Community Sponsorship Manager

Job Description

Founded in 1933, the IRC is a leading nonsectarian, voluntary organization providing relief, protection and resettlement services for refugees and victims of oppression or violent conflict. One aspect of the IRC is to assist refugees resettling in the United States. The IRC opened a Denver office in 2016 to provide reception and placement services to newly arrived refugees. The office is slated to resettle more than 600 refugees and 500 Afghan parolees in the coming federal fiscal year. Wraparound program services and holistic supports aim to realize positive impact in clients’ safety, health, education, economic wellbeing, and power. Some services are limited to refugees and other Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)-eligible populations, while others are open to a broader population of refugees, immigrants, and forcibly displaced people.

The IRC in Denver’s approach is client-centered, empowerment-focused, trauma-informed, and multigenerational. Advancing racial equity and narrowing the gender gap are priorities for the IRC in Denver. The team’s efforts in this space are ongoing and evolving. Current work is focused on participating in learning and dialogue to deepen understanding and awareness of systemic inequities and systems of oppression; building an internal organizational culture that reflects a commitment to antiracism and gender equality for clients as well as staff, volunteers, and the broader community; engaging clients more deeply in making decisions that affect them, whether at the individual, household, program, or organizational level; using our power and influence to advocate for rules, policies, and laws that address inequities experienced by the people we serve and seek systemic change for the benefit of all who are impacted by these inequities; undertaking intentional efforts to shift dynamics and promote power sharing between leadership and the broader team as well as between staff and clients; and examining and changing practices in recruitment, recognition, and other areas of employee engagement and talent development to prioritize access to opportunity and work toward full inclusion and belonging for clients, staff, and volunteers who identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and LGBTQI, as well as those who have lived experience as refugees and immigrants.

JOB OVERVIEW The Community Sponsorship (CS) Manager establishes and manages all aspects of the IRC in Denver’s community sponsorship program. The Community Sponsorship Manager builds, implements, and refines the IRC in Denver’s local Community Sponsorship programming in accordance with current and emerging best practices, collaborating closely with all stakeholders for the benefit of IRC clients and communities. They expand and strengthen engagement of local community groups, faith-based organizations, and businesses in the welcoming and integration of refugees and similar populations, build awareness of and support for forcibly displaced populations, and seed the larger landscape for community sponsorship in the U.S. They work closely with colleagues within the IRC in Denver’s team, across IRC offices in the U.S., and with IRC headquarters and other resettlement agencies, to harness the energy and generosity of the local community to support stability and long-term integration for refugees and others rebuilding their lives in Colorado. This position operates with significant autonomy and latitude to make decisions regarding program design and implementation, drawing on sound judgement, resourcefulness, creativity, and a keen ability to listen and adapt to the needs of community, clients, and colleagues.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES Major responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Program Design and Strategy

• Contextualize the local program design in accordance with general best practices and donor requirements and through engagement with the broader sponsorship ecosystem. • Establish local strategy for building and implementing the program and assessing its effectiveness and scalability. • Coordinate closely with headquarters staff and with the IRC in Denver’s community engagement team to develop a program design that complements existing infrastructure and works toward a cohesive approach to sponsorship within the office’s broader community engagement efforts.

Outreach and Recruitment • Reach out to and educate community groups, faith-based organizations, and businesses about community sponsorship and its benefits, for both sponsors and the populations served, through presentations, newsletters, social media, and direct outreach activities. • Coordinate and facilitate outreach events. • Develop outreach and training materials. • Advocate for and promote awareness of refugee populations to cultivate a welcoming and supportive community.

Implementation • Recruit and train community sponsorship groups (co-sponsors) and facilitate appropriate matches with newly arrived refugee families and individuals, in consultation with IRC in Denver colleagues. • Conduct necessary screening for co-sponsors and develop a process for matching co-sponsors to families/individuals. • Ensure co-sponsors and those served have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities within the program; provide ongoing clarification as needed. • Ensure provision of all core reception and placement services in accordance with the cooperative agreement in close collaboration with the co-sponsor group. This includes providing services directly if co-sponsors are unavailable or as otherwise required by the cooperative agreement. • Ensure that all electronic and hard case files and databases are maintained accurately and timely, in accordance with program requirements. • Assess and monitor client progress to support their attainment of established goals, to address challenges, and to ensure that available resources are utilized. • Keep detailed records and manage data for tracking goals and grant reporting purposes to ensure that grant requirements are met and program activities are compliant and allowable. • Monitor and evaluate program effectiveness and participant feedback to improve outcomes. • Ensure provision of appropriate interpretation as needed to support client engagement.

