Senior Director, Global Public Affairs & Communications

Position description

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.

Marketing & Mobilization
Marketing & Mobilization (M&M) is a dynamic team that is tasked with building the IRC’s global profile and brand, increasing private revenue from deeper donor engagement and partnerships, and influencing our target audiences. The team is responsible for all of IRC’s brand, communications, creative and content and digital engagement efforts. In alignment with our Strategy100 commitments. M&M has launched compelling multi-year campaigns that raise funding, profile and influence and will improve our share of voice and resonance in key geographies and globally. Lastly, they consistently work on innovating the IRC brand, which enables us to increase awareness, understanding of and support for our work so that we can raise more money and change policies to improve our crisis-affected clients’ lives around the world.

Job Overview:

This role will be responsible for creating and delivering a global public affairs and communications strategy across IRC’s global presence. Reporting to the Chief Marketing & Mobilization Officer, the SD oversees five core divisions:

• The Global Crisis & Response Communications (GCRC) team embedded across IRC’s international programs, based in LATAM, Europe, MENA, Asia and three Africa Regions.
  2. IRC’s External Relations Market-based Communications Teams in USA, UK, Sweden, Germany, Brussels, South Korea.
  3. Digital Engagement team, which manages digital strategy and comms across all IRC markets.
  4. The HQ-based Thought Leadership and Solutions.
  5. The HQ-based Internal Communications team.

The SD will lead the teams that drive the vision and mission of the Global Public Affairs & Communications department.

Major Responsibilities:

This individual leads the Global Public Affairs and Communications strategies for and with support from the CMMO. They serve as the leader for global and market communications for the organization and senior leadership. As such, this individual will require a strong knowledge of current events and geopolitical context and will need to be a strong writer. Importantly, this person is responsible for leading a global team as well as overseeing the relevant budgets.

This is a highly collaborative role that requires a close working relationship with Mass Markets, HV fundraising, Policy and Advocacy, Crisis Response, Recovery and Development (CRRD), Resettlement Asylum & Integration (RAI), Awards Management Unit (AMU) and the Leadership Board. As such, this individual will create and run a communications infrastructure for the organization that delivers against IRC’s priority pillars.

Manage market-based communications teams across key external markets (USA, UK, Sweden, Germany, South Korea, Brussels), in partnership with the Market Leads:
● Support and coach communications leads in the development and execution of integrated communications strategies.
● Provide technical expertise to ensure best practice across communications disciplines, from measurement to messaging, audience-definition to digital integration.
● Creatively problem-solve and support leaders to deliver and grow their impact according to the needs of IRC’s in-country income and influence agenda.
● Build internal (including programs, advocacy and influence, policy and solutions, fundraising etc.) and external coalitions to enable high-impact teams and campaigns deliver on organizational goals.
● Meet regularly with the market leads and teams to ensure alignment to strategy and progress to achieving key metrics.

Support the growth, development, and productivity of the Global Crisis & Response Communications (GCRC), which is embedded across CRRD geographies. Work with the Director of GCRC to ensure the team is delivering the messaging, content, rapid-response information, spokespeople, and media relations needed to enable core external relations objectives. Help this team to provide strategic communications partnership and collaboration to IRC Country Programs on their in-country visibility objectives, including through jointly managed country-based communications team members.

Manage the Digital Engagement team as it looks to deliver against Marketing & Mobilization goals while also supporting Mass Market teams to drive fundraising globally. Work closely with the Director of Digital Engagement to ensure that the digital, web and social media strategies are effectively implemented across all markets.

Oversee the HQ-based Thought Leadership & Solutions communications pillar. Ensure strategic alignment on critical Impact @ Scale and Program & Learn priorities. Support the team to deliver communications products, content and messaging that enables teams to campaign on and champion IRC’s innovation and solutions, including Airbel. Support the President’s Office in creating and coordinating executive communications for the CEO, driving sector-leading thought leadership for the organization.

Oversee the HQ-based Internal Communications team. This team is responsible for keeping the organization engaged by sharing clear, consistent messages and updates via email, intranet site, and by organizing global all-staff meetings. The Internal Comms collaborates closely with the President’s Office, Strategy Unit, People & Culture and members of the leadership board.

Ensure that the organization is prepared to deploy rapid emergency communications that deliver on immediate and urgent fundraising needs. Lead crisis management that relates to reputational issues, in partnership with the CMMO.

The Senior Director will be responsible for ensuring all these teams have clear plans and objectives with consistent reporting mechanisms to Senior Leadership while driving core S100 and ER strategic goals. The VP SD will support this high performing team by growing a culture that nurtures creativity, retains talent, fosters healthy accountability, and maintains a sense of humor during high intensity work.

Key Working Relationships:

● Position Reports to: Chief Marketing and Mobilization Officer

● Position directly supervises:
● Director, Global Crisis and Response Communications (GCRC) – (Deputy Director of Public Affairs)
● Communications Leads/Directors across ER markets in partnership with IRC Market Leads (USA, UK, Germany, South Korea, Sweden, Brussels)
● Director, Digital Engagement
● Director Internal Communications, Internal Comms
● Director, Thought Leadership & Solutions

• Key stakeholders: CEO, COO, CMMO, VP of High Value Fundraising, VP of Mass Markets and Corporates, VP of Policy and Advocacy, Market Leads.

● Overall, the SD manages ~10 direct reports with a total team size of 70+

Job Requirements:

Education: Graduate degree in a related field preferred. Bachelor’s degree required.

Work Experience: At least 15 years of Communications experience in a fast-paced, complex and decentralized organization. Agency experience is welcomed, though candidates should have three or more years of in-house experience.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:
• Experience leading high-performance, globally matrixed teams working across humanitarian, development, and/or international issues.
• An outstanding leader who can build a positive culture and motivate and retain sector-leading talent.
• A strategist with a proven record of creating and executing complex strategies within a global organization.
• Superior political and diplomatic judgment, with the ability to anticipate and calmly, swiftly manage organizational responses to high-profile issues.
• A confident leader comfortable serving as a strategic communications partner and counselor to IRC leaders, board members, and external stakeholders.
• Ability to drive proactive, integrated communications strategies and plans while managing day-to-day issues and activities.
• Experience leading crisis management efforts, addressing sensitive issues, and serving as an on-the-record spokesperson.
• A creative thinker with a track record of developing unique campaigns and approaches that secure breakthrough communications results across top-tier earned media and digital channels, reaching target audiences at scale.
• Excellent writing skills, with the ability to oversee messaging that underpins all the organization’s external relations, and to provide editorial guidance on key outputs such as speeches, op-eds, and press releases.
• A deeply experienced manager committed to actively overseeing and developing the careers of direct reports and team members, and able to lead a diverse, inclusive culture across global teams.
• Demonstrated understanding of humanitarian, development, and geopolitical issues, and the related ethical and cultural complexities.
• Strong knowledge of digital communications, with experience in building digital communications strategies and comfort with new and emerging technologies.
• Ability to provide regular updates and reports to executive leadership on workload management, performance, outcomes, and areas for improvement; able to constantly evaluate team effectiveness, use data to inform decisions, and test new solutions.
• Experience managing large budgets, with skill in maximizing resources through rigorous prioritization and effective negotiation.

Language Skills: Fluent in English; Arabic, French, and/or Spanish are a plus

Working Environment: Hybrid working environment with expectation of in-office minimum three days per week.

Compensation: (Pay Range: $180,000 – $200,000)Posted pay ranges apply to US-based candidates. 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.

Application instructions

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