Refugee support and integration officer jobs in west london, greater london

BACKGROUND
Over the past 90 years, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has developed unparalleled expertise in responding to emergencies and helping uprooted communities to rebuild. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. The IRC is on the ground in more than 40 countries, providing emergency relief, relocating refugees and rebuilding lives in the wake of disaster.

The IRC is committed to a culture of bold leadership, innovation in all aspects of our work, creative partnerships and, most crucially, accountability to those we serve. The IRC is a tireless advocate for the most vulnerable.

IRC UK
IRC UK is part of the IRC global network, which has its global headquarters in New York. Our team in the UK works to raise profile, deliver policy and practice change, and increase funding to help restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Since 2021, IRC UK has also provided integration services directly to refugees in England, a programme that is rapidly growing.

In Europe, the IRC also has offices in Berlin, Bonn, Brussels, Geneva and Stockholm.

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​The Purpose of the Role

The ideal candidate will have experience in the corporate financial services sector and they will have demonstrated experience developing corporate partnerships in support of humanitarian and development work. As a Senior Officer with a dedicated portfolio of established Financial Services partners, you will build tailored fundraising strategies and activations, focusing on incremental and sustained revenue generation. The Senior Officer will also demonstrate a passion for the IRC's mission, nuanced understanding of private sector fundraising, and dedication to the organization's diversity, equity, and inclusion values.

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Key Working Relationships

• ​Associate Director of Financial Services Partnerships and the Senior Officer of Financial Services Partnerships
• Senior Communications Officer, Partnership Comms
• Director, Health and Financial Services, Global Corporate Partnerships

     KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

• ​Collaborate with the Associate Director, Financial Services to steward and cultivate a $2M+ USD portfolio of partners in support of the Global Corporate Partnerships Financial Services strategy with a focus on diversified funding streams, growing unrestricted funds, and expanding influence;
• Help to deliver a robust strategy for the Global Financial Services sector; identifying and initiating strategies for sector partnerships through a variety of partnership models (e.g. strategic, employee engagement, pro bono expertise, etc.)
• Implement stewardship, engagement and growth strategies for partners within the portfolio including account plans, proposal submissions and partnership discussions.
• Develop materials for partners or prospects, including proposed partnership overviews and activation ideas, concept notes, proposals, presentations, and reports, from drafts through to final line-editing and formatting.
• Work closely with the External Relations teams (e.g., digital, creative studio, events) to leverage finance-related virtual and in-person events and campaigns to support the overall fundraising efforts of the organization.
• Maintain and update account management plan for each portfolio partner as needed, including evaluating key performance indicators and delivering upon strategies for revenue growth and donor satisfaction.
• Facilitate information flows between prospects and donors, program staff and fellow fundraisers;Undertake special assignments, as needed.

​PERSON SPECIFICATION

​Essential

Skills, Knowledge and Competencies:

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• ​Demonstrate the capacity to adapt, pivot successfully, and handle higher visibility challenges on a regular basis both with donors/prospects and internally;
•   Demonstrate the capacity and professional expertise to execute senior level donor meetings;
•     Ability to exercise and execute creative solutions with minimal oversight to meet the needs of the IRC and portfolio;
•     Ability to develop thoughtful project management plans and implement them in timely and detailed fashion
•    Excellent interpersonal skills and written and oral communication skills: the ability to effectively interact with a variety of internal and external contacts with confidence and poise.

​Experience:

• ​Considerable relevant experience or strong interest in the financial services sector and community
• Experience of partnership development and/or front-line corporate fundraising experience in a dynamic, fast-paced environment;
• Experience identifying and exploring new and creative ways of engaging with companies and their communities, influencers, and other partners to support humanitarian efforts.

Desirable:

• ​Strong project management skills, experience working on multiple projects with global cross-functional teams;
• ​Ability to travel for partnership meetings internationally for conferences, meetings, etc.

​Criteria in the Person Specification marked with ** are the minimum criteria in line with our commitments under the Disability Confident Employer Scheme. Candidates who state that they have a disability and meet these criteria, will be invited to interview.

