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.
The Global Policy and Advocacy team is a dynamic part of the External Relations Department that leverages the power of IRC’s ideas to solve the biggest challenges facing IRC’s clients across the “arc of crisis.” The Policy and Advocacy team are leaders in understanding crisis, seeking to mitigate it and connecting our analysis to actionable recommendations. We work to make impacts at scale and drive policy solutions forward from the ground up and top down. We remain focused on delivering funding for fragile states and communities and creating the conditions on the ground to support the uptake of our solutions. We are connectors, entrepreneurs, and experts in solutions. We translate IRC research and program evidence into actionable, policy-relevant recommendations.
Job Overview/Summary:
Under Strategy 100, the IRC has committed to reaching 40 million clients annually by 2033. Advocacy is how the IRC turns frontline experience into the public pressure, political will, and resources needed to close that gap, and this role will be at the center of making that advocacy sharper, more creative, and more effective.
The Associate Director, Advocacy Impact will define targeted advocacy strategies that advance IRC's highest-priority objectives, and will ensure those strategies translate into measurable, at-scale impact for people affected by crisis. This role will lead the development of integrated advocacy strategies that connect country program crisis priorities with Refugee, Asylum, and Integration (RAI) priorities, identifying where the two portfolios can reinforce one another and amplify a single, cohesive IRC voice, including at high-profile global advocacy moments.
This is a role for someone energized by breakthrough thinking: pushing IRC's advocacy beyond the expected, through bold campaigns, high-impact visits, and sharp written products that command attention. The Associate Director will spearhead new models for advocacy engagement — including virtual visits to IRC country programs and mechanisms to coordinate advocacy in locations where IRC does not currently have a dedicated advocate — extending the reach and influence of IRC's global advocacy network into places it hasn't yet touched.
Working closely with the Policy and Advocacy team's System’s Change for Aid Impact and Policy and Solutions teams, this role will help craft advocacy strategies that advance IRC's Impact at Scale priorities, and will lead a collaborative, IRC-wide effort to power map influential advocacy stakeholders, sharpening and targeting IRC's advocacy wherever it engages. Success in this role depends on building and sustaining strong relationships and processes at every level, working fluidly across the Policy and Advocacy team and the broader IRC to keep advocacy impact at scale at the center of the organization's agenda.
This is a strategic, cross-cutting role for someone who can move fluidly between setting advocacy priorities across a complex portfolio and getting into the weeds of campaign tactics, government engagement plans, and impact tracking.
Major Responsibilities
Drive advocacy impact at scale: Champion IRC’s priority of achieving advocacy impact at scale by ensuring Policy and Advocacy strategies are designed, resourced, and sequenced to deliver influence commensurate with the scale of crises IRC responds to. Work with team leads to define what impact at scale means for their portfolios, and build the frameworks needed to advocate to key stakeholders, track success, and report on it.
Maximize global advocacy moments: Lead cross-team planning and coordination to maximize IRC’s influence around high-profile global moments, such as the UN General Assembly, ensuring the organization speaks with one voice, sequences asks and products effectively, and converts moment-specific attention into durable advocacy gains.Identify moments within multilateral processes (board meetings, replenishments, high-level assemblies, negotiations) where targeted advocacy can shift outcomes
Expand and diversify advocacy engagement models: Identify, pilot, and scale new approaches to advocacy engagement, including virtual visits to IRC country programs that bring external decision-makers and influencers closer to IRC’s field operations, and mechanisms to coordinate advocacy in geographies where IRC does not currently have a dedicated advocate on the ground, ensuring these locations remain connected to and represented within IRC’s global advocacy strategy.
Drive creative campaigns to achieve IRC's advocacy objectives: Support market directors in power-mapping key stakeholders, identifying creative advocacy strategies, and developing breakthrough ideas that bring IRC's policy products to life.
Key Working Relationships:
Position Reports to: Senior Director or Vice President
Position directly supervises: N/A (Potential to supervise staff in the future)
Other Internal and/or external contacts:Internal: Global Policy and Advocacy teams; Marketing and Mobilization; Crisis Response, Recover and Development Department; Resettlement, Asylum and Integration Department; President’s Office; Finance; Information Technology; Human Resources, Strategy and Planning teamExternal: NGOs, think tanks, Policy makers, government officials, Multilateral organizations, multilateral institutions and other organizations as needed
Job Requirements:
Education: Bachelor’s degree in International Relations, Political Science or other related field
Work Experience:
Minimum 7-8 years work experience preferred
Advocacy experience working with an international organization, NGO or Government
Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:
Excellent organizational and time management skills, including juggling competing priorities and tight deadlines and prioritizing tasks appropriately
Experience designing and implementing strategic planning processes
Positive, resourceful and flexible attitude with ability to problem solve, work productively both in a team environment or independently as needed, and take initiative in a fast-faced environment
Advocacy experience, crafting advocacy campaigns, briefs, is a plus
Strong project management skills, ideally within a cross-organizational team to deliver on projects/strategies
Strong writing skills, ability to translate policy solutions into actionable advocacy points
Solid English language writing and editing skills with a focus on details
Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to develop and manage complex relationships
Ability to engage with senior policy makers
Familiarity with or proven interest in humanitarian aid sector, foreign policy, and/or refugee issues
Fluency in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and ability to learn online web-based applications
Commitment to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion at the IRC and in the humanitarian field
Working Environment: Hybrid office work environment –. Up to 10% travel may be required.
Compensation: (US Pay Rate: $110,000-$114,000/yr; UK Pay Rate: £58,476– £69,440/yr). Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.
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.
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Benefits: IRC offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package. Highlights include 10 paid sick leave, 10 U.S. holidays, 20-25 generous paid time off based on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $163/month, dental starting at $6.50/month, and vision starting at $5/month, flexible spending accounts (healthcare, dependent care, and commuter), a 403(b) retirement savings plan with employer match (immediate vesting) along with a non-elective employer contribution based on age and years of service (3-year vesting), disability and life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offering confidential counseling and support services for employees and their families.
Equal Opportunity Employer: 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, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
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