The Deputy Regional Director (DRD), Asia Region will have significant management and international experience, a passion for humanitarian relief and development work, relevant language skills, and be capable of thoroughly understanding and successfully overseeing program design and delivery in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, Thailand and multi-country regional projects (as applicable). The DRD will ensure the delivery of high-quality programs across the region that advance our organizational Strategy 100 goals of achieving impact at scale. This includes developing new program opportunities, supporting evidence-based design alongside technical teams, and driving performance and results in the region. S/he is expected to be an outstanding communicator, team leader, and a committed humanitarian/development practitioner.

SCOPE OF WORK

The Deputy Regional Director (DRD) will support the Regional Vice President (RVP) in overseeing IRC’s engagement and programming across the arc of crisis, recovery, development, and nexus contexts in the Asia region. S/he will lead or coordinate efforts to ensure program quality across strategic, programmatic, and operational management. The DRD will work closely with country programs to provide guidance, strengthen regional coherence, and support the delivery of high-impact, contextually grounded interventions. As and when required, the DRD will also collaborate with IRC’s Resettlement, Asylum, and Integration (RAI) Unit and the Resettlement Support Centre (RSC) Asia to support refugee resettlement efforts in the region, ensuring alignment with global standards and regional priorities. In addition, the DRD will engage with regional INGOs, UN agencies, and donor representatives to position the IRC on regional and multi-country initiatives and advance IRC’s strategic objectives. The DRD will also be actively engaged in business development, particularly focusing on multi-year, high-value funding opportunities.

The DRD will be based in either Bangladesh, Pakistan or Thailand, and report to the Regional Vice President (RVP) Asia.

Position Overview

The Deputy Regional Director (DRD) will support and oversee program design and implementation in IRC’s country programs in the Asia region. S/he will be an ambassador for organizational priorities and goals to these country programs and support country programs to continue to implement IRC’s Strategy 100 through the implementation of their Strategy Action Plans (SAPs), focusing on cross-functional collaboration for quality delivery, client first, strategic partnership, business development, monitoring, and learning. S/he will be a model of organizational leadership and driving performance in the region while partnering with the RVP on promoting a culture of openness, transparency, duty of care for all staff and duty of service for our clients, and power rebalance in favor of those closest to frontline need and interventions.

Exercising the delegated authority of the Regional Vice President (RVP), and through supervision of and collaboration with key regional and functional counterparts, the DRD supports a range of strategic, programmatic, and operational management matters with country programs and regional colleagues. A key function of the role is to navigate and influence the organization on behalf of the country’s programs. The DRD will travel regularly to country offices to provide management support, including exceptional management of specific issues as required, and to monitor program quality and strategy delivery. A sizable portion of the DRD’s time will be spent on business development activities (details of key responsibilities are outlined below), regional representational activities, SAP monitoring, and staff mentoring.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy

• Work closely with the RVP to ensure that IRC’s global Strategy100 and Country SAPs guide decision-making throughout the region. This includes being the Strategy lead at the regional level, ensuring the active engagement of the regional team in the development of and reviews of countries’ strategic goals.

• Collaborate closely with Country Directors to ensure alignment and coherence between country-level strategies and regional and global priorities, and to support effective execution of strategic plans.

• Oversee implementation and support delivery of country SAPs, SAP Implementation Plans (SAP-IPs), and strategic investments; monitor and review process, including leading annual SAP reviews and reporting.

• Build and maintain a common vision for what shared success in the region looks like, including supporting implementation of the regional road map and developing and tracking appropriate indicators/metrics.

• Drive IRC’s priorities in the region and countries as per Phase 2 of S100; Impact at Scale, Program & Learn, etc.

• Facilitate and amplify IRC Strategy 100 ambitions and SAP-IPs at the country level. Promote and facilitate the delivery of impact at scale through various program approaches and modalities – aligned with IRC’s vision and mission.

• Facilitate and coordinate regional participation in global strategy discussions, initiatives, and pilots.

• Together with the RVP and other members of the regional team, ensure Asia has necessary data & performance routines and use of data products in place to support quality program delivery. Mobilize the required support to ensure data collection, analysis, and use at country and regional levels.

Leadership, Coordination, and Management

• Supervise and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting performance objectives, providing regular and timely feedback, and leading documented semi-annual performance reviews.

• Provide leadership to increase country programs’ coordination, collaboration, communication, and harmonization of programming.

• Oversee and champion complex, multi-country (sometimes multi-region), high impact at scale projects. This includes working closely with Project Directors (sometimes supervising) and Country Directors to ensure close oversight of implementation, as well as participating in Advisory Boards and engaging with donors and other external partners.

• Drive seamless coordination between programming and operations and across sectors and outcomes, with the objective of improving the quality of IRC programs and impact on the people IRC serves.

• Facilitate close and efficient coordination of regional staff’s support to the country programs, and with headquarters departments on common programming, operational and funding issues.

• Support the region and country offices during emergencies and crises by providing strategic guidance, rapid coordination, and resource mobilization to ensure effective emergency response and continuity of programming.

