The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.
Position Overview
The VITAL Consortium is a multi-partner, multi-sector humanitarian action funded by DG ECHO, implemented by IRC (lead) in partnership with the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS), and African Women & Youth Action for Development (AWYAD). The action responds to increasing health and protection risks facing refugees and host communities across Uganda's refugee-hosting districts, driven by sustained displacement from South Sudan, DRC and Sudan, recurring disease outbreaks, and declining humanitarian funding.
VITAL delivers integrated lifesaving interventions across four results:
- Result 1 – Protection: Safe, dignified access to GBV, child protection, PSS and community-based protection services for newly arrived refugees at priority RTCs and settlements.
- Result 2 – Multi-Purpose Cash Transfers (MPCT): Timely vulnerability-based cash assistance to newly arrived households in six priority refugee settlements, led by LWF.
- Result 3 – Epidemic Preparedness and Response (EPR): Strengthened disease surveillance, IPC, community engagement and district health system capacity across seven refugee-hosting districts, led by IRC and URCS.
- Result 4 – Crisis Modifier: Rapid-onset contingency mechanism for deployment within 72 hours in the event of sudden refugee influx or emergency-level disease outbreak.
The action is implemented across 18 service delivery locations in West Nile, Acholi, Western and Southwest sub-regions, reaching 733,410 direct beneficiaries. Operational sites include Bidibidi, Rhino Camp, Palorinya, Palabek, Kyangwali, Nakivale and Kiryandongo settlements, alongside key points of entry (PoEs) and reception/transit centres (RTCs).
Job Overview
The Consortium Manager is the operational and strategic hub of the VITAL project. S/he will be responsible for the overall coordination, management, and quality delivery of the VITAL Action, serving as the primary focal point for IRC as lead partner, consortium partners (LWF, URCS, AWYAD), and key external stakeholders including UNHCR, OPM, WHO, WFP and district authorities.
The Consortium Manager will ensure cohesive 'one team' implementation across Protection, MPCT and EPR results, driving integrated programming, accountability, and adaptive management throughout the 12-month action. S/he will maintain strategic oversight of partner performance, financial management, MEAL compliance, donor reporting, and risk management while proactively supporting partners' technical and operational capacity.
Key Responsibilities
Consortium Leadership and Coordination
- Provide overall strategic and operational leadership of the VITAL consortium, championing a collaborative 'one team' ethos across IRC, LWF, URCS, and AWYAD.
- Convene and chair the Project Management Committee (PMC) monthly and support the Steering Committee (SC) quarterly, ensuring inclusive partner participation, documented action points, and follow-through.
- Lead integrated work planning processes, ensuring alignment across Protection, MPCT and EPR results, shared resources (fleet, offices), and complementary service delivery in all 18 target locations.
- Facilitate cross-result integration: Protection-EPR joint screening referral protocols, MPCT-Protection mainstreaming linkages, and Crisis Modifier contingency readiness.
- Proactively identify operational bottlenecks, partnership tensions, and risk escalation scenarios; develop and implement timely mitigation measures.
- Represent the VITAL Consortium to DG ECHO, including donor meetings, site visits, and performance reviews; maintain open, transparent communication throughout the grant cycle.
Partner Management and Capacity Strengthening
- Working with the partnership coordinator, serve as IRC's primary partnership focal point for LWF, URCS, and AWYAD, managing partnership agreements in line with IRC's PEERS framework.
- Oversee partner capacity analyses (PCA), development of capacity-sharing plans, and delivery of agreed organizational and technical support to URCS and AWYAD as local/national NGO partners.
- Lead joint quarterly field monitoring visits across consortium partner sites; review partner narrative and financial reports for quality, accuracy, and ECHO compliance.
- Coordinate with IRC's Partnership Coordinator and technical coordinators (Health, protection, ERD) to ensure integrated partner oversight and timely escalation of compliance concerns.
- Champion localization commitments: support URCS and AWYAD to progressively strengthen their programmatic roles, including in monitoring, advocacy, and coordination functions.
Program Quality and Technical Oversight
- Ensure all VITAL activities are implemented in line with approved workplans, ECHO Single Form obligations, and relevant humanitarian standards (IASC, SPHERE, Minimum Standards for Child Protection, GBVIMS, EPR protocols).
- Oversee Protection programming quality across GBV and CP case management, PSS (including Self Help+), protection mainstreaming, Signpost information dissemination, and RTC surge response.
- Oversee MPCT programming quality, including vulnerability-based targeting, BIMS biometric verification, digital transfer delivery, PDM cycles, and referral-out systems (LWF-led)
- Oversee EPR programming quality across district health system strengthening, VHT surveillance, RCCE, IPC, RRT capacity building, and Crisis Modifier readiness .
- Ensure protection mainstreaming is integrated across all results; train and orient EPR and MPCT staff on protection principles, recognition of abuse/exploitation, safe referral, and PSEAH.
