Community-Based Maternal & Neonatal Care Lead job at International Rescue Committee

This position can be fully remote in all US IRC locations.
The IRC’s Airbel Impact Lab designs, tests, and scales life-changing, cost-effective solutions for people affected by conflict and disaster. By applying the IRC’s deep technical expertise and field experience with a range of skills from the behavioral sciences, human-centered design, rigorous research, and multi-disciplinary problem-solving in humanitarian contexts, we work to develop breakthrough solutions that combine creativity and rigor, openness and expertise, and a desire to think afresh with the experience of a large-scale implementing organization.

Job Overview:
In today’s reality, where hundreds of people are impacted by disaster and conflict, there is an urgent need to invest in uninterrupted, life-saving sexual, reproductive, maternal and newborn health care. The International Rescue Committee and the Airbel Impact Lab is helping to lead the global humanitarian community in rethinking how we can reach more women and girls with simple, cost-effective, proven solutions. To generate these solutions, we are focused on three core pillars:
1. Strengthening community health systems for delivery of essential maternal and newborn care;
2. Developing self-care models that increase safe abortion choices and contraceptive options; and
3. Advocating for supportive changes in national and global policy.
A major focus area of this work is community-based maternal and newborn care (CBMNC). The CBMNC Lead will be accountable for achieving the vision and goal of a currently ~3 year workplan of CBMNC projects in two countries (Somalia, South Sudan), with potential to expand into other locations. The projects aim to effectively design, implement, and evaluate multi-year CBMNC programs. The lead will also be tasked to explore new innovations and ideas of how services can be delivered in areas where facility-based services are sparse. The projects involve multiple internal and external teams working on different components of those aims, working toward the shared goal of reducing maternal and newborn deaths in areas with the highest mortality rates in the world.

Major Responsibilities
• Develop and drive the vision and strategy of the CBMNC portfolio of projects, including stewarding the overall vision and clearly defining the role each project plays in the larger portfolio.
• Lead discussions on next steps of the larger portfolio as projects/sub-projects complete and lead resourcing for new areas of work.
• Be responsible for successful end-to-end delivery of projects and developing and refreshing the strategy and roadmap to get there, including the implementation of project management tools, such as budgets, workplans, procurement plans, staffing plans.
• Identify key portfolio objectives and success metrics, strive for improvement, and communicate progress.
• Work with relevant leads of individual CBMNC projects to anticipate and meet resourcing and staffing needs across a growing portfolio.
• Drive business development and fundraising, including finding opportunities, assigning project lead roles, and supporting proposal development.
• Hold project leads accountable for timelines and achieving project goals and deliverables, supporting troubleshooting of issues and overall quality assurance.
• Develop and maintain effective mechanisms of communicating across various parties to identify areas of synergy. Communicate project shifts, successes and challenges to other project leads within the portfolio to ensure cross-learning and management of risks and impacts.
• Explore opportunities to develop new projects and nimbly integrate into the portfolio.
• Manage project relationships, creating alignment and support for the vision both internally within the organization and with key external collaborators.
• Create opportunities for team members to communicate research findings with the broader humanitarian sector to support uptake of programs based on best-available evidence.

Job Requirements:
Education: Master’s/post-graduate degree in Public Health or related field.

Work Experience:
• At least 7 years of experience in maternal and newborn health or community health, including leading at least one strategic program in those areas.
• Expertise in community-based maternal and newborn care programs and demonstrated experience and competency in evidence-based strategies for maternal and newborn health and community health.
• Experience in strategy development and working across sectors or disciplines is highly desired.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:
• Ability to think and plan at the “big picture” level. Must have strong experience developing and leading complex teams and managing strategic partnerships.
• Strong interpersonal verbal and written communication skills and ability to facilitate collaboration.
• Outstanding capacity to understand the country context, portfolio, and overall programmatic needs of community-based approaches.
• Able to work with remote, multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary teams.
• Ability and passion to train others and transfer technical knowledge and skills.

Language Skills: Fluency in English required; proficiency in French is a plus.
Work Environment: Expected travel 30% of the time. Willingness to travel to fragile/conflict-affected contexts.
The IRC is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, 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.

Project Manager, Climate Research & Innovation job at International Rescue Committee

Background
The IRC’s Airbel Impact Lab designs, tests, and scales life-changing, cost-effective solutions for people affected by conflict and disaster. By applying the IRC’s deep technical expertise and field experience with a range of skills from the behavioral sciences, human-centered design, research, and multi-disciplinary problem-solving in humanitarian contexts, we work to develop breakthrough solutions that combine creativity and precision, flexibility and expertise, and a desire to think afresh with the experience and reputation of a large-scale implementing organization.
One of the IRC’s four global research and innovation priorities (GRIPs) is climate resilient agro-pastoral livelihoods. We generate and adapt solutions to increase the resilience of agro-pastoral livelihoods in the areas hardest hit by climate change and conflict – with a focus on women, who are disproportionately affected by climate impacts and already face significant challenges in agriculture. We innovate within the following three focus areas: improving seed security, making climate information accessible and practical, and strengthening disaster risk reduction. Our solutions are localized to specific priority countries and will help to reduce poverty and food insecurity by enabling people and institutions to absorb, adapt and respond to climate shocks.

