Senior Director, Technical Excellence

POSITION SUMMARY:

HIAS seeks a Senior Director, Technical Excellence to supervise and support HIAS’ team of Technical Directors and a Program Specialist, ensuring the strategic alignment, consistency, integration, and quality of HIAS programming. As a member of the International Programs Leadership Group (comprised of this position, the Vice President, International Program, and two Regional Directors), the Senior Director, Technical Excellence works with International Programs, along with other departments and divisions within HIAS, including other Programs Departments (U.S. Programs, Emergency Department, Humanitarian Partnerships, Policy and Practice), Strategy & Measurement, and Public Affairs (Advocacy, Development, and Communications) to design and strengthen HIAS’ technical programming, International Programs’ Research & Learning Agendas, and Public Affairs & Visibility Strategy with HIAS’ Refugee Rights Framework. S/he ensures focused collaboration, performance metrics and ideas for solutions to opportunities and challenges HIAS faces in continuing to institutionalize four core programming areas (Legal Protection; Gender/GBV; Mental Health and Psychosocial Support; and Economic Inclusion). The Senior Director, Technical Excellence ensures HIAS is seen as a leader in those four areas, supporting Technical Directors’ work with HIAS’ Public Affairs colleagues to influence policy makers, donors, and practitioner. The Senior Director, Technical Excellence will chair HIAS’ Programs Working Group for the duration of the COVID crisis helping to identify areas of innovation and adaptation.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

STRATEGY, PLANNING & QUALITY

• Strategic Planning: Provide strategic input for International Programs, including leadership and support to Technical Directors in creating field-informed core program strategies and guiding programmatic decision making.
• Integrated Programming: Support the Vice President, International Programs in guiding Technical Directors and Country Leadership on regional and country level strategies.
• Quality Assurance: Ensure technical programs delivered globally meet highest international standards reflecting evidence-based, beneficiary-centered programming.
• Senior Leadership and Representation: Represent Technical Directors in the International Programs Leadership Group and on HIAS’ Leadership Team; represent HIAS externally in partner forums, donor meetings and external events to raise the visibility of HIAS’ core programming areas.
• Emergency Response: Lead and work closely with the Emergency Department on the inclusion and mainstreaming of all core programs in HIAS’ Emergency Response strategy and Five Year Plan, including capacity building, development of tools and support to emergency response activities.
• Measurement and Evaluation: Work closely with Strategy & Measurement to finalize and support HIAS’ Research & Learning Agendas; spearhead and contribute to case studies, promising practices, lessons learned and other knowledge-based products to share HIAS’ learning with the broader forced migration field.
• Communications and Visibility:** Lead development and implementation of International Programs’ Public Affairs & Visibility Strategy with input from key International Programs team members and field-based colleagues and partners.
• Reporting: Contribute to monthly and quarterly reports as needed for internal, Board and other audiences, providing concise updates on impact of technical program support and leadership.

MANAGEMENT & SUPERVISION

• Directly supervise Technical Directors for Economic Inclusion, Legal Protection, and Resilience Programs, fostering the highest possible level of teamwork and communications among the Technical Directors through direct supervision and performance metric setting.
• Support Technical Directors in new proposal development and positioning with funders.
• Work with Technical Directors to identify and/or support research projects with clear ties to programmatic and/or advocacy goals through technical advice on research strategy, research methodologies and questions, communications strategies, final recommendations, and advocacy.
• Lead weekly Technical Directors meetings to leverage their collective expertise to develop HIAS specific specialized and integrated programming models and approaches.
• Hold regular meetings with Technical Directors and Regional Directors to ensure progress towards International Programs’ stated goals.
• Lead COVID-19 Programs Working Group, an ongoing, cross-divisional initiative to identify and address the impact of the pandemic on HIAS’ delivery of programs globally.
• Provide timely and effective communication of issues and decisions by International Programs Leadership to Technical Directors.
• Track and document key strategic internal and external meetings, ensuring that key action points are communicated to Technical Directors and follow-up occurs as necessary.
• Directly supervise Program Specialist to help support efforts by Technical Directors to achieve International Programs’ stated goals, including through administrative support and coordination, editing, formatting, researching, and drafting.

INTERDEPARTMENTAL COHESION & COORDINATION

• Chair the COVID-focused Programmatic Working Group.
• Co-chair the Global Learning Group with the Vice President, Strategy & Measurement.
• Support productive working relationships between Technical Director and HIAS Divisions, and specific departments, including U.S. Programs, Strategy & Management, Budget & Fiscal Compliance, and all Public Affairs departments.
• Represent Technical Directors inputs and concerns to Vice President, International Programs, Regional Directors and different parts of HIAS to address bottlenecks, or troubleshoot as needed.
• Participate in HIAS Leadership Team meetings.
• Lead meetings with Regional Directors and Technical Directors to ensure progress on key regional and global projects.
• Build and maintain strong relationships at all levels of the organization to ensure input is solicited and different views are represented in decision making.

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS:

• Graduate degree or equivalent in international development or other relevant social science, and working knowledge of international systems, statistics, economics, politics, human rights and/or environmental issues required.
• Minimum of fifteen (15) years of experience in a related field; at least five (5) years in prior leadership and management roles (of teams of at least five or more) with at least three (3) years of experience working overseas.
• Demonstrated leadership in program and organization-level design.
• Prior experience overseeing complex visibility, research and learning agendas.
• Ability to solve problems that are strategic in nature and develop new solutions to complex problems.
• Experience and expertise raising funds from bilateral, multilateral and private donors.
• Experience working in the international development and/or refugee protection field, including relevant experience in the field.
• Excellent organizational and facilitation skills; strong oral and written communication skills required.
• Ability to travel up to 25% of the time.

ABOUT US:

HIAS is a global Jewish nonprofit organization working across five continents to ensure that refugees and displaced persons are protected. Throughout the United States, we help refugees reunite with families, resettle and become self-sufficient. Guided by our values and history, we help refugees rebuild their lives in safety and security and advocate to ensure that all displaced people are treated with dignity.

HIAS is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. As an equal opportunity employer, all qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, ethnic background, citizenship status, religious creed, sex, gender, sexual orientation, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, familial status, pregnancy, childbirth, age, protected veteran status, political orientation or other legally protected status.