Senior Specialist, Climate Health & WASH

Join the International Rescue Committee as a Senior Specialist in Climate Health & WASH, leading strategic projects in crisis response and water security.

• Lead finalization and roll out of the CR-WASH core indicators and Climate Resilient WASH MEAL package and lead ongoing revision of CR-WASH technical guidance and standards as evidence and field practice evolves.
• Convene and sustain a CR-WASH community of practice for peer exchange across countries and regionals, surfacing field learning and research to inform technical guidance and incorporate into global best practices
• Synthesis lessons, strengthen technical guidance and capacity and support strategic work on Anticipatory Action for CR-WASH/IDPC, in close coordination with the Anticipatory Action team.
• Contribute to the development of the Environment & Climate Health technical competency framework and assessment to identify capacity gaps, inform capacity strengthening priorities, and support staff development.
• Synthesize, adapt, and disseminate relevant technical standards, methodologies, and implementation tools for CR-WASH/IDPC, drawing on evidenced-based best practices and reflecting IRC programming.
• Provide technical inputs to MEAL tools and methodologies when needed, and support data interpretation and use, including support to regional TAs to analyze relevant technical and program data as needed.
• Proactively disseminate lessons learned across countries and regions for select strategic projects, ensuring these inform program design and implementation of country-led projects.
• Contribute to shaping, refining and delivering the Environment & Climate Health Learning Agenda.
• Program Design: We support country and regional teams to design state of the art programming, incorporating the best available evidence, cost data, and expertise of what has worked elsewhere, with the knowledge that country teams, partner organizations and our clients bring to the table.
• Quality Assurance: We partner with our measurement teams to design and drive the use of indicators to measure progress towards outcomes; we partner with regional and country teams to review program delivery progress and help address implementation challenges and adapt interventions to changed circumstances.
• Business Development: We partner within and outside the IRC to design winning bids and identify winning consortia; we deploy technical expertise in public events and private meetings to position IRC as a partner of choice.
• Research & Learning: We partner with our research lab to design cutting edge research to fill evidence gaps, and with country teams to learn from implementation such that we continuously improve our future design and delivery.
• External Influence: We showcase the IRC’s programs, technical insights and learning in order to influence and improve the humanitarian sector’s policy and practice.

• Established or growing recognition as an expert in WASH, water security, environmental management or closely related field, with a minimum of 6-8 years of progressive experience designing and leading programs relevant to Climate Resilient WASH in FCAS and/or across the humanitarian-development nexus.
• Master’s degree in public health engineering, environmental management and/or related fields or equivalent professional experience required.
• Demonstrated experience developing and delivering new strategies to advance ambitious goals, with strong ability to connect WASH infrastructure development to service models, sustained operations, financing, policy and systems strengthening.
• Experience collaborating across health, nutrition, climate resilience and related domains, with ability to clearly communicate the contribution of WASH and water security to health, climate resilience and other outcomes.
• Knowledge of and ability to use and integrate data, including climate forecasts, epidemiological data, and geo-spatial data to inform program targeting and intervention design; demonstrated ability to use of data and research evidence for programmatic decisions and rigorous analytic skills
• Strong track record of driving uptake of evidence-based practice, including technical skills in coaching, mentoring, and capacity strengthening
• Ability to design technical approaches for proposals and identify new business development opportunities
• Ability to work, manage, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, highly matrixed environment; outstanding business acumen, critical thinking, problem solving and decision-making skills required
• Superb inter-personal, written and verbal communication skills with ability to collaborate across countries, cultures, and departments
• Excellent communication, influencing, and storytelling skills
• Proficiency in English and French required; knowledge of Spanish or Arabic an asset.
• Ability to travel globally up to 30% of the time, occasionally on short notice
• *Compensation (US): ($104K - $120K). 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.
• *Compensation (UK): (GBP 58,476 - GBP 69,440). 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