HELIX: The Humanitarian What Works Centre is a new joint initiative between Elrha and IRC's Airbel Impact Lab, established to identify, adapt and scale solutions to some of the most complex challenges facing people affected by humanitarian crises. As Executive Director, you will provide the strategic, operational and external leadership needed to establish HELIX as a globally recognised force for humanitarian change.  

Are you an exceptional leader with a deep understanding of the humanitarian system and a track record of turning ambitious ideas into meaningful impact? Can you bring together researchers, innovators, practitioners, donors and policymakers to tackle the barriers that prevent proven solutions from reaching scale? Are you ready to lead a pioneering initiative that combines research, innovation, operational insight and systems change to transform outcomes for people affected by crisis?  

Join us at a pivotal moment in HELIX's development. As Executive Director, you will shape the vision, strategy and culture of a new global centre, bringing together the complementary strengths of Elrha and IRC Airbel to create something neither organisation could achieve alone. You will act as HELIX's global figurehead, driving influence, partnerships and investment while ensuring the Centre delivers high-quality evidence, innovation and impact at scale. 

We're looking for someone who is: 

• An exceptional executive leader with experience leading complex programmes, centres or organisations operating at scale, and a track record of delivering strategic impact.  
• Deeply experienced in the humanitarian sector, with strong knowledge of humanitarian systems, financing, policy drivers, and how research and innovation can influence practice and drive change.  
• A recognised thought leader and convenor, able to challenge assumptions, shape sector thinking, and build influential relationships across humanitarian, research, policy and innovation communities.  
• Experienced in building and leading partnerships, with a proven ability to bring together diverse stakeholders and create outcomes that no single organisation could achieve alone.  
• A strategic fundraiser and relationship builder, with experience securing and stewarding significant funding and developing long-term partnerships with institutional, philanthropic and other donors.  
• Experienced in establishing and growing ambitious initiatives, with the ability to build teams, governance structures, systems and cultures that enable high performance and innovation.  
• A bold and creative thinker, comfortable working across sectors and disciplines to identify new approaches to persistent humanitarian challenges and unlock pathways to scale. 

If you want to be part of an organisation that creates positive change in the humanitarian sector, then join us and we'll give you every opportunity to succeed.   

We strive to be an inclusive employer and particularly welcome applications from under-represented groups, people with lived experience of humanitarian crisis, and candidates from low- and middle-income countries.  

We will be able to offer visa sponsorship if the preferred candidate does not already have the right to work in the UK. Relocation assistance is available, subject to conditions.  

Please read through the Candidate Pack and Job Description for additional detail about the role. 

Closing date: Applications will close on Wednesday 16 December 2026 at 23:59 GMT. Elrha reserves the right to close applications up to 2 weeks early should sufficient suitable applications be received. 

Interview dates: Week commencing 4th January 2027 (1st stage - online)

We offer: 

• Remote first working environment whereby staff can choose to work from home or their office of reference. For this role, we anticipate the Executive Director will take regular in-person meetings with partners and the Elrha/IRC team in London several times a week.  
• As standard we work 35 hours per week. We are also happy to discuss flexible working patterns and many of our staff work non-standard working hours. 
• Our benefits include minimum 5% employer pension contribution (3% employee contribution), life cover, organisational sick pay, family friendly pay and leave schemes; 26-day basic annual leave entitlement with incremental increase depending on length of service, opportunities for learning and development, a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and retail discounts platform. 
• Please read through the Candidate Pack document for further information.

 Note for applicants: 

• Please read through the job description for a detailed list of requirements and ensure you complete the personal statement to explain how you feel you meet the requirements of the role and why you feel this is next career move for you. Applications without this information will not be shortlisted. 
• Elrha is an independent subsidiary of SCUK and benefits from some SCUK systems and processes. 
• We reserve the right to close the advert early should we receive a very high volume of applications. 
• We do not use recruitment agencies. 
• For any questions, please contact the HR team at HR@elrha.org 
• Appointment to this position will be subject to confirmation of funding agreement.

About Elrha 

Elrha is a global organisation that finds solutions to complex humanitarian problems through research and innovation. We fund and support projects that go on to shape the way in which people across the world are supported during a crisis. We're an established and respected part of the humanitarian community, working closely and meaningfully with our fellow networks and actors to make change happen.  

Read our strategy: shaping the future: our strategy for research and innovation in humanitarian response 2023 - 2040. It sets out how we'll work with our community to realise its potential in humanitarian response, and how we'll capture the real change and improvements to the lives of people affected by crisis. 

Our strategy sets out our values by which we hold ourselves accountable as individuals and as an organisation and employer. 

• Putting people at the centre  
• Working with others  
• Acting responsibly  
• Committed to learning  
• Inspiring change 

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion 

Elrha is committed to diversity and equality of opportunity in all aspects of our work both external and internal. We strive to be an inclusive employer and particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups such as returning parents or carers who are re-entering work after a career break, people who are LGBTQ+, from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, with a disability, impairment, learning difference or long-term condition, with caring responsibilities, from different nations and regions, and from less advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. 

Please ensure you read the full job description, the Candidate Pack, and complete the Personal Statement as requested in the application process. We look forward to hearing from you.