Senior Officer of Directive Support

Job Description

BACKGROUND

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC works with people forced to flee from war, conflict and disaster and the host communities which support them, as well as those who remain within their homes and communities. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

IRC COLOMBIA

A combined two decades of economic mismanagement, a drop in oil prices, and the deterioration of democratic institutions has resulted in a humanitarian crisis inside Venezuela. Insecurity has manifested following protests in April 2017 against the president and his government, particularly for failing to address the growing inflation rate which lead to large-scale food insecurity. The demonstrations were initially peaceful but grew in severity of violence as time passed. Venezuela’s economic devastation worsened in the last half of 2017. This caused a massive migration of Venezuelans into neighboring Colombia in search of affordable food, medicine and work. The number of Venezuelans living in Colombia has increased to more than one million people.

In response, the IRC has launched emergency programming in Colombia, focusing on an integrated response involving child protection, women’s protection and empowerment activities, primary and reproductive healthcare, and cash transfer programming. The IRC is in the process of delivering these and future activities directly in Colombia, and in partnership with local civil society organizations in Venezuela. In Colombia, IRC currently has operations in Cucuta, and Medellin, and is soon to expand to Bogota and Barranquilla. The IRC is now in the process of beginning education programming.

JOB OVERVIEW:

Senior Officer of Directive Support will be responsible for providing a range of assistance services in support of the Country Director, working closely with and jointly reporting. The Senior Officer of Directive Support will coordinate and support the Regional Country Director and Regional Senior Management Team with strategic initiatives and engagement with country teams, including administrative and logistical support to ensure proper and smooth functioning of the regional team. The position also involves working in close collaboration with other colleagues in the region, colleagues based in the field and in other units and departments in VCR.

The successful candidate will be a passionate, dynamic, creative thinker and team-player who is eager to learn and be part of a team that is committed to improving the lives of migrants in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru as well as for residents of Venezuela. Vibrant and creative communications is essential to this goal.

Reports to: Country Director IRC VCR

Major Responsibilities

- Assist in administrative tasks for the Country Director, including managing a very active calendar of appointments; completing expense reports; composition and preparation of confidential correspondence. - Compile country team contributions to produce reports. - Manage documentation for the relevant area, as well as SMT (Senior management team) Minutes, following up on the conclusions and action points contained in the minutes produced during these meetings. - Organize detailed travel plans, itineraries, programs and international missions, and the compilation of documents for related third-party meetings. - Regular contact with IRC members and hosting of high-level visitors. - Support the Country Director's internal and external representation by welcoming visitors and organizing corporate functions. - Support the organization of external meetings with the necessary information for an excellent representation of the Country Director. - Support in the management and organization of various scenarios of participation of the organization, in terms of internal and external relations and logistics. - Management of external contacts to strengthen the institutional interrelationship. - Participate in activities of the organization in the framework of humanitarian assistance that require support from the Country Director internally and externally. - Participate in field missions to support programmatic and strategic activities of the organization. - Support the Country Director in the collection of information and documentation to strengthen institutional management. - Any other duties directly related to the mission and objectives of the position.

Qualifications

Qualifications

- Degree in related field (Education, Int’l Affairs, Social Work, etc.) is an advantage, or equivalent work experience - Minimum 3-4 years related non-profit and/or administrative work experience with regional and global teams. - Experience in, or familiarity with humanitarian assistance programming in Colombia - Willingness and ability to travel extensively to visit field-sites and document findings - Excellent time-management and attention to detail is essential - Must be bilingual in Spanish & English. - Good judgment and ability to effectively prioritize multiple tasks in a constantly changing environment. - Ability to work in a multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary and inter-institutional team environment - Politically and culturally sensitive, with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy - High level of commitment to CRI values - Excellent computer skills: MS Word, Excel, Teams, PowerPoint, and database software; - Proven writing and editing skills; the ability to draft memos, letters, and edit reports and proposals.

Professional conduct standards: IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles described in IRC Way-Standards for Professional Conduct. These are integrity, service, and accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and implements policies on protecting the beneficiary from exploitation and abuse, safeguarding the child, harassment in the workplace, tax integrity and anti-retaliation.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to reducing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce, including parental leave, gender-sensitive safety protocols, and other benefits and support subsidies.

Equal Employer Opportunity: IRC is an equal opportunity employer. The IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit regardless of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law Applicable.