What we are looking for:
We are looking for an experienced and strategic Head of Unit – Digital Solutions to lead the team behind the digital products that enable NRC’s humanitarian operations worldwide.
The Digital Solutions Unit brings together software developers, data engineers, and product managers who design, build, and maintain innovative digital solutions that support NRC’s country operations. The team also serves as a centre of technical expertise, advising development teams across the organisation. Its portfolio spans custom-built applications, SaaS platforms, data solutions, and externally developed tools that strengthen both global operations and country-specific programmes.
As Head of Unit, you will provide leadership across stakeholder engagement, project delivery, and people development. You will ensure the team focuses on the highest-value priorities, delivers high-quality digital solutions, and continuously develops its technical capabilities. Leading a geographically dispersed team, you will work closely with business stakeholders, the Architecture Working Group (AWG), and cross-functional project teams to align product strategy with organisational needs, drive successful delivery, and foster a collaborative, high-performing culture where people can grow and thrive.
What you will do:
Here are some of your generic responsibilities
- Line management responsibilities for directly reporting staff. This includes the performance management process; setting clear goals aligned to unit strategy and priorities and following up and supporting staff’s achievement.
- Responsible for key processes such as workforce planning, recruitment, staff induction and development, and ensuring Duty of Care for own staff.
- Ensure that unit projects are delivered on time, within scope and within budget.
- Allocate resources to projects based on the needs and priorities of the business and the unit.
- Engage with stakeholders across NRC to understand their needs and priorities, and mediate communication between stakeholders, project managers and technical teams.
- Report to the CIO and the AWG on project progress, risks and issues, ensuring visibility of the unit’s work across the organisation.
- Ensure adoption of standards and best practices by project teams and surface any issues or challenges to the AWG.
- Understand resource allocations within the unit and its suppliers and communicate these to the AWG and other relevant parties.
- Engage with external partners, vendors, and technology providers to explore collaborations and leverage external expertise.
- Compliance and adherence to NRC policies, guidance and procedures.
Here are some of your specific responsibilities
- Product strategy and alignment: Engage with stakeholders with a focus on product strategy, roadmaps, alignment and prioritisation; help see patterns across countries and needs and identify gaps or duplication in solutions.
- Solution ideation: Collaborate with stakeholders, the AWG, and others on ideating high-level solutions for abstract business problems.
- Communication: Simplify complex technical ideas for non-technical stakeholders, and ensure that stakeholders, project managers and technical teams stay connected and informed.
- Cross-project management: Provide cross-project project management and prioritisation across the unit’s portfolio, helping to identify commonalities and building around a common organisational data model.
- Unblocking delivery: Un-block teams and individuals so they can meet their goals, dealing with external dependencies and internal blockers.
- Provide visibility: Ensure that the work being delivered by the unit is visible across the organisation and ICT, on a unit and individual level.
- Process development: Work with project teams to develop software development processes and practices that are efficient, effective, and evolve over time based on agile methodologies.
- Project management capacity: Act as additional project management capacity where needed.
- Staff development: Help staff develop their skills and careers by providing opportunities for learning and growth; identify areas for improvement and personal development required to meet the needs of the business, the unit and staff’s own career goals.
- Coaching and mentoring: Provide coaching and mentoring to staff where relevant, or facilitate access to coaching, mentoring and other experts in the organisation for learning and development opportunities.
- Team culture: Work with the unit to develop a strong team culture within a geographically dispersed team.
- Prioritise security: Ensure teams treat security as a non-negotiable priority in both development and maintenance, keeping data of vulnerable populations safe and critical operations running.
Please download the detailed job description to learn more about the position.
What you will bring:
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, Engineering, Information Technology or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
- Significant professional experience (7+ years) in relevant roles such as line management, engineering management, project / product management, or senior technical leadership.
- Proven experience delivering software projects on time, within scope and within budget across multiple concurrent projects.
- Experience managing, coaching and developing technical staff, including remote teams.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex technical ideas for non-technical stakeholders
- Fluency in English, both written and verbal – other languages like French, Spanish or Arabic are a plus.
- Experience with agile software development methodologies and evolving delivery processes and practices over time.
- Proven stakeholder management experience across organisational boundaries, including senior management.
- Experience balancing resource allocation across competing priorities, including work with external suppliers
- Experience and/or knowledge of the humanitarian sector is considered an asset.
What we offer:
- Duty station: We are looking for candidates who can work in locations within CET +/- 2 hours and ideally in Oslo or Berlin, where we have offices and some members of the unit are based.
- Contract: Permanent.
- Travel: 10%.
- Salary/benefits: Grade 10 on NRC’s Resident salary scale, with accompanying terms and conditions.
- NRC is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to diversity without distinction to age, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, and physical ability.
- We think outside the box, encourage ideas, and give responsibility to all employees at all levels. You will have many opportunities to be heard and take the initiative.
Find out more about the benefits of working for NRC
Important information about the application process
- For Internal candidates: To apply as an internal candidate, log in with your official email or click on Opportunity Market Place.
- When creating your profile, include your full name as given on your passport. Complete all the system-required fields for experience, employment history and education.
- Submit your application and CV in English, taking care to attach your latest CV.
- Applications that do not meet the minimum standards in terms of experience or qualifications will generally not be considered. Unsolicited applications not related to this specific job advertisement will not be considered.
- We receive many applications for each vacant position and so only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
If you have any questions about this role, please email ho.recruitment@nrc.no with the job title as the subject line.
Why NRC?
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee. Our 15,000 staff work in crises across 40 countries, providing life-saving and long-term assistance to millions of people every year.
Watch this short video to see NRC in action.
We are looking for people who are passionate about helping refugees and people forced to flee. Are you one of those people? If you are, NRC offers you the opportunity to:
- do demanding and professional work, often in challenging contexts.
- join a work culture that empowers every employee to share ideas and take responsibility.
- be part of a welcoming and supportive community committed to human dignity.
Organization context
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is a global humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee.
Join us in assisting millions of people in areas where others cannot, tackling some of the world's most dangerous and difficult crises. Bring your skills and dedication to an organisation recognised for providing high quality aid and for defending the rights of refugees and internally displaced people.
At NRC, we give responsibility to employees at all levels and foster professional growth and innovative teams. You can expect a supportive culture and an open dialogue with management. We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Together, we save lives and rebuild futures.
Safeguarding is central to NRC’s work. We expect all employees to:
• treat everyone with respect and dignity
• contribute to building a safe environment for all
• never engage in any form of exploitation, harassment and specifically sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment (SEAH)
• always report. NRC has a zero-tolerance approach to inaction against exploitation, abuse and SEAH
