Jobs at International Rescue Committee (IRC)

Job Overview/Summary: 

The Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) Manager for the East Africa region will be responsible for supporting the GEDI director to ensure that country teams and the region are making steady progress towards global and regional GEDI targets. 

Major Responsibilities:

• Help to plan and convene meetings with GEDI focal points and Women@Work, with the goal of facilitating information sharing and exchange of best practice, as a way to actively promote and build a more equal, diverse and inclusive office culture and work environment. 
• Assist with GEDI-related communication effort (e.g., drafting blogs, emails, newsletters, videos) to raise awareness on critical GEDI issues within the region and to increase the visibility of GEDI work within the region and globally, in conjunction with the communications team. 
• In close collaboration with HR, provide orientation and on-the-job training to IRC staff on GEDI core concepts. Support contextual adaptation, design and roll-out of training tools, resources and information, education, and communication (IEC) materials to support country teams to raise awareness and meet training targets. 
• Maintain detailed, up-to-date records of all GEDI stakeholders, and attendance at trainings, discussions, forums.
• Closely monitor and follow up with teams on regional and country-level GEDI workplans, to identify areas where support is needed, and work closely with teams to develop appropriate action steps 
• Assist with special regional initiatives, like the GEDI staff analysis, mentorship program,  GEDI & IT Open Hours, Policy and Facility review, with an emphasis on data collection and analysis, content production, training, scheduling, team coordination and support. 

Required qualification and skill:

• Bachelor’s degree in gender and/or women studies, social sciences, law, psychology, history, health, social work, humanities or other related discipline. 
• 4 years professional experience in one or more of the following areas: gender mainstreaming, social justice research and activism, gender-based violence prevention and response, and protection.
• Background in or extensive understanding of the humanitarian aid sector and familiarity with feminist principles, and their application within this context. 
• Exceptional organizational and admin management skills, with a proven ability to manage and prioritize multiple streams of portfolios with attention to detail to identify and address multifaceted business needs.
• Proven experience as a facilitator/trainer on GEDI- related topics. 
• Ability to work independently and deliver on complex, sensitive initiatives in a face paced environment.
• Ability to analyze  GEDI data, advise on trends for management interventions 
• Demonstrated experience and understanding of organizational change processes.
• Good communication, report writing and presentation skills essential –in English and another language in the East Africa region
• Knowledge of participatory approaches and feminist principles.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to develop positive relationships with local and remote team members at multiple levels within the organization. 
• Experience working collaboratively and advocating for the needs of staff and clients. 
• Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive situations diplomatically and in a confidential manner. 
• Ability to travel to IRC offices within the region to promote GEDI awareness through trainings and orientations. 
• Computer skills are required – MS Office package and Internet.
• Flexible, culturally sensitive, open minded, with a desire to learn and evolve as a practitioner and person. 

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Major Responsibilities

Employee Relations Leadership

• Responsible for assuring that the IRC Way: Our Standards of Professional Conduct and all other IRC employee related policies reflect best practices across the HR discipline, including an inclusive, people-centered approach that infuses all the work we do. Acts as the primary Human Resources technical lead on matters related to Respect at Work, Workplace Harassment, Anti-Retaliation, and other related policies
• Acts as the IRC lead on all Workplace Safeguarding matters from strategy design through case reviews, case closure, management action recommendations and trend reporting and analysis
• Liaise with program management and regional leadership on appropriate levels of case reporting, trending, and analysis
• Owner of US Employee Handbook and responsible for ensuring country HR handbooks model US standards or greater, where appropriate and are current, accurate and compliant with local law
• Owner of employment policies and responsible for ensuring country employment policies model US standards or greater, where appropriate and are current, accurate and compliant with federal and local laws
• Serves as a member of the Human Resources leadership team contributing to Human Resources and organizational direction and focus

