WRC Director – Global Research and Impact
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Job Description
Global research director leading rigorous studies, impact measurement, and fundraising for Women's Refugee Commission. Advancing evidence-based policy and humanitarian responses for displaced women and girls.
Responsibilities:
- Guide WRC's global research agenda and strengthen the organization's ability to define and demonstrate impact
- Serve as principal investigator on key studies
- Manage the research team and support geographically dispersed research staff, consultants, and Humanitarian Futures Fellows
- Lead proposal development for research initiatives
- Lead capacity development in research methods, evaluation design, and research ethics
- Champion participatory and peer-research approaches and ensure findings reach affected communities in accessible language
- Establish protocols for community data ownership and fair compensation for enumerators and peer researchers
- Ensure research complies with donor requirements, ethical standards, and implementation protocols
- Document and disseminate findings through reports, speaking engagements, and conference panels
- Finalize and roll out WRC's flagship framework on the rights and well-being of displaced women and girls
- Define, track, and communicate organizational impact through frameworks, metrics, and impact narratives
- Work with Programs, Communications, and Development teams to position evidence for key audiences
- Represent WRC with donors, UN agencies, research institutions, and humanitarian actors worldwide
- Convene researchers, practitioners, and policymakers through roundtables, working groups, and conferences
- Strengthen research systems for data collection, analysis, storage, sharing, version control, and reproducibility
- Support adoption of data and analytic tools
- Partner with Development to raise funds for WRC's research agenda
- Oversee research budgets and financial health
- Contribute to hosting advocacy delegations to displacement contexts
Requirements:
- Ph.D. preferred in development, humanitarian intervention, public health, or a related social science
- Master's degree and equivalent research leadership experience will also be considered
- 10+ years of research experience
- Significant experience in humanitarian or development contexts, ideally focused on displacement, gender, protection, or related fields
- Extensive experience designing research and managing research teams in low-resource and humanitarian settings
- Fluency in translating empirical evidence into actionable guidance for advocacy and policy audiences
- Demonstrated success contributing to business development and fundraising for research projects with public and private donors
- Experience developing and driving research and impact strategies across a complex organization
- Strong record of publication and authorship or co-authorship in peer-reviewed journals
- Established professional network within humanitarian and development research and policy communities
- Strong leadership and management competencies
- Ability to align diverse teams around a shared vision and communicate effectively with senior leadership, technical peers, and advocacy and communications colleagues
- Ability to represent an organization externally and convene diverse stakeholders around shared priorities
- Excellent public speaking, writing, and interpersonal communication skills
- Fluency in English required; proficiency in French, Arabic, or Spanish is a plus
- Based in a country with high levels of displacement; prioritized cities include Nairobi, Bogotá, Amman, Beirut, Warsaw, Mexico City, Lima, Kyiv, Cairo, and Panama City
- Applicants must be based in time zones UTC−8 through UTC+3
- Work authorization in country of residence
- Access to a major airport
- Ability to travel up to 25% of the time
- Ability to work remotely while building strong relationships with a global team
Benefits:
- Competitive salary commensurate with experience
- Progressive, globally competitive salary scale accounting for differing costs of living
- Statutory protections and benefits through an Employer of Record
- Flexible hours across time zones
- Remote work arrangement
- Opportunities for co-learning and professional development
- Humanitarian Futures Fellowship research, advocacy, and professional development support
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