Country Director - Syria Country Program
Syria
- Organization: IRC - International Rescue Committee
- Location: Syria
- Grade: Senior level - Senior
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Occupational Groups:
- Humanitarian Aid and Coordination
- Project and Programme Management
- Managerial positions
- Closing Date:
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.
An estimated 60 million people need humanitarian assistance in MENA. This includes people caught up in protracted conflict, those displaced by crisis, and those affected by global shocks, changing climates, and natural disasters. Across the region, vulnerable groups, such as women, children, and people on the move, continue to be disproportionately affected, all while rising economic instability and often weak national governance exacerbate levels of extreme poverty and disrupt the provision of basic services.
The IRC responds to people’s acute and longer-term needs with integrated programs that improve health and safety, prioritize children’s education, foster economic wellbeing, and empower communities to regain control over their lives. Our work gives rise to some of the most pressing issues facing contemporary humanitarian action, including questions of access, conflict sensitivity, coordination, and impact.
The Syria crisis is one of the most complex humanitarian crises of our time. Today, more than 16 million people in Syria are in need of humanitarian assistance, with needs increasingly being exacerbated by economic decline. Following the government change in December 2024, the Syrian crisis is at a pivotal moment – exposing the magnitude of unmet needs and presenting new opportunities to respond and rebuild. For the IRC, this signifies a transitional phase that allows for setting up the country team inside Syria.
Job Overview/Summary:
The Country Director (CD) sets the strategic direction, leads all programs, oversees operational matters and supervises humanitarian access and adherence and application of security measures. As lead of the Senior Management Team (SMT), the CD ensures accountability of the SMT for overall leadership and supervisory management of IRC staff, programming, and operations, including program quality and accountability, stewardship of resources, staff safety and security, performance management and external representation, for which the CD remains accountable.
Success in this position requires an individual with exemplary, demonstrated leadership abilities who deploys strong communications and interpersonal skills effectively, both internally and externally. The successful candidate will enjoy contextual analytical skills with an ability to translate the impact of geopolitical events to our day-to-day operations. They will build a network of partnerships and diversify program resources. They will be directly responsible for the overall coordination and strategic direction of the country program; providing oversight and coaching for directly supervised senior managers; leading country program teams to identify, design and deliver responsive, high-quality programs; ensuring efficient management of public grants and private funds for results, compliance, and focused, timely reporting; and oversight of financial management and compliance systems.
Major Responsibilities:
Leadership and Representation
•Develop a vision and carry out strategies that result in contextualized high-quality programs that meet the identified needs of clients.
•Lead the country program by maintaining open and professional relations with colleagues, promoting a strong team spirit and providing guidance, oversight and resources to enable staff to perform successfully.
•Initiate and sustain strong, mutually beneficial, and authentic partnerships with Syrian organizations.
•Ensure that the IRC remains a partner of choice for major international (institutional and non-institutional) donors.
•Seek out and pursue opportunities to raise the profile of the work of the IRC and its partners, as well as the lives and the needs of the people IRC seeks to serve.
•Proactively represent IRC in external fora and coordination mechanisms and actively pursue leadership roles within the humanitarian architecture to strengthen IRC’s influence and strategic positioning in the Syria response.
Staff Management
•Provide direct oversight and guidance to multi-disciplinary teams across cross-cultural settings, ensuring performance excellence and alignment with strategic objectives.
•Effectively manage staff across various functions and locations, including setting clear expectations, performance monitoring, and accountability frameworks.
•Lead sensitive and complex staff-related conversations (e.g., performance issues, conflict resolution) with professionalism, empathy, and respect.
Learning and Development
•Mentor and coach high-potential staff to support career progression and leadership development within the organization.
•Promote a culture of continuous learning and knowledge sharing across teams and departments.
•Identify and support opportunities for staff training, peer learning, and professional growth.
Stewardship and Operational Management
•Drive operational excellence to achieve optimal efficiency and cost-effectiveness in all functions and operations of the country program.
•Oversee the development, deployment and utilization of financial and operational policies, procedures, and systems to deliver compliance with IRC and donor requirements.
•Ensure responsiveness and appropriate levels of in-person and remote support to all offices, especially in the areas of People & Culture, Finance, Compliance and Risk Management and Supply chain.
•Provide timely and effective oversight of the Syria country program’s financial position.
•Maintain effective and coordinated budget monitoring processes for grant funds and discretionary funds.
•Ensure a country-wide culture of safeguarding, grounded in accountability, transparency, and survivor-centered response. Provide strategic leadership to mainstream safeguarding across all country program operations and partnerships, in line with IRC’s Safeguarding Policy.
Security Management
•The CD remains the ultimate responsible for ensuring that all security arrangements are in place for staff and partners. Through supervision of humanitarian access and security staff, ensure absolute conformity to security rules and regulations, application of security plans, timely communication to team in case of concern;
•Liaise with the regional office, with peer agencies and use the tools and information portals available to keep abreast of all security-related matters;
•In case of necessity, ensure adequate roll-out of emergency procedures.
Communications
•Model and encourage active practice of the principles of the “IRC Way – Global Standards for Professional Conduct” throughout the Syria country program.
•Maintain a healthy and empowering office environment that encourages open, honest, and productive communication among IRC staff and with partner organizations.
•Maintain open communication with regional management staff and technical advisors, and HQ departmental staff.
Key Working Relationships:
Position Reports to: Regional Vice-President - MENA
Position directly Supervises: A senior management team responsible for Programs, Field Management and Operations, Finance, People and Culture, Policy, Advocacy and Communications, Security, Compliance and Risk Management
Key Internal Contacts: Country Program: All staff, Region: Middle East and North Africa Regional Team, Head Office: Crisis Response and Recovery Department (CRRD), Ethics & Compliance, Operations and Strategy, Finance, Global Philanthropy & Partnerships, Technical Excellence and General Counsel.
Job Requirements:
Strong leadership abilities and interpersonal skills, and ability to deploy strong communications effectively, both internally and externally. Develop networks to build partnerships and diversify program resources.
•Graduate degree in a relevant field preferred.
•At least 12 years of dynamically responsible international work experience, including leadership at the Country Director level of multi-site, multi-sectoral operations in a complex operating environment, with preference for experience in the MENA Region.
•Prior experience working within organizational structures in transition.
•Experience working in conflict/post-conflict or disaster response situation.
•Professional fluency in written and spoken English. Arabic is a preferred asset.
Demonstrated Technical and Leadership Competencies
•Proven leadership in managing diverse, cross-cultural teams with a strong focus on staff development and mentorship.
•Skilled in navigating complex ethical, security, and operational challenges in dynamic contexts.
•Strong communicator with experience representing organizations to donors, partners, media, and senior stakeholders.
•Demonstrated success in program oversight, donor compliance, and strategic fundraising, particularly with US and European donors.
•Effective in partnership management, budget oversight, and responding to shifting priorities with agility.
•Deep understanding of the MENA region and ability to lead in politically sensitive environments.
Ability to Travel: approximately 40% within and outside the region for workshops, representation, and conferences
#LI-DNI
Standard of Professional Conduct:The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.
We do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.
Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify.
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.