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Standard Responsibilities

• ​Promote and actively participate in initiatives and efforts to build team engagement, inclusion and cohesion in IRC London office
• Foster ongoing learning, honest dialogue and reflection to strengthen safeguarding and to promote IRC values and adherence to IRC policies

BACKGROUND

Over the past 80 years, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has developed unparalleled expertise in responding to emergencies and helping uprooted communities to rebuild. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC’s mission is to help people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future. The IRC is on the ground in more than 40 countries, providing emergency relief and rebuilding lives in the wake of disaster. The IRC is committed to a culture of bold leadership, innovation in all aspects of our work, creative partnerships and, most crucially, accountability to those we serve.

IRC UK
IRC UK is part of the IRC global network, which has its global headquarters in New York. Our team in the UK works to raise profile, deliver policy and practice change, and increase funding to help restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Since 2021, IRC UK has also provided integration services directly to refugees in the UK a programme that is rapidly growing.

In Europe, the IRC currently operates in the UK, Sweden, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Poland, Serbia and Ukraine.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The P&C Director manages the HR teams across the IRC UK, Switzerland, Belgium and Sweden, and is accountable for effective HR service delivery, HR compliance and continuous improvement within the scope of the People & Culture department to cultivate the desired culture, talent practices, and investments to deliver on our people strategy. This position plays pivotal role in fostering a positive, inclusive and high-performing workplace culture that aligns with IRC’s values through exceptional communication skills. They are deeply committed to achieving operational excellence and modelling the values of an engaging and respectful workplace where everyone can be at their best.

Reporting into the Regional Director, P&C Europe and collaborating closely with colleagues across Global People & Culture, the role provides insights supporting the implementation of People & Culture priorities across the 300+ IRC colleagues in the UK, Switzerland, Belgium and Sweden as determined by the respective country Executive Directors and the Regional Director P&C Europe.

As a member of the UK Senior Management Team (SMT) the role also supports the delivery of these priorities, and serves as an advisor and coach with a keen focus on building leadership competencies and organizational effectiveness.  The role is also part of the global P&C community to participate and stay informed of global change initiatives and to shape or adapt them to IRC UK’s culture and regulatory environment.

This role supports the UK Executive Director in managing the relationship with the UK Trade Union, Unite, including quarterly meetings with Union Representatives and ensuring smooth consultation and negotiation on matters where relevant including the annual salary review, restructures and complex employee relations matters. The post holder has an excellent understanding of Union relations and rights, working collaborative to ensure compliance and the bets outcomes for IRC UK and employees within the bounds of what is possible in the organisation.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. P&C Strategic Leadership and Management (~25%)

· Serve as a strategic advisor to the local HR Managers, Executive Directors, and UK Senior Management Team (SMT) on succession planning, providing key insights to facilitate future leadership transitions.

· Act as a thought partner to the SMT, offering strategic guidance on People & Culture (P&C), and organizational culture/values to align with the mission and goals.

· Supervise and be a supportive leader to approximately 5-7 P&C staff within the UK, Belgium, Swizterland, and Sweden HR Team, ensuring the leadership and management of direct reports are handled with excellence.  Accountable for the overall quality and effectiveness of the P&C team, actively monitoring progress against established goals.

· Take the lead on conducting talent dialogues, recommending development opportunities, and coaching on conducting high-quality conversations during performance reviews.

· Serve as an advocate for Employee Wellbeing, Employee Engagement, and Safeguarding priorities and role model safe, inclusive, and caring leadership standards.

· Provide constructive feedback and guidance on career paths and professional development for the P&C team and IRC staff; establish a culture of continuous learning opportunities.

· Partner with peers to facilitate the workforce planning, including, managing workforce adjustments, such as staff reductions, or scale up, including organizational design work, in partnership with senior management teams, the Regional Director, People & Culture Europe and Global People & Culture Partners, ensuring these actions comply with local legal requirements and IRC's country and Global policies while minimizing risks and supporting affected staff.

· Support management through coaching, development, tools and guidance to build a team of skilled, committed, and motivated staff, ready to advance in their career.

· Manage the UK HR budget with support from colleagues in FP&A for planning, budgeting and reforecasting of expenditure.

· Prepare reporting to the UK Board of Trustees, including presentation to the full Board and People and Culture Committee.