Program Evaluation and Refinement • Engage with the broader sponsorship ecosystem to incorporate lessons learned and other relevant experience of other CS programs. • Make recommendations to IRC leadership, donors, and other stakeholders. • Work with pilot group to develop a presentation about the program and its benefits with other organizations and field offices. • Other duties as assigned.

JOB REQUIREMENTS • Combination of education and experience normally represented by a bachelor’s degree in social work or human service field. • Minimum of four years of related, progressively responsible professional experience. • Minimum of two years of experience working with diverse clients in a non-profit setting; lived experience as a refugee or immigrant or previous experience working with the Reception & Placement (R&P) program or with refugees in a resettlement context strongly preferred. • Experience in project or program management, including demonstrated ability to meet deadlines, maintain case files and other program records and data, and complete timely reporting. • Comfort with establishing relationships and collaborating with national organizations and businesses. • Ability to work effectively in an environment that is multi-cultural and multi-lingual; experience using interpreters desired. • Highly effective communication skills, demonstrating strong partnership skills, emotional intelligence, and situational awareness • Highly adaptable and flexible self-starter with ability to work independently as well as collaborate with others, juggle multiple priorities, and meet deadlines in a demanding work environment. • Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint). • Working knowledge of Salesforce, Efforts to Outcomes (ETO), IRIS, and other relational databases is a plus. • Fluency in English; written and spoken. • Fluency in additional languages spoken by local refugee populations strongly preferred, such as Amharic, Arabic, Burmese, Dari, Farsi, French, Karen, Karenni, Oromo, Pashto, Russian, Sango, Somali, Spanish, Tigrinya, or Vietnamese. • Ability to occasionally work flexible hours, including nights and weekends, is required. • Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT • At present, the IRC in Denver office is partially open. Hybrid remote/in-person work modifications are in place due to ensure staff and client safety given public health guidance related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff will be provided with IRC laptops and cell phones and must have access to a location with secure internet service where remote work can be performed according to the schedule negotiated with their supervisor. • Standard office environment with frequent travel in and around the Denver metro area to facilitate service delivery, build community relationships, and represent the IRC while engaging with clients and community partners. • All staff are required to adhere to IRC’s COVID risk mitigation policies, which include but are not limited to masking, physical distancing, enhanced hygiene practices, symptom screening, and isolation and quarantine when needed. In some cases, these policies may be stricter than those imposed at the federal, state, or local level. • The IRC in Denver strives to offer a positive working environment, with intentional efforts to ensure that it is diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible for all. Staff are required to adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates under policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti-Workplace Harassment, Respect at Work, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS: This position is a full-time, regular, exempt position scheduled at 37.5 hours per week with a starting annual salary that begins at $60,000 depending on qualifications and experience. As a regular, full-time employee, the Community Sponsorship Manager is eligible for the IRC’s phenomenal benefits package, which includes: • Generous paid time off with 20 days of paid vacation per year, 10 days of paid sick leave per year (not inclusive of paid COVID leave), and at least 9 paid holidays per year. • Outstanding medical, dental, and vision care benefits with low employee premiums. • Optional health care and dependent care flexible savings accounts and commuter benefits. • Life, accident, short-term disability, and long-term disability insurance. • Comprehensive parental and family leave benefits. • A 403(b) retirement savings plan that offers employer contributions and a matching contribution program. • A comprehensive employee assistance and resilience program. • Business travel medical insurance, access to Guardian Nurses, and more.

In addition, the IRC in Denver actively promotes learning and growth for its team members, through staff development accounts that allow staff to engage in individualized goal-aligned professional development, access to a range of talent development offerings to build skills in a wide array of areas from humanitarian principles to management skills, and opportunities to lead and engage with colleagues from across the IRC through communities of practice, special assignments, and designated roles that represent the Denver office, whether here in the U.S. or globally.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and we value diversity in our organization. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us at [email protected] to request accommodation.

Qualifications