- Coordinate midterm Protection Risk Analysis (PRA) review with IRC Technical coordinator and use findings to adapt programming and update sector plans.
- Monitor MEAL workplan implementation including indicator tracking, baseline/endline surveys, PDM rounds, beneficiary feedback mechanisms, CFM performance, and environmental mitigation progress (MER indicators)
Financial Management and Compliance
- In coordination with IRC finance and grants teams, maintain overall budget oversight for the VITAL action, monitor BvA against consortium workplans and flag variance early.
- Lead the quarterly financial review cycle with consortium PMC and ensure findings are fed into adaptive programming and reforecasting decisions.
- Oversee Crisis Modifier financial management: monitor trigger utilization and document all Crisis Modifier activations.
- Support the certified financial statement (CFS) audit process at grant close, liaising with IRC finance, the audit firm, and ECHO.
Donor Reporting
- Compile, edit, and submit high-quality narrative and financial reports at interim and final stages, ensuring compliance with Single Form reporting requirements, indicator disaggregation standards (sex, age, disability), and ECHO KRI/KOI guidance.
- Ensure all partners update and submit project tools (workplans, procurement plans, staffing plans, spending plans, MEAL plans) quarterly, and that data flows into consolidated donor reporting.
- Coordinate visibility and communication obligations in line with ECHO branding requirements and IRC/EU communication plans, including human interest stories, social media, and the eu.rescue.org landing page.
Stakeholder Engagement and External Representation
- Maintain strong working relationships with OPM, UNHCR, WFP, WHO, MoH, district local governments (DLGs), DDMCs, DOHTs and other humanitarian stakeholders in target areas.
- Ensure VITAL's 'one team' resource-sharing approach (fleet, offices, staff) is coordinated with sector cluster coordination structures to avoid duplication.
- Represent IRC and the VITAL consortium in ECHO partner meetings, field monitoring visits, and any donor missions or evaluations as directed by the project lead and grants coordinator.
Qualifications and Experience
Education
- Master's degree in humanitarian affairs, development studies, public health, international relations, or a related social science field.
- A bachelor’s degree in social sciences, public health, law, or equivalent is required as a minimum; the Master's is strongly preferred.
Experience
- Minimum 5 years of senior-level project or programme management experience in humanitarian or development contexts, including at least 2 years in a consortium lead or multi-partner coordination role.
- Demonstrated experience managing complex, multi-sector ECHO-funded actions, with strong familiarity with Single Form reporting, ECHO compliance requirements, and KRI/KOI indicator frameworks.
- Proven experience managing local and international NGO partnerships in high-risk, refugee-hosting or displacement-affected contexts; familiarity with partnership tools such as PEERS, PCA, and GIA frameworks is an asset.
- Direct programmatic experience in at least two of the following sectors: Protection (GBV, CP, or CBP), Multi-Purpose Cash Transfers, or Epidemic Preparedness and Response.
- Experience working in the Uganda refugee response or comparable East/Horn of Africa displacement context is a strong asset; familiarity with OPM, UNHCR Uganda, WFP Uganda, and MoH systems is highly desirable.
- Demonstrated success in budget management for multi-partner, multi-million-euro grants, including BvA analysis, partner financial oversight, and audit compliance.
- Prior experience with Crisis Modifier or contingency planning mechanisms is an asset.
Technical Skills
- Strong familiarity with ECHO humanitarian programming standards, SPHERE, IASC guidelines, protection mainstreaming, and AAP/CFM best practices.
- Competence in results-based management, indicator tracking, and MEAL system oversight for multi-sector projects.
- Understanding of MPCT design and delivery, including vulnerability-based targeting, digital cash modalities, TCTR analysis, and PDM methodology.
- Working knowledge of EPR systems: disease surveillance (DHIS2, eIDSR), IPC protocols, RRT deployment, and One Health approaches.
- Familiarity with GBV/CP case management standards (GBVIMS, Primero, minimum standards for case management), PSS layered models, and protection mainstreaming in non-protection programming.
- Strong financial management skills; proficiency in budget monitoring tools and donor financial reporting formats.
Core Competencies
- Collaborative leadership: ability to build and sustain a cohesive multi-partner consortium without direct line authority over partner staff.
- Strategic communication: clear, succinct, and solutions-oriented communicator with donors, government, UN agencies, and technical teams.
- Analytical rigor: ability to synthesize complex field data, PRA findings, and operational monitoring into sound programmatic and risk management decisions.
- Adaptive management: demonstrated ability to adjust programming in response to contextual shifts, Crisis Modifier triggers, and feedback from beneficiaries and partners.
- Cultural sensitivity and commitment to safeguarding: zero-tolerance approach to SEAH; champions inclusive, survivor-centered programming for women, girls, children, persons with disabilities, and older persons.
- Resilience and flexibility: ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, high-pressure humanitarian environment with multiple simultaneous priorities and geographic spread.
NB: This advert will close on 6th July 2026.
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.
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