• In close coordination with the RVP, coordinate with regional INGOs, Donors and UN representatives, ensuring that IRC remains a key partner in coordination mechanisms.

• Continuous horizon scanning for strategic and funding opportunities in the region, ensuring proactive positioning and timely engagement with emerging trends, advocacy efforts, donors, and partnerships.

• In partnership with Technical Directors/Deputy Directors, support the Regional Technical Leads to strengthen Technical Unit (TU)-country program collaboration and sectoral integration to optimize impact on program quality within and across country programs.

• In coordination with the Regional Technical Leads, ensure that programs are designed and implemented in support of IRC’s vision of cost-effective, outcomes-driven, and evidence-based interventions that are responsive to the local context and the priorities of our clients.

• Oversee the design and implementation of IRC’s work in partnership with local actors and systems (civil society, national/subnational actors) and other stakeholders, positioning IRC as a valued INGO partner.

• In collaboration with EHAU, strengthen the region's readiness to respond to new emergencies in line with global IRC emergency response and preparedness guidelines. This may include innovative/different approaches as well as efficient and effective use of available human resources in the region to strengthen coordination and support to countries on Emergency Preparedness and Response.

• In coordination with the Regional Technical Leads and Regional Measurement Advisors, facilitate sharing and learning across countries, and support country programs to incorporate learning from other regions into project design and operations management.

• In coordination with the Regional Technical Leads and Regional Measurement Advisors, ensure the use of evidence in the design of new projects/programs and the systematic collection of data (MEAL, client, quality, etc.) throughout implementation.

• Engage the regional team and country programs in ongoing context analysis to ensure IRC programs are continually adapted to the evolving contexts across the region. This includes ensuring that we are consistently reflecting on intersectional issues to inform and adapt our programming, and ensure it is safe and not causing harm to our clients.

• Promote and support the establishment of clear accountability practices across the region—ensuring country teams uphold IRC’s client responsiveness, safeguarding, and ethical standards, and that feedback and complaints mechanisms are accessible, inclusive, and acted upon.

• Where applicable, support country teams to adopt and use industry-standard remote management practices and maximize program quality and controls.

• Mitigate risks to program delivery through maintaining a careful understanding of delivery/project performance (including high impact and scale projects) across the portfolio.

Program Quality and Delivery

Business Development and Donor Relations

• In coordination with IRC’s Awards Management Unit, provide business development support to country programs, supporting countries to mobilize the resources needed to win multi-year/high value projects.

• In the complex and competitive funding environment, work closely with the AMU and Country Directors to strengthen resource mobilization efforts, ensuring strategic alignment and maximizing funding opportunities.

• Take go/no-go decisions regarding pursuit of funding opportunities in the region.

• Through close collaboration with the Director of Awards Management (DAM) and/or Head of Business Development (HBD), ensure timely submission of competitive, responsive, and high-quality proposals that align with country priorities identified in SAPs and SAP-IPs, and support country program colleagues in negotiations with the donors.

• Provide country-level support on donor relationship management as required, including strategic engagement, maintaining key partnerships, and supporting donor retention and stewardship efforts.

• Advise country programs in networking and alliance-building activities, promoting cross-sectoral engagement with the private sector, universities, research institutions, and other “non-traditional” partners.

• Support the development of country business development plans which marry the priority outcomes identified in each country SAP/SAP-IP with the priorities of existing and new donors.

External Representation and Advocacy

• The DRD will support the RVP as an external representative for the region, working closely together to represent the IRC in key forums, donor meetings, and regional platforms.

• In coordination with Country Directors, engage in strong regional-level representation with governments, donors, international and local NGOs.

• Shape and lead the development of regional policy positions and advocacy messages related to the humanitarian context and IRC’s response, ensuring they are evidence-based, aligned with country program priorities, and strategically communicated to influence key stakeholders.

• Work closely with IRC’s global advocacy and communications teams, country programs, and technical units to craft unified regional narratives, elevate underrepresented issues, and amplify the voices of affected communities in regional and global policy discussions.

• In consultation with the RVP and as delegated, serve as IRC’s regional focal point in dedicated/decided capacity in various regional platforms (e.g., Technical Focal Point for Asia Displacement Solutions Platform (ADSP); representing IRC Asia in ICVA (International Council of Voluntary Agencies) initiatives to advance collective humanitarian action and policy influence).

Strategic Partnerships and Localization Leadership

• Champion Strategic Partnerships: Lead the operationalization of IRC’s global partnership ambitions in the region by embedding partnership goals into country SAPs, promoting accountability for the goals, and fostering a culture of collaboration, and modeling power sharing with local actors.

• Lead Regional Implementation of the Partnerships Roadmap: Serve as a key driver of the IRC Partnerships Roadmap, with a particular focus on Wave 1 and 2 priorities, including: timely partnership agreement delivery, timely partner payments, and ensuring enabling systems, policies, and support for local partners.

