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Communications Assistant

London

  • Organization: IRC - International Rescue Committee
  • Location: London
  • Grade: Level not specified - Level not specified
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Administrative support
    • Communication and Public Information
  • Closing Date: Closed

Requisition ID: req3874

Job Title: Communications Assistant

Sector: Communications

Contract: Fixed Term until January 2020

Working Hours: Full-Time 

Location: London, UK

Salary:                    £24,000 per annum

BACKGROUND

Over the past 80 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 International Rescue Committee Europe is part of the IRC global network, which has its headquarters in New York and London. The IRC is on the ground in more than 40 countries, providing emergency relief, relocating refugees and rebuilding lives in the wake of disaster. Through 22 regional offices in cities across the United States, the IRC also helps refugees resettle in the US and become self-sufficient.

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.

THE IRC IN EUROPE

Our European headquarters, IRC-UK, were established in London in 1997 to support the organisation’s global activities and particularly to diversify its donor base, build its profile and be able to better advocate with European policy-makers on behalf of the people we serve. The IRC has expanded since then to become IRC Europe overseeing offices in Brussels, Berlin, Bonn and Geneva, and programmes across Europe. 

The Purpose of the Role

The objective of the communications team is to raise the profile of the IRC in Europe and to ensure that key messages about our work reach the widest audience possible.

This role supports the team to deliver its objective by crafting digital content and media pitches, providing research, project management, and logistical and administrative support for an ambitious and creative team.

Scope and Authority

Authority:

This post has the authority to:

  • Prepare and distribute communications updates to IRC-Europe staff
  • Liaise with the media, including producers, news desks and producers, to coordinate logistics and pitch stories
  • Liaise with external suppliers (venues, printers, designers, travel providers, etc.) on logistical matters, ensuring that all expenditure is signed off by the relevant budget holder

Responsibility for Resources:

Responsible for regularly updating the donor visibility tracker, the team calendar and the staff newsletter, as well as producing a daily media and social media review.

Key Working Relationships

  • Reports to the Senior Media Officer
  • Key internal contacts:

-Communications team in the UK and Europe

-Fundraising team

-Field offices as appropriate

-Policy & Advocacy team

-Awards Management Unit, particularly Regional Grants Advisers

-Communications team based in IRC global headquarters in New York

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Media and Press (20%)

  • Research and draft media pitches for local and regional media, crafting stories from case studies from IRC programmes
  • Participate in media pitching for breaking news stories, contacting news desks to ascertain which journalist is leading coverage and keep contact lists up to date.
  • Support on creating and upkeeping key messaging documents for thematic and geographical areas of the IRC’s work.
  • Keep abreast of the news agenda in key markets in the UK and Europe to spot opportunities to input into debate and news stories
  • Prepare and distribute the daily media review, sending to a distribution list that is kept updated regularly
  • Monitor and log media coverage and produce media coverage reports for monthly evaluation meetings, the IRC-UK Board and IRC Leadership Board Quarterly Strategic Review, using third party tools including Meltwater
  • Maintain media lists and databases
  • Work with the media team to analyse the performance of content and campaigns and create reports to capture learnings and results, noting what works in different markets.

 Digital Communications (20%)

  • Draft and research articles for our website Rescue-UK.org, crafting compelling stories that show the strength and resilience of refugees and tapping into the news agenda with ‘explainer’ articles. Lead on uploading content, including articles, photos and videos to our website Rescue-UK.org.
  • Support post production work on materials gathered from the field trips, including: drafting written case studies, and collation and, editing and printing of photography and managing video translation and footage.
  • Draft social media posts as required, with a particular focus on Twitter, and support on growing social media audience through third party tools ie. Tweepi.
  • Monitor digital trends and social media coverage of issues related to our cause and our target audience.
  • Work with the digital team to analyse the performance of content and campaigns and create reports to capture learnings and results.
  • Work with the digital team to identify key moments through which we can mobilise our target audience and supporters.

 Donor Visibility Tracking and Implementation (40%)

  • Work closely with the Awards Management Unit and appropriate field offices to ensure compliance with institutional donor visibility requirements across the IRC’s European grant portfolio.
  • Support the Communications team on proposal development for any bids for European visibility and public awareness funding
  • Support the implementation of grant-funded communications projects, as required, with support from the digital team
  • Build and maintain productive working relationships with key internal and external stakeholders and suppliers.
  • Update and monitor grant funded communications campaign budgets

Internal communications (10%)

  • Collate updates, prepare and distribute the fortnightly IRC Europe staff newsletter
  • Support drafting of materials for RescueNet as required
  • Contribute to the weekly global communications newsletter

Administrative support (10%)

  • Manage the communications team planner, keeping it updated with information from the team and ensuring that it is streamlined with other teams’ calendars
  • Provide input to IRC-UK-wide planning processes, for example the Shared Moments group, through preparing documents and carrying out actions agreed
  • Create and format external-facing presentations as well as slide decks for internal use, ensuring that all documents are on brand.
  • Providing ad hoc administration support to the Communications Team, including procurement and logistics.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential

Skills, Knowledge and Qualifications:

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • A basic understanding of the news cycle and enthusiasm for the news agenda
  • Strong understanding of social media and the digital landscape
  • Strong attention to detail
  • Ability to prioritise and organise own workload and meet deadlines
  • Ability to work effectively as part of a team, providing support as required, and build and maintain excellent relationships across the organisation
  • Willingness to work flexibly in approach to work and/or work time requirements
  • Intermediate design skills (including graphic design, Powerpoint and Keynote) and ability to ensure presentations and documents are on brand
  • Strong excel skills – able to prepare and share data analysis of key performance indicators (KPIS)
  • Committed to IRC values and mandate

Experience:

  • Experience of writing and editing materials to a high quality within tight deadlines
  • Experience of pitching to media and speaking with journalists via email and phone.
  • Experience of writing for and monitoring social media channels, particularly Twitter.
  • Experience carrying out research, managing data sets and conducting evaluations.
  • Experience of maintaining project budgets
  • Experience of monitoring media and social media
  • Experience of working in a humanitarian or development organisation

Desirable

  • Multimedia production skills (including graphic design, photography, editing video footage)
  • Understanding of the media landscape in European target markets (including Sweden, Brussels and Germany)
  • Fluency in English as well as proficiency in a second European language.

IRC-UK strives to be an equal opportunities employer. IRC-UK is committed to equality of opportunity and to non-discrimination for  alljobapplicantsandemployees,andweseekto ensureweachieve diversityinourworkforceregardlessofgender,race,  religiousbeliefs, nationality, ethnic/national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability.

The deadline for applications is 9am on 25th February 2019.

#IRC-Europe


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