Senior Director, International Philanthropy

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.

Background:
The IRC is committed to a culture of bold leadership, innovation in all aspects of our work, creative partnerships and, most crucially, accountability to those we serve.

Job Overview:
The External Relations (ER) department is comprised of three main but complementary functional areas: Private fundraising, Communications, and Advocacy. The main objective of the department is to enable the organization to have the resources needed to continue serving millions of people worldwide in places affected by war and disaster.

The Senior Director, International Philanthropy will provide leadership and strategic direction for IRC’s individual high net worth fundraising activities outside of the US market, ensuring the delivery of significant, multi-year resources for the IRC's global mission. The Senior Director will oversee the International Philanthropy team, which cultivates and stewards the IRC’s most developed HNWI fundraising market outside of the US – primarily in the UK. They will also explore HNWI fundraising opportunities in other IRC markets, build the International Philanthropy team accordingly, and serve as the primary high-value fundraising partner to IRC’s Executive Directors across Europe and Asia.

The Senior Director will inspire and facilitate collaboration across IRC’s international private fundraising pillars and play a leadership role alongside Executive Directors in Europe to engage their respective board members in fundraising as appropriate. The Senior Director will serve as a member of the Philanthropy Leadership Team and work closely with other staff members and leaders across External Relations.

Major Responsibilities:
Leadership and Management

• Successfully lead our International Philanthropy team towards increased revenue, expanded donor community, and deeper donor engagement in support of IRC's mission.

• Develop and support the International Philanthropy team's efforts to cultivate, solicit, and steward a growing portfolio of high-net-worth donors and prospects through personalized communications and face-to-face visits.

• Partner with the Vice President, Philanthropy to develop an ambitious strategic plan, including setting annual goals and key outcomes for the International Philanthropy team, and to develop and implement standards, tools and procedures towards a best-in-class approach to individual donor engagement and fundraising

• Measure and manage staff performance through Salesforce, dashboards, and other key performance indicators.  

Fundraising 

• Serve as a thought partner, advisor, and resource to External Relations staff in other Europe and Asia markets who are engaged in HNWI fundraising.

• Develop and execute a fundraising strategy for IRC’s Nordics markets, working closely with the Sweden Executive Director.

• Work with IRC's senior leadership, program staff, and relevant colleagues across IRC to build compelling cases for philanthropic investment and engagement opportunities for donors and prospects.

• Grow IRC’s international HNWI donor pipeline through current donor, Board & Advisor, and IRC ambassador networks.  

Job Requirements:

• Significant fundraising experience in the non-profit sector*

• Demonstrated expertise in ultra-high-net-worth individual fundraising.*

• Considerable experience managing and leading successful, sizable (5+ individuals), and sophisticated front-line fundraising teams based in multiple geographical location*

Experience & Skills:

• Proven track record of securing 7 figure gifts;*

• Knowledge of international philanthropic landscape and trends;*

• Excellent oral and written communication skills;

• Ability to interpret a broad vision and translate it into actionable steps to drive projects forward;

• Ability to lead, motivate and develop a high-performing, complex team;

• A high level of energy, self-confidence, initiative, and follow-through;

• Ability to work effectively in a team environment as well as take initiative independently;

• Demonstrated database management skills;

• Excellent organizational and time management skills;

• Ability to multi-task in response to shifting priorities;

• Commitment to respect and maintain confidentiality of donor information;

• Interest in global humanitarian work is preferred.

Criteria in the Person Specification marked with ** are the minimum criteria in line with our commitments under the Disability Confident Employer Scheme in the UK. UK based candidates who state that they have a disability and meet these criteria, will be invited to interview.

Working Environment:

• Occasional travel internationally as required;

• Demonstration of creativity and problem solving in working with international HNWIs;

• Ability to explain sophisticated issues to donors and prospects and present the organization in an engaging and concise manner;

• Good understanding of the challenges and issues of working in a complex, international organization;

• Excellent digital literacy (MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint, etc.);

• Excellent communication skills with good interpersonal and persuasion skills;

• Knowledge and curiosity about humanitarian /international development work.

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Standard Responsibilities:

• Promote and actively participate in initiatives and efforts to build team engagement, inclusion and cohesion in IRC UK.

• Foster ongoing learning, honest dialogue and reflection to strengthen safeguarding and to promote IRC values and adherence to IRC policies

Standard Job Requirements

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct.  These are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability.  In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Related standard content:

IRC strives to build a diverse and inclusive team at all levels who as individuals, and as a group, embody our culture statement creating a working environment characterized by critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity for us to achieve our aspirations as a team and deliver the best possible services to our clients.  

UK:

Narrowing the Gender Gap: The IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including flexible hours (when possible), enhanced maternity/adoption leave and pay and gender-sensitive security protocols.

Candidates must have the right to work in the UK.

The application deadline is 7 Jan, 2026.

IRC UK strives to be an equal opportunities employer. IRC UK is committed to equality of opportunity and to non-discrimination for all job applicants and employees, and we seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce regardless of gender, race, religious beliefs, nationality, ethnic/national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability.

IRC UK welcomes applications from all candidates, including underrepresented groups and refugees who have the right to work in the UK.

IRC UK will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided with reasonable adjustments to participate in the job application and/or interview process, and for essential job functions if appointed to a role. Please contact us if you may need such adjustments. 

Recruitment Process:

The process for this role will be as follows

• Screening call online

• First round panel interview online – including assessment / test

• Second round panel interview – in person in the London office – including presentation task

Compensation: (Pay Range: £95,000 - £105,000) Posted pay ranges apply to UK-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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