Global Data Scientist

BACKGROUND
Over the past 90 years, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has developed unparalleled expertise in responding to emergencies and helping uprooted communities to rebuild. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. The IRC is on the ground in more than 40 countries, providing emergency relief, relocating refugees and rebuilding lives in the wake of disaster.

The IRC is committed to a culture of bold leadership, innovation in all aspects of our work, creative partnerships and, most crucially, accountability to those we serve. The IRC is a tireless advocate for the most vulnerable.

IRC UK
IRC UK is part of the IRC global network, which has its global headquarters in New York. Our team in the UK works to raise profile, deliver policy and practice change, and increase funding to help restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Since 2021, IRC UK has also provided integration services directly to refugees in England, a programme that is rapidly growing.

In Europe, the IRC also has offices in Berlin, Bonn, Brussels, Geneva and Stockholm.

The Purpose of the Role

The External Relations (ER) department was created in February 2020 and is comprised of 3 main but complementary functional areas: Private fundraising, Communications and Advocacy. The ER department is at the beginning stages of creating a radical and ambitious global strategy that will enhance IRC’s ability to ‘punch above its weight’ in private income, advocacy, and brand awareness. The main objective of the department is to enable this organization of more than 12,000 staff to have the resources needed to continue serving 18 million people worldwide in places affected by war and disaster, shape the humanitarian sector by influencing key policies and reforms, and build and grow IRC’s reputation.

We are looking for an experienced and highly analytical Data Scientist to join our team, focusing on marketing and behavioral modeling. In this role, you will utilize your expertise in statistical analysis and machine learning to develop advanced models that drive donor insights, optimize marketing strategies, and influence business decisions.

You will work closely with Mass Marketing, Philanthropy, and Marketing & Mobilization to translate data into actionable strategies, using your technical skills to uncover patterns, predict trends, and deliver high-impact models that drive additional income at the IRC.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Translate broad questions into analysis that will drive strategy, hold business owners accountable to their goals, and inform senior leadership of areas for growth and improvement.

• Work on all aspects of the analysis pipeline: problem definition, requirements gathering, data cleaning, exploratory analysis, crafting recommendations and translation of findings to nontechnical stakeholders across various functions and levels of the organization.
• Lead the development of advanced analytics products to improve the impact of fundraising efforts and investments (such as predictive modeling to identify donors likely to upgrade or lapse, donor segmentation models, longitudinal testing and the attribution of marketing touchpoints on donor conversions).

• Develop comprehensive data models and reports for external benchmarking to assess performance against peers and identify opportunities for new investments.

• Monitor trends in key performance indicators (such as return on investments, donor lifetime value, sustainer revenue, and churn rate) and analyze behavior of key segments (e.g., leads, sustainers, mid value donors, lapsed donors) to inform revenue projections and investments in new channels & programs.

• Support on modeling budget projections to track monthly progress and on updating models based on current trends.

• Partner with the Analytics team and Analytics engineer to build, monitor, and enhance the ER Analytics data model as the single source of truth.

• Acting as a technical leader, collaborate with fellow Analytics colleagues to ensure best practices in coding, statistics, and general analysis.

• Work with integrity and accountability to the “IRC Way” – IRC Global Standards for Professional Conduct.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

Experience

• 3+ years working experience in the field of data science and/or statistics.**

• Proven track record of building and deploying models that drive business outcomes in a marketing or customer-facing context.**

• Demonstrable experience planning and executing complex analytics projects across multiple stakeholders.**
• Experience with at least two of the following: marketing mix models, customer segmentation, churn prediction, CLV models, and attribution analysis.**

Technical Skills

• More than two years of professional experience with SQL and relational databases.**

• Advanced knowledge of Python (Pandas, NumPy, Scikit-learn, etc.) and/or R for data manipulation, analysis, and modeling.**

• Knowledge of dimensional modeling and experience with workflow orchestration tools.**
• Familiarity with PowerBI, Tableau, Looker, or other business intelligence tools.**

Soft Skills

• Curiosity and willingness to explore complex and ambiguous problems and deliver actionable insights through both quantitative and qualitative data analysis.**

• Desire to work in a multi-cultural environment and collaborate with people from different backgrounds and experiences, with a partner-first approach to interacting with stakeholders.**

• Strong data visualization and communication skills: ability to “tell a story” with numbers in a variety of formats: PowerPoints, dashboards, memos, and presentations.**
• Strong attention to detail & commitment to a high standard of work product.**

Nice-to-Haves / Areas You Will Grow:

• Knowledge of marketing, ecommerce, or nonprofit fundraising analytics.

• Experience with Snowflake, Databricks, and dbt.

• Experience with web analytics and behavioral data, and relevant tooling like Heap or Amplitude.
• Knowledge of Salesforce or similar CRM technology.

Working Environment:

• Standard office working environment.

• Some international travel.
• This role may require working remotely full or part time and part time remote employees may be required to share workspace.

Criteria in the Person Specification marked with ** are the minimum criteria in line with our commitments under the Disability Confident Employer Scheme in the UK.

UK based candidates who state that they have a disability and meet these criteria will be invited to interview.

Standard Responsibilities

Promote and actively participate in initiatives and efforts to build team engagement, inclusion and cohesion in IRC London office

Foster ongoing learning, honest dialogue and reflection to strengthen safeguarding and to promote IRC values and adherence to IRC policies

Standard Job Requirements

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Related standard content:

IRC strives to build a diverse and inclusive team at all levels who as individuals, and as a group, embody our culture statement creating a working environment characterized by critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity for us to achieve our aspirations as a team and deliver the best possible services to our clients.

UK:

Narrowing the Gender Gap: The IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including flexible hours (when possible), enhanced maternity/adoption leave and pay and gender-sensitive security protocols.

Candidates must have the right to work in the UK.

The deadline for the application is 8th June 2025.

IRC UK strives to be an equal opportunities employer. IRC UK is committed to equality of opportunity and to non-discrimination for all job applicants and employees, and we seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce regardless of gender, race, religious beliefs, nationality, ethnic/national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability.

IRC UK welcomes applications from all candidates, including underrepresented groups and refugees who have the right to work in the UK.

IRC UK will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided with reasonable adjustments to participate in the job application and/or interview process, and for essential job functions if appointed to a role. Please contact us if you may need such adjustments.

Recruitment Process

The process for this role will be as follows

• Screening call online

• First round panel interview online – including assessment / test

• Second round panel interview – online – including presentation task
• Final role and expectations alignment call with Senior Director, online

If you have any questions or need assistance with the online recruitment process, please contact the IRC UK HR team at applications@rescue-uk.org