Scope of Work
We are looking for an organized, collaborative, and dedicated project manager to coordinate across the Climate GRIP portfolio and support 2-3 innovation projects at a time. As project manager, you will work with Airbel, technical, and country teams to draft project scope, objectives, and timelines and evolve them as needed. Your goal will be to collaborate with various teams to lay the foundation for the discovery, design and incubation of successful programs that are resilient to potential risks. In addition to driving project delivery, you will be responsible for implementing innovation rituals that provide insight into the experience of your collaborators, and for encouraging a collaborative, open, and engaged team culture for each project.

Major responsibilities of the project manager role include:
• Facilitate and guide the onboarding of innovation teams including Airbel, country program, and technical unit colleagues, as well as partners and consultants.
• Develop and implement exercises and activities to build project team cohesion and reflection toward continuous improvement, including kickoffs, retrospectives, assessments, and reviews across innovation teams.
• Lead on the development of detailed project work plans and timelines
• Lead on various procurements activities, e.g. Request for Proposals, hiring.
• Track work plans and results and provide constructive feedback
• Support project cost estimation, budget development and tracking, working closely with our finance team
• Identify potential challenges and establish strategies to minimize risk
• Coordinate the establishment of roles and responsibilities with project collaborators and partners as projects launch
• Use detailed processes to ensure the successful execution of each project on-time, within scope, and within budget
• Schedule and facilitate project team meetings
• Align project planning, implementation, and deliverables with Airbel quality standards, ensure standards are normed and understood across team members
• Collaborate on drafting project reports for donors
• Facilitate the compilation of materials for advisory meetings and develop mechanisms that ensure team accountability in taking forward advisory group recommendations
• Provide written updates on project progress for visibility across the Airbel team and IRC leadership
• Support the creation of slide decks, documents, and templates to represent the work of the GRIP internally and externally
• Collaborate with project leads on storytelling and act as an internal advocate and voice for Airbel’s design work.
This position will report to the Senior Officer, Climate R&I and work closely with the Climate Resilience Lead, as well as technical units and country-based colleagues. This position has growth potential within the Airbel Impact Lab.

Requirements
• Proven ability to coordinate large scale, cross functional projects, with at least 4 years of concrete project management experience
• Working fluency in English and French are required
• Preferred experience working in under-invested communities and/or conflict affected areas.
• Familiarity and experience with project management software tools, methodologies and standard processes, such as scrum and agile methodology
• High level of proficiency with the Google suite and Excel as well as the Adobe suite of products.
• Unparalleled team collaboration skills; comfort working cross-culturally with multi-disciplinary teams which may include researchers, designers, frontline implementers, clients, engineers, donors, and communications staff
• Strong organizational skills, including the ability to be flexible, work well under pressure, and handle competing priorities in a fast-paced environment

The IRC is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, 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.

Livelihoods & Program Development Officer job at International Rescue Committee

IRC Summary: The International Rescue Committee (IRC), responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people survive, recover and gain control of their future. The IRC is working to improve the safety, health, education, economic well-being and power of people in crisis affected places.
The Economic Recovery and Development Technical Unit (ERD TU) is responsible for supporting the development, implementation, and monitoring of client-centered programs such as, but not limited to, cash and voucher assistance (CVA), rural & agricultural livelihoods, and enterprise development and employment promotion. The TU’s technical assistance to this wide variety of programs ensures quality and use of evidence-based practices; promotes innovation, diversity, equity, and inclusion; and drives data-based management and decision making.
Job Overview: The Livelihoods & Program Development Officer will play a critical role in supporting two functions within the ERD TU: the Livelihoods pillar and the Strategic Initiatives pillar. Working with Deputy Director Strategic Initiatives, the Livelihoods & Program Development Officer plays an instrumental role in supporting the development and roll-out of strategic initiatives, program development, and global tools and resources. The position will also work closely with the Deputy Director Livelihoods to plan, coordinate and implement administration and global resources support for the livelihoods team.

Responsibilities:
ERD Partnership Approaches, Development & Support (30%):
• Contribute to the development and dissemination of tools and resources for partner research, cultivation, and engagement.
• Support ERD country programs in private sector mapping exercises, including leading desk research, project management, and capacity building of country program staff in engaging private sector stakeholders.
• Add to the development of design concepts and proposals to fund established private sector partnership models promoting livelihoods outcomes.
• Lead efforts to document and share lessons learned across IRC’s network of country programs in private sector engagement work.
Strategic ERD Business Development Support (30%):
• Provide dedicated support (including project management during capture, pre-design, and design phases, input collation, partner engagement, and drafting) to strategic livelihoods business development opportunities, as coordinated by the Deputy Director, Strategic Initiatives, and Deputy Director, Livelihoods.
• Develop and manage library of concept note templates, program designs, narratives, and stock language to be saved, refined, and used to streamline future business development opportunities.
Livelihoods Communications and Knowledge Management / Resource Development (30%):
• Support the livelihoods team with capacity statements, technical briefs, presentations, newsletter and external materials, and lead on knowledge management, organization, and dissemination of relevant materials.
• Further the development and dissemination of the ERD Newsletter, a bi-monthly newsletter shared within IRC.
• Support ongoing intra- and inter-departmental projects such as the ERD Community of Practice, a monthly meeting that convenes global IRC ERD colleagues to share findings and implementation experiences, working closely with the ERD Program Assistant and Cash & Markets Assistant.