Employee Relations Management

• Conducts Human Resources needs assessments and makes recommendations for interventions based on industry and humanitarian sector best practices
• Acts as the primary Human Resources partner to the Ethics and Compliance Unit to triage and assign incoming Employee Relations matters including non-HR cases that require Human Resources technical support and partnership with a special attention to Sexual Harassment and Sexual Exploitation and Abuse
• Responsible for partnering with HR Partners who are assigned breaches of IRC Way and policy violation cases and for ensuring cases are thoroughly reviewed, properly documented, and brought to resolution
• Responsible for personally owning unique, complex and/or highly confidential Human Resources breaches of IRC Way or other Employee Relations cases, including deep in-country investigation missions
• Advise and make recommendations to Human Resources and line management on matters related to disciplinary action, in line with labor laws and IRC values
• Acts as the primary strategic employment policy partner with the General Counsel’s office
• Partner with the Duty of Care, Safeguarding, and Gender Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Units, and related Employee Resource Groups to assure that all Employee Relations policies, practices, and procedures are appropriately sensitive, contextualized, and supportive
• Partner with the Ethics & Compliance Unit to further evolve the shared technology and reporting vehicles needed to support the global Human Resources function

Employee Relations Communications, Training & Education

• Responsible for assessing and building Country HR Lead Employee Relations case management capacity with a full suite of adult learning approaches and on the ground training delivery
• Acts as a policy education and interpretation consultant to Human Resources and line management
• Responsible for proactive, preventative, and multi-lingual US and global policy communications and education
• Develop and contribute to Talent Management’s on-boarding and management development curriculum
• Responsible for assuring that US and country level intranet content is current, accurate and informative
• Further develop new and innovative means to communicate with global employees on Employee Relations matters
• In partnership with General Counsel’s office and HR Partners, responsible for understanding, interpreting, and communicating to Human Resources and line management around all national and local applicable employment laws

Key Working Relationships
Key Internal Relationships

• IRC Global and Regional HR Partners
• IRC Global Program Leadership
• IRC Duty of Care
• IRC Ethics and Compliance Unit
• IRC Office of the General Counsel
• IRC Safety & Security

Key External Relationships

• Global outside counsel
• Global NGOs for case reviews, benchmarking, and best practice
• Global NGO regulatory agencies

Job Requirements

• Minimum of 15 years of progressive global Human Resources or strongly related experience with at least 5 years of specific Employee Relations experience required
• Knowledge and demonstrated application of relevant domestic US and international employment laws, regulations, and trends
• A commitment to the humanitarian mission and demonstrated professional work experience that upholds the highest values of the organization. Prior work experience in the humanitarian or development sector preferred
• Ability to establish and nurture collaborative relationships across functions, disciplines, and countries, in a multi-cultural and diverse work environment; adept at incorporating cultural perspectives
• An appropriate combination of education and work experience in Human Resource management and Employee Relations is required, a JD or master’s degree in labor relations, conflict resolution, international relations or other applicable fields is a significant advantage
• Ability to operate at advanced levels of authority and manage significant activities and resources to produce and take responsibility for results
• Change management and process improvement experience across global settings
• Acumen in successful conflict resolution
• Proven risk management mindset in resolving complex Employee Relations issues; ability to drive creative, holistic outcomes that balance employee and organizational interests
• Demonstrated success in influencing policy and disciplinary action decisions
• Demonstrated excellence in writing and developing policies and procedures is required
• Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and concisely both verbally and in writing, and lead presentations, training courses, and effective meetings
• Experience in and a commitment to incorporating employee engagement, diversity and inclusion and gender equality in all facets of work
• Demonstrated capability to continuously multitask in high-pressure and insecure environments, while simultaneously exhibiting resilience in resisting stress, valuing, and pursuing personal work-life balance and leading with a staff care lens
• Able to operate independently where appropriate, with a keen professional sense of when to escalate issues
• Availability to travel approximately 25% both planned and unplanned to all global IRC locations
• Reachable during non-traditional work hours
• English proficiency required; French, Arabic or Spanish proficiency is a strong plus