Chief GEDI officer and Senior Director Policy & Planning, Europe

Job Title: Chief GEDI officer and Senior Director Policy & Planning, Europe

Department: Gender, Diversity, Equality, & Inclusion Unit (GEDI)

Employment Category: Permanent

Employment Type: Full-Time

Salary: Competitive 

Location: Any of our European HQ locations- Brussels, London, Berlin, Bonn, Geneva, or Stockholm

Application deadline: Midnight 2nd November 2022

Apply now

International Rescue Committee (RESCUE)

The International Rescue Committee (RESCUE) 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 lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, RESCUE 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, we improve outcomes in the areas of health, safety, economic wellbeing, education, and power.

Job Overview

As Europe Gender, Diversity, Equality, & Inclusion (Europe GEDI) Advisor, you will lead regional strategy development and implementation efforts that build an inclusive culture across RESCUE offices in Europe and ensure diversity, equality, and inclusion are central to everything we do. 

As a key member of the GEDI Unit working in Europe you will work on the premise that to tackle the root causes of inequality, shared solutions across sectors and systems are required and will guide RESCUEs teams to test new approaches. You will support efforts for regional and country teams to ensure appropriate and significant Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion into their internal operations and programs. This position will be based in one of the European offices in Brussels, London, Berlin, Bonn, Geneva, or Stockholm – with significant travel between the European offices.

The position will be responsible for supporting European offices in developing and implementing RESCUEs GEDI action plan(s) in Europe in alignment with RESCUEs global GEDI strategy, guiding European offices in applying RESCUEs principles of GEDI in all operational policies and practices. The position will also be responsible for designing and implementing GEDI training and leading office-wide initiatives to spark internal culture change and a universal understanding of equal practices for the workplace, to support staff to set and achieve meaningful and targeted goals for more internal practices. The GEDI Advisor work to support the documentation and sharing of best GEDI practices in Europe to enable GEDI learning and understanding across European staff as well as taking learnings from the European level to support global GEDI initiatives policies and practices. . The position may also work with the Resettlement, Asylum and Integration (RAI) Europe program officer to adapt or develop tools to support analysis, program design and business development for the European offices.  

The Europe GEDI Advisor is envisioned to also be responsible for contributing to special initiatives, including supporting underrepresented or marginalized employee groups, advocacy and research, and collaboration with other organizations and sectors serving refugees. The Europe GEDI Advisor will report to the Chief GEDI Officer and Senior Director Policy & Planning, Europe.

Major Responsibilities

(1) GEDI Action Plan  

 (a) Foster an inclusive working culture

• Work with European leaders to develop contextually relevant and adapt proven and innovative approaches to promoting and building an inclusive office culture and environment.
• In collaboration with HR, support GEDI learning and development of inclusive leadership and management practices for European leaders.
• Collaborate with relevant teams to embed approaches to monitoring and evaluation and a culture of continuous improvement and learning in relation to GEDI.
• Advise on design and implementation of more equitable and inclusive organizational policies and processes.

 (b) Global coordination & internal communication

• Support the roll-out of the Global GEDI Action Plan at the European level.
• Communicate regional GEDI priorities, action plans, and progress made at the European and Global levels.
• Represent Europe in Global GEDI Coordination mechanism and Community of practices across the organization to ensure alignment and cross-learning.
• Work with Employee Resource Groups throughout Europe to drive GEDI-related priorities in our European offices.

(c) Support the development of local GEDI Action plans:

• Advice RESCUE Europe’s leaders in the development of European and country-specific priorities for the roll-out of GEDI action plans and embedding in key business processes (Strategy100, Budget etc.).
• Partner with the European teams and actors to confirm shared accountabilities in delivering on the GEDI action plan and support change management efforts needed to achieve success.
• Support the implementation of GEDI related policies and practices in partnership with the country teams.

(2) Technical Leadership

(a) Subject Matter Expertise and Technical Support

• Serve as a resource, thought partner, and catalyst of change and progress
• Provide technical support to regional GEDI initiatives/projects.
• Support Europe teams in obtaining the technical support needed to achieve their GEDI priorities.
• Coordinate data gathering and analysis to inform European interventions and track progress made.
• Serve as a hub of GEDI knowledge for the Europe teams to provide technical knowledge and expertise, monitor new practices, and document the results.

(b) External engagement

• Support inclusion of GEDI priorities in RESCUE advocacy and external communication efforts as relevant.
• Add to the sector’s knowledge base about what works best.
• Represent RESCUE in GEDI-related forum as needed.

 (3) Team Leadership and staff engagement

• In collaboration with the Senior Director of Policy & Planning, assemble and lead a community of practice throughout Europe where everyone is accountable for progress on defined Gender, Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion goals.
• Support building a community of affinity groups and champions ([email protected], Gender Equality champions and other) at the country and Europe level.
• Support Europe’s country leadership in developing and implementing the best approach to ensure meaningful staff engagement and two-way communication around GEDI including developing shared contextual understanding of the concept, challenges, and priorities.
• Participate in creation of and provide support to Europe DEI council.
• Represent in regional forums and conferences focusing on GEDI and other related fields.
• Other duties as assigned.

Key Working Relationships

Direct Reporting:  Chief GEDI officer and Senior Director Policy & Planning, International Rescue Committee Europe

Partnership and Consultation: Europe Senior Management Team, Europe HR, RAI Europe’s GEDI Advisor, Europe Safety and Security Advisor, Europe Employee Resource Groups, Sectoral and other Technical Advisors including Women’s Protection and Empowerment, and Country level senior management teams including Executive Directors.  

External:  RESCUEs Organizational Partners, Donors, and IASC Cluster Groups, Feminist network. D&I focus organizations.

Job Requirements

Below is a summary of the general qualifications we are looking for in candidates for this role. We know that sometimes, some people do not feel comfortable applying because they do not perfectly match every criterion. If this is your case and you feel that you are potentially the right match based on your expertise and lived experience, we would like you to apply. We are looking for the right person and not the perfect person.

Work Experience

• Extensive experience in advising Senior Management Teams, Employee Resource Groups, and employee populations on embedding inclusive work culture.
• Experience in creating and implementing regional and country D&I strategies according to organizational priorities, considering a variety of contexts.
• Experience building D&I communities of practice.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• Deep commitment to and knowledge of strategies to advance diversity, equality, and inclusion; proven experience in incorporating intersectional perspectives ensuring equal participation in the workplace.
• Demonstrable understanding of how power dynamics affect organizations and the ability to amplify the voices of marginalized groups.
• Knowledge of and ability to speak fluently about existing and needed evidence about how to achieve meaningful change for historically marginalized groups in the development and humanitarian contexts.
• Ability to engage, inspire to action, and influence people outside of direct reporting lines.
• Strong, concise, and compelling written communication skills and excellent public speaking skills.
• A receptive and collaborative approach that contributes to a positive team environment; builds and maintains strong relationships with people from all backgrounds, genders, cultures, and viewpoints.
• Ability to support the implementation of a cross-cutting strategy while actively incorporating enterprise priorities and appropriate direction and feedback from colleagues.
• Ability to work effectively and with impact through matrixed relationships.
• Understands the importance of operating with a regional mentality and models cultural sensitivity. 

 Language Skills: 

• Excellent spoken and written English is required, and knowledge of at least one additional European language is desirable

Working Environment

• Combination of standard office working environment and working remotely (i.e., telecommuting
• Significant travel as needed

The application deadline is midnight 2nd November 2022 – apply here now.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, perform essential job functions, and receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request an accommodation.

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