Head of Operations / Deputy Head of Regional Delegation for the US and Canada

Head of Operations / Deputy Head of Regional Delegation for the US and Canada

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

The Regional Delegation for the United States and Canada

Resident position based in Washington, D.C.

Eligibility Requirement: This position is open only to current and former ICRC employees in good standing who are legally authorized to work in the United States for ICRC. External candidates will not be considered.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is an impartial, neutral and independent organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence and to provide them with assistance. The ICRC also endeavors to prevent suffering by promoting and strengthening humanitarian law and universal humanitarian principles.

Based in Washington, D.C., the work of the ICRC’s Regional Delegation to the US and Canada is comprised of the four main elements of 1) Prevention and Protection, 2) Humanitarian Policy and Outreach, 3) Resource Mobilization, and 4) Coordination with the American and Canadian Red Cross Societies.

PURPOSE

In their capacity as the Head of Operations (HoOps) they support and assist the Head of Regional Delegation (HoRD) in all their tasks and is part of the delegation’s senior management team. The HoOps supervises most of the programmatic teams including Communication, Armed Forces, Legal, and Protection departments and is responsible for ensuring a coherent, well-orchestrated approach to Prevention and Protection in the US and Canada. They oversee the delegation’s linkages with Operational Delegations in Africa, Asia, Middle East and Mexico Regional Delegation; and oversee all work relating to the themes of preparedness for compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Large-scale conflict (LSCP) and emerging technologies, amongst other files. One of the primary responsibilities of this position is to lead the delegation’s annual planning exercise (i.e. the “Planning for Results” -PfR- process) and facilitate the quarterly reviews under the Outcome Based Approach. The position is also the delegation’s focal point for the Code of Conduct.

RELATIONSHIPS

Based in Washington, D.C., the HoOps reports to the HoRD and is the immediate supervisor of most programmatic Coordinators. They interact with all Coordinators for matters concerning internal and cross-cutting files, integrated approaches and joint strategies as far as the coherence of the entire regional delegation’s operations are concerned. HoOps closely collaborates with Human Resources (HR) for all matters related to planning, management and recruitment. HoOps closely collaborates with HR and Finance & Administration (FAD) to ensure adequate use of resources by the departments.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

• Contributes to the definition of the delegation’s overall strategic direction, including operational strategies, priorities, and objectives.
• Coordinates/guides the implementation of delegation objectives as laid out in the annual planning exercise between departments.
• Represents the Washington Delegation towards external audiences in the US & Canada, including with the relevant national civil and military authorities on Operational Contexts and other thematics.
• Manages General Meetings and Annual Planning processes, supervises the compilation of the Results Monitoring and reviews interventions, press releases, field reports and other documents.
• Assists the HoRD in the internal and external meetings and reporting tasks.
• Replaces the HoRD as required and during absences.

Supervision of Departments

• Orchestrates the Delegation’s Prevention and Protection activities and operations.
• As the line manager for the programmatic Coordinators, is responsible for ensuring a coordinated and transversal approach to Prevention and Protection approaches and activities in the US and Canada (in coordination with the HoRD and the Head of Mission in Ottawa/OTT).
• Assures i) the maximization of opportunities to understand and address protection concerns and their underlying causes across all programs, and that ii) opportunities for joint/or complementary activities with other Movement components are proactively sought by the persons in charge of the different departments under their supervision.
• Through regular meetings, ensures that strategies, plans of action and activities of all departments under her/his supervision are well-defined and implemented in accordance with the delegation orientations and priorities.
• Travels when relevant to the implementation of operations.

Networking and Representation

• Maintains and expands the network of delegation contacts, in coordination with the HoRD, Chancellery support team, the Head of Mission in Ottawa, and the respective Coordinators.
• Helps lead interaction across the U.S. Government (civilian and military): 1) Geographically for operational contexts across AFRICA, ASIA, NAME, EURASIA and the AMERICAS regional divisions. 2) Thematically for interaction related to LSCP, emerging technologies and other files.
• Assists the HoRD in the delegation's other external representation as necessary.
• Assures HoRD involvement in high level or topical representation as appropriate.

Planning and Reporting

• Coordinates the Annual Planning exercise.
• Participates in the analysis of the overall situation and the definition and adaptation of operational approaches.
• Participates as required and supervises the institutional and public reporting.

People Management Responsibilities

• Assumes line management responsibilities for most programmatic teams (currently Protection, Armed Forces, Legal, Communication, Partnerships, Policy, Human Resources, and Technology).
• Contributes actively towards creating and maintaining a conducive and inclusive working environment.
• Engages in ongoing and continuous feedback and support, particularly for employees under their supervision, but also other staff members, including in their personal development by coaching and advising on internal and external development and training opportunities.
• Organizes regular meetings within their team to ensure optimal coordination of the work and proper flow of information.

Code of Conduct Facilitator Role

• Ensures a roadmap exists for implementing the delegation plan of action.
• Serves as the delegation focal point for code of conduct violations or questions, together with HR.
• Participates in code of conduct trainings and seminars as required by the Ethics, Risk & Compliance Office (ERCO).

GENERAL DUTIES

• Understands and adheres to the seven Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
• Understands and adheres to the ICRC Code of Conduct.
• Understands the roles of the components of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
• Respects and observes staff regulations and security rules at all times.
• Represents the ICRC in a professional manner at all times.
• Develops and maintains a pleasant and conducive working environment with colleagues and line managers.
• Performs all duties with the highest level of confidentiality in the interest of the employees and the ICRC.
• May be asked to perform tasks not covered in this job description and to provide support to other departments when necessary.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

• 12-15 years of overall professional experience
• 6-8 years of experience with project or strategic management in the humanitarian sector, with a minimum of 5 years of ICRC experience.
• People management experience a significant asset
• ICRC headquarters experience an asset
• Excellent knowledge of the U.S. political context
• Experience and expertise of institutional rules and regulations
• Experience in leading and managing a multidisciplinary and multi-cultural team
• Proven ability to balance competing demands and manage time in a fast-paced work environment
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent

VALUED SKILLS

• Demonstrates ability to organize and oversee complex workstreams, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities.
• Highly self-directed leader, able to track progress across multiple teams and projects, and ensures commitments are delivered in a timely manner, holding others accountable to meet deadlines.
• Proven experience managing managers and senior staff, setting clear expectations, coaching underperformance, building resilient and accountable teams.
• Strong track record of owning outcomes, managing operational and reputational risks, and ensuring compliance with internal controls and regulations.
• Strong ability to work collaboratively across departments to align priorities, manage dependencies, and deliver shared objectives.
• Highly self-directed leader with the interpersonal judgement to engage, motivate, and influence diverse teams
• Leads with integrity, respect, and a strong commitment to duty of care and staff wellbeing.

What We Offer:

• Join a leading multi-disciplinary humanitarian organization – part of the world’s largest humanitarian network
• Rewarding work in a humanitarian and multicultural environment
• A full-time resident position based in D.C.
• Competitive salary
• Lucrative benefits package that includes:
• Robust health and dental insurance plan
• 20 paid vacation days (annually)
• 13 paid holidays + 1 floating holiday
• 7 paid sick/personal days (annually)
• 11.5% Employer contribution for our 403b retirement plan
• Exciting professional development program
• A hybrid working model with flexible scheduling and partial teleworking options in coordination with HoRD