Specialist, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

Specialist, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

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 Health Technical Unit is a team of more than 70 professionals across Primary Health Care, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Nutrition, and Mental Health, supporting IRC's 40-plus country offices with technical expertise, capacity building, and a cross-country perspective on what works.

The Specialist, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) sits within the Health Unit and provides targeted technical support for SRHR programming, with a focus on family planning (FP) and comprehensive abortion care (CAC). Reporting to the Senior Specialist, SRHR, the Specialist leads day-to-day support for strategic projects including the IRC-supported Family Planning Impact Lab in South Sudan and Somalia and provides surge support to scale contraception in humanitarian and fragile settings. The Specialist collaborates closely with country program teams, Health Technical Advisors, Regional Practice Leads, Airbel Impact Lab, and external partners to ensure program quality, fidelity, and learning.

Key Responsibilities:

Technical Support for Strategic Projects (50%)

• Lead day-to-day technical oversight of the Family Planning Impact Lab in South Sudan and Somalia, including:
• Coordinating multidisciplinary research, user-centered design, and SRH technical teams
• Overseeing program pilots and iterative adaptations
• Liaising with partner and donor teams on project timeliness, quality, and coordination
• Serve as the technical focal point for country program, Health Unit, Airbel, partner, and donor stakeholders on assigned projects
• Monitor program implementation and key indicators; drive course correction as needed
• Identify priorities and opportunities for strategic SRHR programs and research in collaboration with the Senior Specialists, GPL, Airbel and country programs

Technical Assistance & Scale (20%)

• Identify and address technical support gaps in IRC country programs working to scale family planning in humanitarian settings in collaboration with Health TAs and SRHR leadership
• Develop, disseminate and support the implementation of training materials, program tools, evidence briefs, and measurement frameworks to support contraception scaling
• Provide specialized technical assistance on contraception and abortion to Health TAs and country programs, ensuring alignment with global best practices

Knowledge Management & Learning (10%)

• Work with the SRHR Research team and Project Coordinator to support the documentation and use of best practices and evidence across the health unit and in country programs
• Support communities of practice on contraception, fostering cross-country peer exchange
• Ensure key lessons from strategic projects inform country-led program design and implementation

External Influence & Representation (10%)

• Contribute to thought leadership on select SRHR topics through blogs, working groups, and internal and external conference presentations
• Represent IRC in priority external forums including technical, policy, and advocacy workshops

Business Development (10%)

• Support strategic business development opportunities in partnership with Health Unit leadership, AMU, and country programs
• Provide specialized program design support on SRHR to TAs and country programs on request

Key Working Relationships:

Reports to: Senior Specialist, SRHR

Internal: Health TAs, Regional Practice Leads, Airbel Impact Lab, Global MEAL, SRH GPL, Violence Prevention and Response Unit, AMU, and EHAU

External: INGO counterparts, UN agencies, global coordination mechanisms, public and private donors

Job Requirements:

Education

• Degree in public health or a related field required; Master's degree desirable
• Clinical degree (nurse or midwife) preferred

Experience & Skills

• Minimum 6 years' experience in public health and SRHR, including field experience in humanitarian or fragile settings
• Demonstrated technical expertise in family planning and comprehensive abortion care; maternal and newborn health experience preferred
• Experience managing multi-stakeholder, multi-country projects across the humanitarian-development nexus
• Familiarity with implementation research, M&E, and program quality frameworks; experience designing or monitoring M&E plans for scaling initiatives strongly preferred
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to collaborate across countries, cultures, and departments
• Ability to work effectively in fast-paced environments with remote and multicultural teams
• Proficiency in English and French required; Arabic or Spanish an asset
• Ability to travel up to 30% of the time, occasionally on short notice

Compensation: 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.

• US Pay Range: $95,000 - $107,000
• UK Pay Range: 58,736 - 68,526

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.