Director, Innovation Policy

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 Director, Innovation Policy will be responsible for unlocking the policy and financing conditions required for breakthrough innovations IRC is developing to scale. This role is designed for a senior, entrepreneurial leader who can move at a fast pace from strategy to execution—leveraging relationships, shaping agendas, and driving real commitments from large institutions. In this role, the north star is to move innovations from pilots into humanitarian systems across fragile and conflict-affected settings. You will work widely across the organization - with country programs, technical experts, and HQ leadership, to set vision and drive progress.

You will hire and lead a team of policy and partnerships experts across key countries / regions in which we are advancing some of our most promising innovations. You will guide the team to develop strategies that they can put into action, leverage and grow their networks, and use creativity and entrepreneurialism to deliver on ambitious goals.

Finally, this is a role in which travel will be required - most frequently between New York City and Washington DC, but including some travel to the countries in which your team is based.

Responsibilities

● Strategy: For priority innovations, develop strategy for policy change and financing to enable adoption and scale by governments, multilaterals, and large implementing systems. This includes identifying pathways through major financing institutions (e.g., World Bank, regional development banks, and development finance institutions) to integrate innovations into national investment programs, lending portfolios, and large-scale financing mechanisms.

● Systems Change: Conduct power and stakeholder mapping for priority innovations to identify decision-makers, veto points, allies, and blockers. Assess political economy dynamics, incentives, and institutional constraints that shape adoption.

● Leverage networks: Leverage an existing senior-level network across governments, multilaterals, donors, and policy influencers to accelerate adoption of new approaches and drive execution. Proactively broker relationships, partnerships, and coalitions that would not otherwise form, with the explicit goal of enabling scale.

● High impact convenings and commitments: Shape agendas, participant lists, and follow-through strategies that result in concrete outcomes (e.g., policy shifts, pooled funding, joint adoption). Use convenings as a tool to accelerate decisions, not as an end in themselves.

● Track progress: Define and track signals of progress toward policy adoption and sustainable financing (e.g., inclusion in guidelines, procurement pilots, budget lines). Surface risks and bottlenecks early and work with teams to course-correct.

Required Qualifications

● Significant professional experience (10+ years) in policy, financing, systems change, or institutional reform within global development, humanitarian action, public sector, or closely related fields.

● Demonstrated track record of driving policy or financing change, including securing institutional commitments, influencing adoption decisions, or enabling new approaches to scale within large systems.

● Deep understanding of how governments, multilaterals, and large funders operate, including policy processes, procurement dynamics, and financing mechanisms - at a country level and on the global stage.

● Proven ability to engage and influence senior stakeholders, with experience working with decision-makers at the director, deputy, or ministerial level, or their equivalents.

● Strong people management and leadership skills, with experience building, developing, and leading high-performing, cross-functional teams, including coaching, performance management, and fostering an inclusive and accountable team culture.

● Strong strategic and analytical skills, including experience with stakeholder mapping, political economy analysis, and identifying high-leverage intervention points.

● Experience working cross-functionally, partnering with technical, operational, and country teams to translate strategy into execution.

● Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to clearly articulate complex ideas and move partners toward action.

● Comfort operating in ambiguity, with the judgment and initiative to advance work where pathways are not yet fully defined.

Key Working Relationships

Position reports to: VP, Policy and Advocacy in partnership with Director Research and Innovation strategy

Internal contacts: Policy and Advocacy colleagues across the globe; Technical Excellence leads; International Programs leads; Crisis Response, Recovery and Development Department; Communications; Awards Management; President’s Office, External Relations Department

External contacts: Multilateral institutions

Working Environment: Remote

Compensation: (Pay Range: $120K - $155K) 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.

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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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 Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $163 per month, dental starting at $6.50 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching, disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.

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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