Strategy and Planning Senior Officer, Global Policy & Advocacy

International Rescue Committee•Silver Spring, MD

9d•$92,000 - $99,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Strategy and Planning Senior Officer leads key strategic planning and prioritization efforts for the International Rescue Committee’s Global Policy & Advocacy team. The role coordinates portions of organization-wide strategy and investment planning, collaborates with the Vice President of Policy & Advocacy on team prioritization, and manages a collaborative, streamlined process for strategy development. The position maintains important processes and relationships and works across the Policy & Advocacy team, other departments, and the wider organization. The Senior Officer translates organization-wide strategy and policy products into department strategies, market-specific advocacy priorities, and thematic policy areas of focus. They support the development of actionable policy and advocacy strategies, including stakeholder mapping, activity plans, product development plans, and desired external change metrics. The role also leads the team’s engagement in annual planning, connects team plans with multi-year organizational strategies, manages long-term planning projects, and develops team objectives and KPIs with regular progress reviews and reporting. The position builds effective ways of working, collaboration, communication, and information-sharing across teams. It facilitates team communication and organizational processes, maintains the internal website and routine senior-leader reporting, and organizes retreats, staff meetings, team-building activities, and trainings. The role reports to the Vice President of Policy & Advocacy, with a management-in-partnership relationship to the Director of Strategy & Planning. The work environment is hybrid, and travel of up to 5% may be required. The role is open to candidates located in the United States who have the right to work there.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in International Relations, Political Science, or another related field.
5–6 years of work experience.
Excellent organizational and time-management skills, including the ability to juggle competing priorities, meet tight deadlines, and prioritize tasks.
Experience designing and implementing strategic planning processes and progress metrics.
Positive, resourceful, and flexible approach, with problem-solving ability, initiative, and capacity to work independently or as part of a team in a fast-paced environment.
Strong project-management skills, ideally involving cross-organizational teams and delivery of projects or strategies.
Strong English writing and editing skills with attention to detail.
Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to develop and manage complex relationships, including with high-level individuals.
Fluency in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and ability to learn web-based applications.
Commitment to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion at IRC and in the humanitarian field.

Nice To Haves

Experience in policy and advocacy.
Familiarity with or experience in policy analysis or advocacy directed at high-level policymakers and thought leaders.
Familiarity with or demonstrated interest in the humanitarian aid sector, foreign policy, and/or refugee issues.
Lived experience with conflict- or crisis-driven displacement, resettlement, asylum, immigration, or migration.

Responsibilities

Translate organization-wide strategy and policy products into department strategies, market-specific advocacy priorities, and thematic policy areas of focus.
Lead and support the development of specific, actionable policy and advocacy strategies, including stakeholder mapping, activity planning, product development plans, and external change metrics as relevant.
Lead Policy & Advocacy engagement in organization-wide annual planning, linking team plans to multi-year organizational strategies and department-wide objectives.
Facilitate and maintain effective ways of working within and across Policy & Advocacy teams; identify collaboration challenges and develop systems to address them.
Update team processes in response to feedback and represent the team in organization-wide, multi-departmental process conversations.
Manage project planning, strategic content development, and logistics for efforts such as Annual Planning, Quarterly Pause processes, and retreats.
Create tools and processes for internal information-sharing, collaboration, stakeholder communication, and streamlined workflows.
Facilitate regular communication among team members and cascade relevant information from ER leadership, finance, and HR.
Manage the internal website and routine reporting to senior leaders; communicate team objectives and outcomes to internal stakeholders through reporting and other channels.
Develop high-level team objectives and detailed KPIs with the Vice President and team members, and plan and facilitate quarterly reviews of strategy progress and metrics.
Ensure KPIs and reporting metrics are logical, consistent, and regularly reported by team members on a weekly basis.
Support a positive, collaborative team culture; organize retreats, staff meetings, team-building activities, and trainings.

Benefits

10 paid sick leave days.
10 U.S. holidays.
20–25 paid time off days, based on role and tenure.
Medical insurance starting at $163 per month.
Dental insurance starting at $6.50 per month.
Vision insurance starting at $5 per month.
Flexible spending accounts for healthcare, dependent care, and commuter expenses.
403(b) retirement savings plan with employer match and immediate vesting, plus a non-elective employer contribution based on age and years of service, with three-year vesting.
Disability and life insurance.
Employee Assistance Program offering confidential counseling and support services for employees and their families.