Emergency Women’s Protection and Empowerment Coordinator (Global Surge) at IRC: Apply by 31 Jul 2026

The humanitarian sector offers unique opportunities for professionals who want to create lasting impact in some of the world’s most challenging environments. The Emergency Women’s Protection and Empowerment (WPE) Coordinator, Global Surge position with the International Rescue Committee presents exactly such an opportunity.

Recently advertised through ReliefWeb, this role is designed for experienced Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and protection specialists who are ready to deploy rapidly to humanitarian emergencies around the world. Applications remain open until 31 July 2026.

About the International Rescue Committee

Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the International Rescue Committee has become one of the world’s leading humanitarian organizations. Operating in more than 30 countries and multiple cities across the United States, the IRC provides lifesaving assistance to people affected by conflict, disasters, displacement, and humanitarian crises.

The organization’s mission focuses on helping vulnerable populations survive, recover, and rebuild their lives with dignity and hope.

Understanding the Global Surge Team

This position is part of the IRC’s Global Surge Team (GST), a specialized roster of highly qualified humanitarian professionals who deploy on short notice to support emergency operations worldwide.

Unlike traditional full-time field positions, Global Surge Team members are expected to be available for deployments approximately 50 percent of the year. Assignments can last up to three months and often involve working in rapidly evolving humanitarian contexts where immediate expertise is needed.

For professionals who enjoy dynamic environments, international travel, and emergency response work, this model offers both flexibility and meaningful impact.

The Importance of Women’s Protection in Humanitarian Emergencies

Women and girls often face heightened risks during humanitarian crises. Conflict, natural disasters, displacement, and social instability can significantly increase exposure to Gender-Based Violence, exploitation, abuse, and other protection concerns.

The Emergency WPE Coordinator plays a critical leadership role in ensuring that women and girls receive appropriate protection services and have access to safe, inclusive, and empowering programs.

This position requires both technical expertise and strategic leadership to establish effective GBV prevention and response mechanisms in emergency settings.

Key Responsibilities

Assessing Needs in Crisis Settings

One of the first tasks during an emergency deployment is understanding the context and identifying protection risks.

The coordinator will:

• Conduct rapid needs assessments
• Identify high-risk areas affecting women and girls
• Analyze stakeholders and potential partners
• Map available services and response gaps
• Assess emerging Gender-Based Violence risks

These assessments provide the foundation for effective humanitarian programming.

Leading Emergency Protection Programming

The successful candidate will oversee the design, launch, and management of Women’s Protection and Empowerment programs.

Key areas include:

• GBV case management services
• Women and girls’ safe spaces
• GBV prevention initiatives
• Risk mitigation activities
• Community-based protection programming

The coordinator will also work closely with local organizations, particularly women-led and women’s rights groups, to strengthen locally driven responses.

Managing Grants and Budgets

Strong project management skills are essential.

Responsibilities include:

• Managing donor-funded projects
• Developing work plans and implementation strategies
• Supporting procurement and resource planning
• Monitoring budgets and expenditures
• Preparing donor reports and proposals

Experience with major humanitarian donors such as UN agencies and institutional funders is highly valued.

Building and Supporting Teams

The coordinator will recruit, supervise, and mentor emergency response staff.

This includes:

• Staff onboarding and training
• Technical coaching
• Performance management
• Capacity strengthening
• Ensuring adherence to safeguarding and protection standards

Strong leadership skills are critical, especially in high-pressure environments where teams must deliver results quickly and effectively.

Coordination and Representation

Humanitarian work requires close collaboration with multiple stakeholders.

The Emergency WPE Coordinator will regularly engage with:

• United Nations agencies
• Government counterparts
• International NGOs
• Local civil society organizations
• Donors and coordination bodies

The role also involves representing IRC in Gender-Based Violence coordination meetings and advocating for improved protection standards across humanitarian responses.

Qualifications and Experience Required

IRC is seeking candidates who possess:

• A postgraduate degree in social work, psychology, social sciences, or a related field
• At least five years of experience in GBV response programming
• Experience managing emergency humanitarian projects
• Strong proposal-writing and reporting skills
• Experience supervising teams in complex environments
• Budget and grant management expertise
• Excellent communication and leadership abilities

Experience working with IRC systems and familiarity with donors such as UNHCR, FCDO, BPRM, and ECHO are considered strong advantages.

Fluency in English is required, while knowledge of Arabic, French, or Spanish is highly desirable.

Why This Role Stands Out

This opportunity offers much more than a traditional humanitarian position. It places professionals at the forefront of global emergency response efforts, enabling them to directly improve the safety, dignity, and wellbeing of women and girls affected by crisis.

The role combines strategic leadership, technical expertise, partnership development, and field deployment experience. It also provides exposure to some of the most significant humanitarian operations worldwide.

For experienced GBV and protection professionals seeking a challenging and impactful career path, the Emergency Women’s Protection and Empowerment Coordinator position with the International Rescue Committee represents an exceptional opportunity to contribute to life-saving humanitarian action while advancing gender equality and protection outcomes globally.

Application Deadline: 31 July 2026. Interested candidates can apply through the IRC careers portal and join a global network of professionals dedicated to protecting vulnerable communities during times of crisis.

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Disclaimer: Remote Job Opportunities (RJO) is not the organization offering this opportunity. For any inquiries, please contact the responsible organization directly. Please do not send your applications to RJO, as we are unable to process them. Due to the high volume of  emails we receive daily, we may not be able to respond to all inquiries. Thank you for your understanding.