IREX is a global development and education organization. IREX strives for a more just, prosperous, and inclusive world—where individuals reach their full potential, governments serve their people, and communities thrive. With a projected annual portfolio of more than $160 million and more than 750 staff in over 30 countries, IREX works with partners in more than 100 countries in four areas essential to progress: cultivating leaders, empowering youth, strengthening institutions, and increasing access to quality education and information.

IREX Values

IREX embraces a people-focused approach to development that invests in human potential and the conditions that help people thrive. Read the IREX 2025 Strategy.

IREX is committed to creating an inclusive workplace and ensuring that principles of organizational inclusion infuse everything they do.

IREX History

A nonprofit organization committed to global development and education, IREX has focused on people and communities since 1968. IREX was created to bridge geopolitical divides by fostering the exchange of scholars, teachers, students, and ideas. IREX then built on their expertise and network of relationships in Eurasia to support people driving educational reform, leading civil society, and building effective and accountable governance. IREX became a leader in improving access to information technology, strengthening independent media, and empowering youth through education and leadership development. As global needs shifted, IREX brought this expertise to new regions—first Asia, then the Middle East and Africa, then Latin America. Throughout these decades of change, our focus on people and communities has been steady. See here for an overview of IREX's history.

The Role

IREX is seeking an inspiring, mission-driven, dynamic, and forward-leaning Vice President of People and Talent in this critical executive leadership role. The Vice President of People and Talent serves on the executive team of IREX and reports directly to the President and CEO. Working in partnership with the CEO, Board of Governors and executive leadership, the Vice President of People and Talent provides leadership and strategic direction for attracting, developing, and retaining top global talent in support of the IREX mission with key responsibilities for navigating local laws and regulations in more than 25 countries.

The Vice President of People and Talent empowers their team to support a distributed, global workforce and collaborates with executive team members on people-related organizational strategy balancing centralization with localization sensitivities. This role is instrumental in advancing and upholding strong organizational values, while promoting a mission-focused, globally inclusive, and professional organizational culture.

The position encompasses a broad portfolio, including global compliance and regulations, strategic talent acquisition and retention, benefits and compensation management, employee engagement, performance management, learning and development, employee policy management, etc. The Vice President of People and Talent provides strategic guidance and oversight for systems, technologies, policies, and processes that are both organization-wide and localized to the unique cultures of the various country offices.

This position will be a member of IREX’s team in Washington, D.C. and will be expected to have a regular in-office schedule.

Key Responsibilities

Organization Leadership

• Serve as a strategic partner to the CEO and members of the Executive Team, to provide insightful, innovative thinking and problem-solving around organizational evolution, talent management, and compliance navigation across the globe.
• Provide leadership to the People and Talent Team on business partnership with country offices with sensitivity to local regulations, compliance, and cultural norms, as well as with the U.S.
• Develop collaborative partnerships with internal stakeholders to lead change and enhance IREX’s global culture with a strong service orientation, problem-solving approach, and inclusive mindset.

Global and Local Policy, Employee Relations, Compliance and Risk Management

• Provide leadership and expertise for navigating centralization and localization related to labor laws and broader talent management across IREX’s country offices and in the U.S.
• Deliver integrated solutions to compliance and risk management that align with IREX's objectives and are in compliance with USG requirements.
• Provide leadership for responding to challenging societal issues that impact the global workforce in an effort to retain top talent.
• Lead or oversee complex employee relations issues and ensure appropriate resolutions sensitive to country and local contexts.
• Develop, communicate, and oversee the fair and consistent application of IREX’s philosophy, principles, policies, and practices. Assess and mitigate potential risks by implementing policies and practices that improve workplace health and safety while reducing risk to staff and partners.
• Maintain a rigorous commitment to safeguarding, including combatting trafficking in persons and prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment of all IREX stakeholders.
• Coordinate and evaluate guidance on ‘the future of work’ to ensure organizational effectiveness.

Organizational Learning

• Provide advisory support to executives in the development and application of the organization’s core values in managing and developing personnel with cultural sensitivities across country offices.
• Develop the capacity of management and staff to address complex situations; create learning spaces for discussion on a variety of issues.
• Structure and implement a strategy for developing supervisory and management skills among global staff, aiming to cultivate leaders who inspire, build trust, and embody the organization’s values.

Strategic Planning

• Create and lead the implementation and assessment of annual and multi-year global People and Talent strategies and plans.
• Assess IREX’s organizational culture and structure to recommend strategies for developing, influencing, and achieving desired outcomes.
• Lead global people and talent initiatives to engage employees to support development projects and create sustainable change and impact in the communities we serve, aligning with IREX’s strategic and operational goals.
• Ensure the development and execution of organizational goals and strategies that honor the dignity of every individual, including efforts to conceptualize, define, assess, and cultivate inclusion.

People and Talent Team Leadership

• Determine a vision for the Global People and Talent group, including the creation and implementation of best practices worldwide.
• Maintain clear, equitable, and empowering employee policies, professional development programs, systems, and organizational structures for each operational country.
• Align the People and Talent team with the organization's strategic objectives, review the current team structure, and identify talent and knowledge gaps.
• Develop and manage the People and Talent budget, including assessing resources for professional development and team-building initiatives.
• Develop and manage third party relationships with service providers and stakeholders in support of People and Talent operations.

