Digital Community Liaison Manager

Job Description

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is among the world’s leading humanitarian aid organizations. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC works with people forced to flee from war, conflict, and disaster, helping them to survive, recover, and rebuild their lives. At work today in over 40 countries, the IRC seeks to be an operational and inspiring leader in matters of resettlement, asylum, and integration, demonstrating its credibility and expertise as a leading service provider, partner and advocate across the arc of the global displacement crisis. IRC currently operates in the U.S., Africa, Middle East, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. For a complete listing of countries in which IRC operates and supports refugee programs, please visit http://www.rescue.org/.

Across Europe, the IRC delivers programs that address acute humanitarian needs of asylum-seekers and other vulnerable migrants who are newly arrived, stranded or in transit, and programs that address their longer-term integration needs.

Since the conflict in Ukraine started in February 24, 2022, which brought the consequent displacement into neighboring countries, the IRC new programs on protection and Refugee Info East Europe programs are being established to address the most pressing needs of people on the move across South-East Europe. IRC continues to use its voice and expertise to increase safe and legal pathways, ensure protection and improve the quality of resettlement, asylum and integration services. The programs are implemented in close partnership with local non-governmental organizations and governmental institutions.

Job Overview/Summary:

The Digital Community Manager leads a team of Digital Community Liaison Officers (DCLs) who respond to questions sent through social media, helping people displaced by the crisis in Ukraine to navigate the information they need to access services, know and claim their rights, and stay safe. DCLs provide non-judgmental support to people in need, always letting the client lead the conversation, and providing empathetic accompaniment to people navigating a new reality and complex information ecosystem. S/he oversees multichannel communication to ensure quality of response, with the safety and well-being of clients at the fore. S/he also identifies gaps in information and trends in information requests and reports those back to the Editorial team to support iterative design of information products.

Major Responsibilities:

- Manage a team of Digital Community Liaisons (DCLs), routing messages to different team members based on workload, geographic focus, or other areas of expertise. - Ensure that messages are responded to in a timely manner and that responses follow established best practice in client-driven communication approaches, psychological first aid, confidentiality, and escalation processes for acute protection needs. - Coach, train, supervise and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting quarterly performance objectives, providing regular and timely positive and constructive performance feedback, and providing documented semi-annual performance reviews. - Assess staffing needs and make recommendations on a continuous basis. - Work with Social Media Manager to time ad campaigns appropriate to DCL workload. - Provide regular reports on trends in information requests, feedback, and other insights to the broader Signpost team to inform editorial and social media strategy. - Develop standard language for commonly asked questions in consultation with the editorial team. - Keep up to date of new information content on an ongoing basis and ensure the DCL team is aware of and understands new developments in the context, including changes in policy, border conditions, documentation processes, etc. - Work to optimize the technology tools that the DCL team uses to manage communication. - Excellent oral and written Ukrainian Language skills required. Proficiency in Russian and English is desired. - Follow up with a shift schedule of the DCLs that could be changing on a weekly basis. Ensure the shifts are completed and communicated across the team - Follow closely developments in the migration context in the wider region and in collaboration with DCLs, suggest new content to be developed to the Editorial team - Follow protocol to escalate any communication from vulnerable cases to Protection Specialists. - Create links with the refugee and migrant communities and promote their engagement. - Translate articles and support the production of audio and video messages.

Expected Travel:

- Travel within Balkans and south-eastern Europe

Qualifications

- Bachelor Degree in Communications, Multimedia or related field - Highly skilled manager (at least 3 years of experience) with prior experience leading a team, including remote management. - Prior experience working with or refugees, migrants, or other vulnerable populations. - Prior experience in community engagement is desired. - High emotional intelligence and top-notch communication skills. - An understanding of the subtlety of language and an ability to apply communication guidelines in written responses. - Strong computer proficiency and well acquainted with basic software tools - can navigate autonomously in Windows, Android, Skype, Microsoft Suite and Google docs - Knowledge of social media platforms and how refugees use them. - An understanding of the power and importance of information. - Fluency in English required. Preference will be given to candidates with fluency in the following languages: Ukrainian and Russian

Disclaimer Clause: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skills, effort, duties and responsibilities associated with position.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability.

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The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Equality, Service, 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.