Research & Innovation Lead for Humanitarian Impact

International Rescue Committee; New York (NY); On-site; USD 165,000 - 185,000; Full time

Job summary

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) invites applications for a Director of Research within the Airbel Impact Lab in New York. This role shapes research strategy, guides cross-sector projects, and ensures ethical, impactful analysis across IRC programs.

Lead diverse, globally distributed teams, drive evidence generation for scale, and build partnerships to extend IRC’s impact while advancing methodological innovation in humanitarian settings.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in a field related to development and humanitarian intervention.
• Over 10 years of research experience in humanitarian or development contexts.
• Experience designing research and managing teams in low-resource environments.

Responsibilities

• Oversee research agendas and manage select teams to deliver high quality research.
• Lead cross-sectoral research projects and initiatives.
• Strengthen organizational research systems and ethical standards.
• Develop partnerships and represent IRC research internally and externally.
• Fundraise and oversee budgets for research programs.

Skills

Research design

Team leadership

AI/data-science methods

Fundraising

Strategy development

Education

Ph.D. in development/ humanitarian field

Tools

AI tooling

Data analysis

Job description

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) invites applications for a Director of Research within the Airbel Impact Lab in New York. This role shapes research strategy, guides cross-sector projects, and ensures ethical, impactful analysis across IRC programs.

Lead diverse, globally distributed teams, drive evidence generation for scale, and build partnerships to extend IRC’s impact while advancing methodological innovation in humanitarian settings.