International Emergency Response Specialist

IDEA•Alexandria, VA

4d•$75,000 - $80,000•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a highly experienced and agile International Emergency Response Lead to drive the design, coordination, and execution of large-scale humanitarian responses across multiple regions. This role combines operational leadership with strategic partnership management, ensuring timely, effective, and principled emergency interventions. The ideal candidate brings deep field experience, strong institutional relationship management skills, and the ability to operate in high-pressure, rapidly evolving environments. This position requires frequent short-notice international travel, including deployments to emergency settings.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship (required)
Bachelor’s degree required
5-7+ years of experience in international humanitarian response, including significant field experience
Demonstrated experience managing large-scale, complex emergency programs
Strong track record of working with institutional donors (e.g., USAID/BHA, State Department, UN agencies, ECHO etc.)
Experience in insecure or resource-constrained environments
Proven ability to lead under pressure and make decisions in rapidly changing contexts
Excellent communication, representation, and stakeholder management skills
Ability and willingness to travel internationally on short notice (up to 30-50% or as needed)
Ability to deploy to high-risk or challenging environments
Strong problem-solving skills and adaptability
Fluency in English required
Experience in multiple geographic regions
Familiarity with humanitarian coordination systems (e.g., clusters)
Strong strategic thinking with hands-on operational capability
Ability to balance big-picture leadership with detail-oriented execution

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in international development, humanitarian affairs, public policy, or related field preferred
Additional languages (Arabic, French, Spanish) are a strong asset

Responsibilities

Lead the planning, coordination, and execution of complex, large-scale international emergency responses
Oversee rapid needs assessments, response strategy development, and program implementation
Ensure responses are timely, contextually appropriate, and aligned with humanitarian standards and best practices
Conduct needs assessment once deployed and coordinate within the emergency framework.
Provide support to preparedness initiatives with field operations and community based organizations
Deploy on short notice to emergency contexts to lead or support response operations
Provide on-the-ground leadership, coordination, and troubleshooting during critical phases
Support country teams and local partner organizations in scaling operations, staffing, and systems in emergency settings
Manage and strengthen relationships with key institutional donors, UN agencies, local governments agencies and partner organizations
Serve as a focal point for the organization’s engagement with the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD), ensuring effective coordination on emergency logistics, supply chain readiness, and rapid deployment
Represent the organization in high-level coordination forums and external engagements
Support business development efforts, including proposal development and donor engagement
Ensure emergency programs meet donor requirements, organizational policies, and compliance standards
Promote accountability, monitoring, evaluation, and learning across emergency responses
Integrate cross-cutting priorities such as protection, gender, and localization into response strategies
Contribute to systems, tools, and frameworks development