Talent Acquisition, Management, & Development

• Provide oversight and strategic direction for People and Talent operational tools, including organizational dashboard reports and workflow metrics to identify trends, challenges, and opportunities for improvement.
• Oversee the development and implementation of talent acquisition processes, including candidate identification, recruitment, selection, hiring, and onboarding of a diverse staff.
• Determine and implement talent management, development, and retention strategies that align with IREX’s strategic growth and impact goals, including employee engagement programs, performance planning, promotion, succession planning, and professional development.
• Identify opportunities to design policies and support practices that promote fair access to information, compensation, and recognition.
• Provide leadership for the training, coaching, counseling, and other resources to support ongoing learning, professional growth, and performance improvement at both individual and organizational levels.

Total Rewards and Workforce Planning

• Monitor competitive global compensation and recognition programs that provide motivation, incentives, and rewards for effective performance, ensuring short- and long-term health and welfare protection for employees.
• Implement policies and processes to analyze IREX’s talent needs and prepare for future organizational people needs.
• Create programs to identify, nurture, and train new leaders to address future leadership requirements and maintain a reliable leadership pipeline within the organization.
• Provide strategic direction on talent profiles, assessments, talent reviews, and mobility to support workforce planning and development.
• Other duties determined in partnership with the CEO over time.

Candidate Profile

• The successful candidate will bring a track record of effective team leadership, expertise, and experience providing strategic direction and inspirational leadership for People and Talent in a global context, ideally in the international development sector and in countries where IREX operates. The successful candidate will be an empathetic, collaborative, and data-driven leader who stays up to date on global trends and regulatory environments related to IREX country locations.

In terms of the performance and personal competencies required for the position, we would highlight the following:

Leadership and Management

• Extensive experience leading, inspiring, and developing large, diverse, and globally dispersed teams. Has built and earned team trust in multiple organizations, preferably with experience operating in different countries.
• In-depth understanding of diverse cultures and the impact on workplace dynamics in different operating regions.
• Has created a sense of purpose and meaning for a team that generates followership beyond their own personality and engages others to the greater purpose for the organization.
• Track record of promoting a culture of excellence, learning, support, and innovation.
• Strong service orientation with high adaptability and flexibility and ability to engender this in their team.

Strategic Acumen

• Ability to seek and analyze data from a variety of sources to support decision-making and align with IREX’s overall strategy. Top-rate analytical and critical thinking skills to support and facilitate delegated decision making across IREX.
• Visionary strategic thinker with demonstrated executive level experience translating strategy into action and an understanding of successful program implementation through partnerships with the US Department of State and USAID.
• Sets clear organizational priorities and has a proven record of accomplishment in talent management, staff development, and mentorship.
• Possesses courage and a keen sense of conviction to drive through change as needed.
• Strategic foresight and capacity to support compliance and risk management frameworks that align with IREX’s objectives and USG requirements.

HR Systems and Processes

• Strong understanding of HR technologies, information systems and best practices for effective cross-functional data and information sharing in a global context and mindful of general data protection regulations (GDPR).
• Proven capability to implement and drive total rewards strategies across a global platform Extensive understanding of employment law, regulatory requirements federal, state and local levels in US & country offices.
• Proven track record of delivering comprehensive HR solutions to compliance and risk management, showcasing an ability to effectively identify, assess, and mitigate risks across global organizational functions.

Communication and Interpersonal Skills

• Demonstrated commitment to collaboration and partnership across an executive team.
• Exceptional verbal and communications skills, with the ability to diplomatically handle interactions with a broad and diverse internal and external audience.
• Ability to deal with confidential, sensitive, emotionally charged situations with empathy and integrity.

Cultural Competency and Adaptability

• History of working efficiently in a fast-paced environment, both independently and as part of a team.
• Can negotiate conflict and maintain constructive working relationships with people at all levels.
• Knowledge of relevant laws and regulations in countries where IREX operates. Excellent understanding of relevant politics and geopolitical trends affecting IREX.
• Maintains a demonstrated commitment to inclusion, with awareness and skills to navigate cultural differences particularly in the countries IREX operates.
• Builds relationships, resolves conflicts, and demonstrates empathy.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty; the ability to adapt nimbly and lead others through complex situations.
• Appetite for flexibility and change management.

Integrity and Values:

• Strong values and the highest degree of integrity and equity.
• Possesses the strong inspirational leadership skills to foster a solutions-driven ethos throughout IREX’s community of employees, interns, and other stakeholders.
• Attracts and recruits top talent, motivates a team, delegates effectively, leads inclusively, and manages performance; widely viewed as a strong developer of others.
• Ability to persevere, remain steadfast, and relentless in commitment to higher standards.
• Demonstrates strong emotional intelligence and communicates clearly and persuasively.
• Puts others first, encourages them to share the spotlight and visibly celebrate and support the team's success.

Additional Qualifications, Experiences, and Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in human resources management, business, or related field required. (Advanced degree preferred)
• HR certifications preferred (SHRM, PHR, CEB, CCP, GRP)
• At least 10 years of professional relevant experience in a nonprofit or other global organization with relationships to social impact
• Must have unrestricted authorization to work in the United States.

Compensation

The compensation available for the role considers a variety of factors including, but not limited to, work location, individual skillset, previous/applicable experience, and other business needs. The estimated salary range for individuals who work in Washington, DC is $250,000 - $330,000. The salary range represents IREX’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the possible base salary range at the time of posting and is one part of the total rewards IREX provides to employees.

How to Apply

To be considered for this role, please send your CV and supporting statement to:

IREXVPPeople@russellreynolds.com

IREX is an Equal Opportunity Employer

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Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)