Senior Technical Advisor, Emergency Health

divh2Senior Technical Advisor, Emergency Health/h2pThe International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the worlds 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 worlds 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 youre a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future./ppThe IRCs Emergency Unit (EmU) leads or oversees IRCs global emergency preparedness and response activities. The mission of the EmU is to help meet the immediate survival needs and reduce suffering in conflict or disaster affected populations during the acute phase of an emergency, as well as enhancing the IRCs emergency preparedness and readiness capacity. EmU also works in protracted emergencies, where the risk to life may be reduced but the population is still subjected to rights abuses and a lack of basic services./ppThe Senior Technical Advisor, Emergency Health (STA) ensures the strategic, technical, and quality delivery of IRCs emergency health programming, spanning primary and targeted secondary care, sexual and reproductive health, nutrition, mental health and psychosocial support, WASH, and outbreak preparedness and response. This role steers the strategic direction and technical leadership of IRCs emergency primary healthcare, nutrition, and environmental health programming, while also supporting the development of tools, resources, and guidance to strengthen field implementation./ppA key focus of the role is the management and capacity development of IRCs emergency health teams, including the Emergency Response Team (ERT) and Global Surge Team (GST), through mentorship, professional development planning, and timely recruitment. Reporting jointly to the Senior Director for Quality in Emergencies and the Deputy Director of the Health Unit, the STA collaborates closely with EmU and Health Unit leadership, technical advisors, and sectoral focal points. Success in this role requires deep expertise in emergency public health, strong leadership in complex settings, and a people-centered approach that fosters team engagement and well-being. Lived experience and contextual knowledge of IRCs operating regions are highly valued./ph3Major Responsibilities/h3pEmergency Response (40%)/pulliProvide solid technical and strategic leadership for the initiation and quality delivery of new classified emergencies and outbreaks per the QiE technical assistance model./liliProvide response support, technical leadership, and strategic direction to the health ERT./liliEnsure program quality, accountability, and consistency in emergency outbreak response programming by providing remote and on the ground technical support for country program-led responses and ERT/EST and GST during deployments./liliDirectly supervise ERT GST coordinators, providing ongoing mentoring and technical strengthening during and when not deployed for ERT./liliAs required, deploy to lead emergency health programming or outbreak response start-up in complex or large-scale emergencies (30% of time and maximum 6 weeks for single deployment). This is inclusive of, but not limited to, responsibilities such as:/liulliRapid needs assessments, evaluation efforts, or other accountability support functions;/liliShort-term Deputy Direct of Programs (DDP) or emergency leadership roles;/liliTechnical coordination and strategic leadership within a complex response; and/liliEnsure a smooth transition of technical assistance for QiE Supported and EmU-led responses to Health Unit Technical Advisors./li/ulliLiaise closely with other appropriate technical advisors and support IRC WatchList countries and countries where the IRC is starting new emergency response programming./liliChampion a culture of effective and respectful partnerships. Promote partner-led programming in line with IRCs why not partner? and partner as equals approach./liliWork closely with the deployment team to identify appropriate emergency health staff to be deployed to support responses as needed./liliEnsure all emergency health response tools and resources are current and available to response teams./li/ulpMEAL, Advocacy, and Strategy (30%)/pulliLead development and implementation of the emergency health strategy and framework, working closely with QiE and Health Unit leadership./liliSupport development of systems and processes to facilitate the measurement of the impact and quality of IRC emergency and outbreak responses./liliWork with Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning (MEAL) leads in EmU and the Health Unit to ensure appropriate processes and tools are in place during health responses./liliSupport the development of integrated programming for emergencies and other more innovative programming areas identified by respective technical units and ERT/EST./liliEnsure IRC is represented in technical forums or networks within respective global sectors as needed and monitor the effectiveness of IRCs participation./liliContribute to the annual QiE work plan and project prioritization in collaboration with the MEAL team and EmU STAs which is driven by the EmU strategic priorities and Implementation Plan./liliParticipate in the QiE Leadership Team to ensure cohesive decision-making and learning./liliLead cross-collaboration and coordination between EmU QiE and the Health Unit./li/ulpEmergency Preparedness (10%)/pulliWork closely with Health Unit and Regional Technical Leads to identify areas of technical capacity building, operational and systems set up in preparedness for health emergencies in Watchlist Countries./liliSupport the emergency response capacity strengthening for members of IRC Country Programs/Regional technical advisors as needed./liliProvide remote and on the ground technical and systems support to watchlist countries, classified country programs/regions for preparedness/readiness/contingency planning, and as needed, deploy for strategic support, including on-site mentoring and technical assistance./liliReinforce program quality through regular (+/- remote) capacity strengthening and skills-deepening for members of the ERT, EST as well as Technical Unit Advisers, ensuring the ability to operationalize the IRCs emergency strategy and response package./liliEnsure that IRC program models and emergency strategies advance organizational commitments to gender equality outcomes./liliCollaborate with the EmU to maintain deployment capacity on the ERT and GST./liliLead design and development of integrated/joint program models and approaches in emergencies with relevant STAs for Emergencies within the QiE multi-sector team./liliManage and maintain current emergency response tools and update them according to industry standards and best practices while also supporting iterative and adaptive learning from ongoing responses./liliOrient all new ERT/EST/GST to Emergency Health in emergencies./li/ulpBusiness Development and Grant Management (10%)/pulliProvide technical support for development of emergency response proposals, working closely with other EmU colleagues, ERT and GST./liliLead the development, review, and submission of strategic proposals and concept notes around IRCs programming related to health in emergencies./liliProvide technical quality assurance for the Crisis Response Fund in coordination with relevant Technical Advisors and EmU Sections./liliProvide oversight of TU-led emergency response and preparedness grants as needed./liliEnsure appropriate budget allocation for IRC to support partners in alignment with the overall response / program design./li/ulpPeople Management and Development (10%)/pulliProvide day to day line management to members of the health ERT as well as GST when they deploy for emergencies (working in close collaboration with their deployment managers)./liliEnsure that ERT and GST teams maintain high performance, collaborate effectively and are accountable for quality of work./liliBuild team capacity through coaching, mentoring, and targeted development opportunities, fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth./liliEmpower team members by setting clear, measurable goals and responsibilities that align with shared organizational initiatives and strategic priorities./liliChampion inclusive and supportive leadership practices in line with People Manager Standards, promoting psychological safety, equity, and wellbeing across the team./li/ulpTeam Culture/pulliBuild and maintain strong working relationships with EmU colleagues and continually promote a culture of partnership and collaboration./liliCultivate and maintain a positive, inclusive, safe and caring work environment, while additionally setting an example of One IRC-way of working within the team, EmU and the wider organization./liliAdvance efforts across EmU to promote gender equality, diversity and more inclusive practice across our programming and our ways of working./liliEngage in effective power-sharing practices and ensure colleagues have the knowledge, support, and power to do their work with autonomy./li/ulpKey Working Relationships:/pul/ul/div

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