2. Manage HR Service Delivery and Core Operations (~40%)

· Oversee the creation and tracking of P&C objectives, ensuring alignment with organizational goals including but not limited to providing support and contributions to the design and implementation of global shared solutions models that deliver meaningful outcomes and service improvements.

· Actively engage in proposal design and grant review meetings, providing expert advice on organizational structure, position scoping, demographic and staffing analysis to build a robust P&C foundation that supports high program quality.

· Drive informed decision making by using data to support people and culture functions, ensuring all data reporting requirements, including to the UK Board and reporting as required for UK programmes donors are delivered accurately and in a timely manner.

· Oversee end-to-end P&C activities across the employee lifecycle, including onboarding and exits, payroll, benefits, contract management, performance management, workforce reporting, and year-round staff communications to ensure high-quality outcomes aligned with organizational standards and strategic objectives.

· Ensure the development and implementation of high-quality, context-specific improvement plans and practices in areas such as recruitment, compensation and benefits, employee relations, onboarding, offboarding, contract management, learning and development, performance management, leave management, code of conduct compliance, legal compliance, HR Information Systems, coordination of policy development and implementation, etc.

· Advise supervisors on appropriate disciplinary actions, serve as an impartial mediator in disciplinary proceedings, and oversee follow-up measures to ensure fairness, compliance with employment laws, and adherence to labor regulations.

3. Workplace Culture (~15%)

· Promote initiatives that enhance the employee experience, team engagement, inclusion, and cohesion fostering an environment conducive to continuous learning and honest dialogue.

· Foster a healthy organizational culture. Oversee the integration of IRC’s Values, People Manager Standards, and Employee Success Factors throughout the employee lifecycle.

· Safeguarding:  promote best practice through the integration of safeguarding considerations in hiring, recruitment and onboarding practices, ensuring that all IRC employees receive orientation to IRC's Safeguarding Policy and expectations.

· Ensure that the IRC Way and information on reporting channels are sign-posted in all IRC office locations.

· Partner with IRC’s global Ethics, Compliance and Global Employee Relations investigations to promote safe, healthy and respectful workplaces.

· With the support of the  Duty of Care colleagues and Regional Director People & Culture Europe, provide guidance and support for all staff-related duty of care initiatives, and critical incident response is delivered according to organizational standards.

· Ensure strong connectivity and communication among P&C staff to foster a cohesive team environment.

· Actively participate in and support staff meetings to foster a collaborative work environment.

4. Collaborate with the Union (~15%)

· Working with the UK Executive Director, maintain a positive working relationship with the UK Trade Union representatives, Unite.

· Negotiate and consult with the Trade Union, facilitating the quarterly Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) meetings and ensuring a good relationship is maintained and progress is made with key priorities including introduction of new policies, policy updates and salary review negotiations.

· Develop and manage union engagement and communication plans aimed at maintaining a healthy and empowering office environment that promotes open, honest, and productive communication.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

• Indirect reporting to Europe Regional P&C Director
• Partners with UK Executive Director and the UK SMT
• Manages the UK HR Operations Manager, UK HR staff, and the heads of HR in Switzerland, Belgium and Sweden
• Collaborates with Trade Union Representatives
• Oversees contracts with Employees and External consultants and vendors
• Collaborates with Global P&C team members at all levels
• Collaborates with senior managers across the organisation

PERSON SPECIFICATIONS

· CIPD qualified with experience of complex HR processes in the UK including restructures, TUPE and employee relations.**

· Significant experience in an HR leadership role, with broad knowledge and experience across the spectrum of People & Culture responsibilities.**

· Strong teamwork approach with quality interpersonal and analytical skills who can work seamlessly in a global matrix organization.

· Experience working in a complex international matrix organsiation a plus.

· Strong knowledge of UK employment law, with experience of advising and influencing senior leaders.**

· Experience of working with Trade Unions on a range of matters.**

· People management experience.**

· High level of confidentiality and tact.

· High level of service orientation and excellent intercultural communication skills.

· Ability to work under pressure, manage and prioritize competing priorities from different stakeholders.

· Ability to drive manage projects with a high degree of subject matter complexity and a high number of stakeholders independently

· Willingness to take on a high level of responsibility and independence in day-to-day work.