TTA - Signpost Senior Program Officer

International Rescue Committee; New York (NY); Remote; USD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

The International Rescue Committee seeks a Senior Program Officer for their Signpost Project. This remote role is pivotal in strategic planning and business development, ensuring effective program delivery. The candidate will have extensive experience in award management, strong diplomatic skills, and the ability to work in multicultural settings. Join a dynamic team committed to enhancing humanitarian response through innovative information services.

Qualifications

• Experience in award management and business development required.
• Strong understanding of humanitarian aid programming essential.
• Fluency in English required; French or Spanish is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead coordination for business development and donor engagement.
• Support development and implementation of award management processes.
• Manage multi-country and consortium grants including funds management.

Skills

Award management

Business development

Analytical skills

Negotiation skills

Problem-solving skills

Diplomatic communication

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

Tools

Advanced MS Office skills

Job description

Before you start, please review theTemporary Transfer Assignment Guidelineson RescueNet to make sure you qualify to apply

Title: TTA - Signpost Senior Program Officer

Sector:Program Administration

Location:Remote & Flexible

Start Date:June 15, 2025

Duration: 4.5 Months
Scope of work & objectives:

Please email your CV to [e-mail] short intro (bullet points are fine – nothing polished is needed) . You must subject your email to "TTA – Signpost Senior Program Officer.”

The Signpost Project

Housed within the Emergency Unit, the Signpost Project is a rapidly scaling responsive information service, providing up to date and contextually adapted information and content to equip its clients to make critical decisions about their futures throughout the arc of a crisis. Signpost’s mission is to shift power back to our clients, and we do so by developing information products that address self-expressed problems, and information needs in our client communities.

The Signpost project is at a critical point of inflection where its proven success is fueling a global expansion, and our vision is to install a Signpost project at the heart of every major humanitarian context worldwide – making community-led, responsive information a public good for the aid sector. Signpost has recently launched Signpost AI – a new initiative that will harness generative artificial intelligence to amplify our work and the civil society partners in our ever-expanding network. Business development, sustaining programs once deployed, identification of and vetting new partners, and attracting new donors are key for the success of the program and making our vision a reality. With rapid scaling, greater visibility on the health of finances in the field and grants are key for future growth and success of the program.

Reporting to the Project Director, Signpost, the Senior Program Officer (SPO) plays a vital role within the Signpost Global Team, which supports an award portfolio of humanitarian innovation programs.The SPO is playing both a strategic and tactical role in ensuring the smooth operation and overall effectiveness of the Signpost Project. The SPO is a problem solver, acting as a representative of project and thought partner to the Director, Signpost.

Working together with the Project Director, the position leads the internal coordination for Business Development and donor engagement for the Signpost Team. The SPO also supports the development, enhancement and implementation of awards management processes (including specific partnership and project management initiatives) and coordinates funding allocations to partners and IRC country offices.

The SPO serves as a representative of the IRC Signpost project to internal and external stakeholders regarding business development, awards management and delivery processes.

Major responsibilities

Strategic Planning and Implementation Support

• Contribute to strategic Signpost initiatives that support the Signpost Global Team, partners and country programs as agreed with the Project Director.
• Play a strategic role in the planning and successful resolution of implementation challenges, and act as thought partner to the Project Director and other senior Signpost staff on matters related to team priorities, engagement, and growth.
• Act as key point of contact for the implementation support of the Signpost Program Team as agreed with Project Director.
• Ensure that important organizational data points are captured, relevant trackers are maintained and required updates and analysis are shared in a timely manner (using Signpost’s established systems and tools).
• Lead on Signpost awards portfolio data management efforts, ensuring that post-award data entry-points are maintained for accuracy and reflect correctly in various dashboards
• Lead on and manage contractualization, payments, and management of local partners (including PEERS processes and other due diligence for payments)
• Highlight systemic awards related concerns or risks to the Signpost Global Team and/or country offices, through established pathways and processes, and provide guidance and/or recommendations on needed actions for resolution.
• Lead on management of multi-country and consortium grants including funds managements and reporting.
• Organize feedback sessions with partners and country programs, capture and communicate country program needs and suggestions for continuous improvements.
• Promote information sharing, standardization, and collaborative business process development efforts across partners and countries.

Business Development

• Lead or assist, as needed, in the identification, tracking and updating of new business opportunities across a variety of technical sectors, regions, and clients.
• Lead capture/planning work for new business opportunities, including facilitating technical brainstorming, competitive landscape analysis and win theme sessions with Signpost technical staff and country staff, as necessary.
• Support Signpost’s profile building through engagement with key stakeholders (internal and external) as agreed with Project Director.
• Coordinate proposal work, including facilitating design sessions, assisting in budget development, ensuring document completion, organizing meetings and compiling notes, and drafting and proofreading proposal sections.
• Ensure proper pre-award/teaming agreements are in place, as needed, and approved by compliance and/or legal teams.
• Manage coordination, communication and inputs from sub-awardees or to our primes, as needed, on proposals.
• Identify partners, consultants, and other proposal development support, as needed.
• Provide Quality Assurance/Quality Compliance support on proposals.
• Maintain accurate information in database and assist with conducting analysis of proposal development, and maintain accurate and timely electronic files.
• Facilitate internal post-submission debrief sessions to glean lessons learned, as needed.

Requirements:

• Strong work experience in award management and/or business development, with extensive knowledge of institutional donors and/or private donors and their requirements
• Good understanding of humanitarian aid and development programming including project design, quality and delivery in humanitarian and development settings
• Experience of working within an international context in a global organization with “remote” team engagement and reporting lines
• Strong diplomatic and communication skills, including the ability to tailor language to different audiences (e.g., with internal stakeholders, peers, leaders) and to effectively handle a variety of relationships in a multicultural environment
• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple and complex tasks
• The ability to, to efficiently prioritize, multi-task and manage deadlines effectively in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent analytical, negotiations and problem-solving skills
• Solid organizational and project management skills
• A flexible work attitude and a desire to contribute to the culture of a supportive, highly engaged team
• Strong computer skills and experience (beyond standard MS tools)
• Competence with budget building and drafting spending scenarios
• Fluency in written and spoken English is required, and French or Spanishis desirable.

Key Working Relationships

• Position reports to: Signpost Project Director
• Other internal and/or external contacts: Signpost Global Team, IRC’s Award Management Unit (AMU), IRC’s External Relations (private funders) team, IRC’s Office of General Counsel (Legal), EHAU Grants and Finance team, Regional Teams, Country Teams, external partners