• Promote Systems Change via Partnership: Facilitate system-level change by promoting IRC’s role as a supportive partner to local government, civil society, and private sector national/subnational institutions, including community-based and women-led organizations. This includes transitioning from direct implementation where possible and elevating local leadership.

• Foster Partnership Readiness Across Country Programs: Ensure country teams are equipped to assess, engage, and co-design with partners, including by establishing the core ‘partnership building blocks’ and through investment in capacity strengthening, risk sharing, and co-implementation models.

• Model Accountability to Partners: Enforce IRC’s partnership principles and standards, ensuring that partners receive timely payments, fair treatment, equal participation in decision-making, and capacity-sharing opportunities.

• Drive Interdepartmental Coordination on Partnership Goals: Ensure seamless coordination across AMU, Technical Units, Finance, Supply Chain, and Legal to support high-quality, equitable partnerships.

• Participate in Partnership Governance Bodies: Represent the CRRD in the Partnership Working Group (PWG) and in regional Action Teams aligned with Roadmap implementation, shaping IRC’s global partnership practice from the field.

Emergency Preparedness and Response Leadership

• Coordinate Emergency Responses Across the Region: Facilitate regional coordination for emergency responses, including activation of internal emergency protocols, classification of incidents, and decision-making in line with the principle of subsidiarity, prioritizing country-led responses and in coordination with the Emergency Unit

• Strengthen Country-Level Preparedness: Oversee and support the development and implementation of country-level emergency preparedness plans aligned with IRC’s global Preparedness Framework in coordination with the Director for Program Quality and Performance in Emergencies

• Ensure Technical and Operational Support: Coordinate with HQ, Emergency Unit, and regional counterparts (Technical Units, Supply Chain, Finance, HR, Safety & Security) to ensure timely deployment of technical and operational support during emergencies. Support regional alignment and support according to the Emergency Management Guidelines and Quality in Emergencies TA model.

• Advice on Go/No-Go Decisions: Provide strategic input and leadership for response activation decisions, and support country teams in the development of response strategies and donor engagement plans.

• Monitor and Learn from Responses: Facilitate post-response evaluations, cross-country learning, and knowledge management, feeding into continuous improvement of IRC’s emergency response readiness.

• Representation and Advocacy: Represent the region in emergency-related forums internally and externally and ensure IRC’s position as a regional humanitarian leader is maintained.

Direct Reports and Supervision Responsibilities

• Direct supervision of Director of Awards Management (DAM), Regional Measurement Advisor (RMA), Regional Technical Leads, Regional Partnership Advisor (if applicable); multi-country/regional high impact and scale projects’ Project Directors (if applicable), and any other position (as and when added/applicable) agreed by and in consultation with the RVP.

Each region’s Regional Technical Leads are managed in partnership (MiP) with Technical Unit’s Deputy Directors – roles & responsibilities are outlined in the Regional Technical Lead MiP Agreement.

• Coaching and mentoring of country DDPs (and other members of country SMT, where appropriate) in support of functioning SMTs and effective cross-functional management. Establish MiP with the DDPs.

Key Working Relationships

• Internal: Regional Vice President; Country Directors, DDPs and country teams; Regional AMU and RPAS, HBD, other regional staff; other Deputy Regional Directors; HQ and all global capitals from various departments; Technical Units (TU), RAI, AIRBEL

• External: Donors; Local and international NGO representatives; UN officials; think tanks and other academic and analytical stakeholders; and Media

Qualifications & Experience

• Minimum of 7–10 years’ experience in senior program management roles, including substantial time with an international NGO.

• Proven experience working within the Asian region, with a deep understanding of its geopolitical, cultural, and operational contexts.

• Postgraduate degree in a relevant discipline (e.g., international development, public policy, social sciences), or equivalent practical experience.

• Fluency in English is required; proficiency in additional native languages of the Asia Region is a strong asset.

• Regional Candidates: IRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified staff in our programs and we strongly encourage candidates from the countries within this geographic region to apply.

• Attention Returning National Candidates: IRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified national staff in our programs. We strongly encourage national or returning national candidates to apply for this position. If you are a national of the country in which this position is based and are currently located outside of your home country you are highly encouraged to apply.

• Extensive programmatic background with robust expertise in Fund Raising/Business Development, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL); strong strategic planning and analytical skills.

• Demonstrated ability to build consensus and influence diverse stakeholders — including peer agencies, government entities, and community leaders — toward shared objectives.

• Experience in assessing and applying best practices across multiple technical areas to drive consistent, high-quality, and rapid program outcomes.

• Proven track record in external representation, partnership development, and negotiations that have resulted in securing significant opportunities and resources.

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including coaching, negotiation, and the ability to lead across varied management styles.

• Ability to work autonomously in dynamic environments, maintaining high performance with minimal supervision.

• Strong alignment with IRC’s mission, values, and humanitarian principles.

• This position may be based in either Thailand, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia (or any other IRC registered location close to Asia time zone).

• The position requires up to 40% of time traveling in the region.

How to apply

https://careers.rescue.org/us/en/job/req59137/Deputy-Regional-Director-Asia