
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES:
Program strategy, design and fundraising
- Lead the operationalization of the IRC’s current Ebola Response strategy and actively participate in strategic planning processes to shape the long-term direction of the response.
- Conduct regular analysis of the epidemic and ensure that the IRC’s strategy and operational presence meet these needs as well as highly mobile program models.
- Work closely with Coordinators and staff from the Emergency Unit and the Technical Unit based at headquarters to ensure that project design reflects IRC program quality standards and adheres to industry best practices.
- Lead efforts to ensure sustainable program growth, proactively identifying opportunities for new programming initiatives, with a particular focus on securing multi-year funding to sustain them.
- Provide strategic leadership and support to program and grant teams in developing competitive, evidence-based and cost-effective funding applications.
- Provide guidance, strategies and tools to ensure that programming choices are based on the results of needs assessments (from primary and secondary data), rigorous analysis, meaningful input from affected communities, a thorough understanding of the context, best technical practices and operational viability.
- Develop integrated program initiatives that allow technical sectors to complement each other, while promoting the integration of protection principles and gender-sensitive approaches throughout programming.
Program management — Implementation, monitoring and evaluation
- Provide overall leadership for the IRC’s Ebola Response program portfolio, ensuring strategic coherence, well-managed growth and full compliance with IRC and donor regulations.
- Strengthen the capacities of program team members, both individually and collectively.
- Work with Program Coordinators and the operations team to develop and adapt detailed, realistic and feasible implementation plans.
- Collaborating with the Senior Management Team to maintain management, compliance and performance standards, as well as effective budget, knowledge and risk management systems.
- Support program staff in collecting, documenting and disseminating lessons learned and best practices, integrating them into the design of future projects.
- Work with program staff to develop robust monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plans, including methodologies and tools that enhance the quality of data collection, analysis and reporting.
- Review M&E and accountability data with program staff to identify and address gaps in operational performance.
- Advocating for the IRC’s “partner first” approach, by establishing strategic, respectful and empowering relationships with local organizations, and ensuring that partners are actively involved in decision-making, program design and service delivery, thereby positioning the IRC as a partner of choice.
- Ensure that partnership management is of high quality, accountable and collaborative, including oversight of partner-led implementation, adaptive technical support and consistent application of the IRC partnership framework and principles.
Grant management
- Provide strategic leadership in developing and executing a comprehensive funding strategy: broaden and strengthen the donor base, strive for excellence in grant management and compliance, strengthen program and grant information systems, and contribute to high-quality proposals and reports.
- Oversee internal and external reporting in coordination with the Ebola Response Director, across programs and finance, ensuring that reports are well written, submitted on time and in accordance with the requirements of donors, IRC and partners; conduct a thorough review of all external reports compiled by the Grants Coordinator.
- Ensure that Programme Coordinators conduct routine follow-up visits to implementation sites to verify compliance with donor requirements and the quality of programmes.
- Work with Program Coordinators and grants and finance teams to maintain sound budget management, expenditure control and timely contractual documentation.
- Support the Grants Coordinator in leading grant opening, follow-up and closing meetings with relevant departments, ensuring they are completed on schedule and that program staff are well prepared to manage project budgets.
- Ensure that Program Coordinators regularly review Budget vs Actual reports, and provide the necessary leadership for effective monthly grant follow-up meetings.
- Mitigate financial risks by working with the Finance department to ensure that program staff fully understand the financial and administrative processes involved throughout project budget cycles.
- Integrate partnership considerations into program design and Go/No-Go funding decisions, proactively engaging partners throughout program and project development.
External representation and advocacy
- Maintain a solid understanding of IRC programs in the epicenter areas in order to credibly represent the IRC in coordination forums and with implementing partners, authorities and donors.
- Support the Ebola Response Director in developing donor relations, including donor visits and the development of targeted advocacy actions.
- Establish and maintain strong partnerships with implementing organizations through regular communication, cooperation and joint decision-making where appropriate.
- To serve as a focal point for program-related communication between IRC regional and national programs.
- Identify and track funding opportunities in collaboration with technical teams.
- To direct programmatic contributions to advocacy and communication efforts, both nationally and internationally.
Staff management and development
- Supervise Programme Coordinators and programme staff, setting clear expectations and objectives, providing proactive support for well-being and offering constructive and timely feedback.
- Promote an inclusive team culture focused on achieving individual and collective results, based on mutual respect, inclusion, trust, active listening, empowerment, learning, accountability and openness.
- Apply the IRC performance management system consistently, providing regular and thoughtful coaching, feedback and professional development to direct subordinates, and ensuring they do the same for their own teams.
- Strengthen the project management skills of program staff and ensure that the new skills are applied in the field.
- Lead the recruitment, hiring and development of high-performing staff, preparing them for increased responsibilities.
- Provide leadership that ensures the successful deployment and adherence to IRC’s global operational policies and procedures regarding personnel and culture.
- Hold regular, high-quality one-on-one meetings with each direct subordinate (at least once every two weeks), balancing interpersonal relationships with work priorities.
- To model and strengthen healthy work-life balance practices in order to support employee well-being.
KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
- This position reports to: Director of the Ebola Response
- This position directly supervises: the Ebola Response Program Coordinators (5)
- Internally: members of the Ebola Response Senior Leadership Team, the Emergency Unit, the Regional RPAS team, the Finance, Communications & ER departments, and regional and headquarters support departments. Close collaboration with the P&C department on personnel matters.
The Programme Manager will work in close coordination with the DRC Country Programme management and technical teams to ensure alignment between Ebola Response interventions and the broader country strategy, facilitate knowledge sharing, leverage operational and technical synergies, mobilize resources, and plan the transition to the national programme at the appropriate time, if the context allows.
- Externally: other humanitarian organizations operating in Ebola-affected areas, authorities, United Nations agencies, community stakeholders and donors.
REQUIREMENTS
- Minimum eight years of leadership experience in emergency, conflict and epidemic contexts, including at least five years managing NGO programs. Prior experience in an Ebola epidemic would be an asset.
- Demonstrated ability to think strategically and prioritize under pressure, with a history of rapid and rigorous analysis of complex issues, strong decision-making, and the ability to translate strategic priorities into concrete operational plans.
- Proven experience in managing protection, WASH, cash transfer and primary health programs, as well as experience in partnering with local organizations.
- Proven track record of successful program implementation in complex and rapidly evolving security environments.
- Proven experience with mobile program models and remote management.
- Proven success in developing winning proposals for public and private sector donors.
- Proven leadership of multidisciplinary and intercultural teams, with strong skills in mentoring, coaching, motivation and team building.
- Demonstrated commitment to inclusion and equitable treatment of staff, and ability to identify and overcome barriers to the inclusion of marginalized groups in emergency response.
- Prior experience required in managing programs funded by government agencies, FCDO, ECHO, foundations and private donors; experience in competitive funding environments is an asset.
- Demonstrated ability to complete projects on time, within budget and in accordance with expected results.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities effectively while maintaining high-quality results.
- Work experience in the DRC is an asset.
- Fluency in French and English is required.
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 take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take 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.