Global Surge Team Roster: Emergency Deputy Director of Programs

TL;DR

Emergency Deputy Director of Programs (Global Surge): Provide strategic leadership, decision-making, and coordination for emergency program development and delivery with an accent on program quality, partnerships, and grants management. Focus on overseeing implementation of evidence-based programs in conflict environments, driving partner-led approaches, and ensuring adaptive programming through MEAL systems.

Location: Global Roving – short-term deployments (up to 3 months) to emergency contexts worldwide, 50% availability required, willingness to travel to complex security environments.

Company

International humanitarian NGO founded in 1933, responding to crises in 40+ countries and 29 U.S. cities, restoring safety, health, education, and economic wellbeing.

What you will do

• Lead and manage emergency programs, enforcing strategic direction, response plans, and transition to country Strategy Action Plans.
• Drive partner-first approaches, build local partnerships, and position IRC as a partner of choice.
• Ensure program quality through technical guidance, MEAL alignment, client feedback, and evidence-based design.
• Oversee program delivery, project management cycles, workplans, spending, and safeguarding integration.
• Lead business development, proposal writing, donor compliance, and fundraising with partners.
• Represent IRC with donors, clusters, and coordination groups; supervise and develop staff.

Requirements

• 8+ years in conflict/humanitarian environments with program leadership; experience in complex security settings preferred.
• Proven strategic thinking, rapid analysis, decision-making, and operational translation in emergencies.
• Familiarity with IRC core areas: health, protection, cash/basic needs, education.
• Strong leadership, people management, coordination, networking with donors/INGOs/UN/government.
• Excellent English (oral/written) for complex technical documents; French/Arabic/Spanish preferred.
• MS Office skills; self-motivated; able to work independently/team; willingness to travel regularly to insecure areas.

Culture & Benefits

• Flexible roster: available 50% of year for deployments, with options for more.
• Commitment to safeguarding, integrity, service, equality, accountability per IRC Way standards.
• Promote staff care, work-life balance, high-performance culture, and professional development.
• Equal opportunity employer; adhere to policies on conflicts of interest, fiscal integrity, and protection from retaliation.