RAI US Network Communications Officer

This opportunity can be based in Washington DC, New York, NY and Los Angeles, CA.

Marketing & Mobilization (M&M), a key part of External Relations (ER) is a dynamic team tasked with overseeing and executing communications and marketing, building the IRC’s global profile and brand, increasing private revenue from deep donor engagement and partnerships, and influencing our target audiences – all in the service of helping people facing the world’s worst humanitarian crises. In alignment with our Strategy100 commitments, M&M has launched ambitious multi-year campaigns that raise funding, profile and influence and will improve our share of voice and resonance in key geographies and globally. M&M continuously innovates the IRC brand, which enables us to increase awareness, understanding of and support for our work.

Job Overview:RAI US Network Communications Officer

The Resettlement, Asylum, and Integration (RAI) U.S. Communications team executes communications strategies that drive policy, influence and income objectives relating to refugee resettlement and protection, including Asylum and Protected Status, in the U.S. The candidate will support the U.S. Communications team in proactive and reactive communications work on the global migration crisis and refugee resettlement in the US. This position is based at the IRC’s offices in Washington DC, and will be remote as adjusted for health and safety during the pandemic.

As a key member of the IRC’s Public Affairs team, the Communications Officer will help develop and implement the day-to-day communication strategies that bring the IRC’s impact and policy agenda to target audiences especially at the local and state level.

The Communications Officer will oversee, guide and monitor the communications of 26 US field offices conducting resettlement and immigration work - with a particular emphasis on reactive and proactive communications for the priority offices/states with most policy and income potential. S/he will liaise with stakeholder organizations, and work with the Latin America Communications point around storytelling and media related to Central and North America where relevant. The Officer will focus predominantly on local/state US media in support of IRC’s local, state and DC-facing advocacy goals, and will serve as advisor to local digital engagement. The position will work with multiple departments and stakeholders to deliver measurable communications results showcasing programs and subject matter expertise. In addition, they will support reputation management (Issues & Crisis) at the office and HQ level.

Major Responsibilities:

●Convene, collaborate, and engage with a dynamic range of IRC teams across the U.S. to develop and implement reactive and proactive communications that drive IRC’s policy agenda and grow awareness of the IRC’s impact, with a focus on local/state issues in earned media, increasing IRC’s breadth and depth of IRC US media coverage

●The Communications Officer will work closely with RAI US advocacy team to drive IRC’s local and DC-facing advocacy goals and develop and manage key public facing messaging and positioning for external use across channels.

●Work with internal stakeholders, including communications team-members, advocates, fundraisers, other external relations teams and technical experts to: facilitate and support dynamic communications products, including innovative media outreach and killer pitches that land IRC coverage, top tier op-eds and executive communications for RAI US leaders, talking points and high-level IRC messages for cross-organizational use, research and analysis publication, and supporting creative digital storytelling and content production (with in-house and external partners) as well as social media (especially at local office level).

●Coordinate/support during crisis and emergency communications which affect RAI US offices, including developing reactive or proactive crisis messaging, coordinating high-profile local visits and high-speed content gathering.

●Provide media training to field spokespeople.

●Liaise and monitor stakeholder and coalition’s communications working groups, contributing to building up the communications goals of the broader coalition.

●Contribute to quarterly reports on media coverage and content results using industry standard metrics and bench-marking.

●Expand and nurture IRC’s communications network, including journalists covering refugee, asylum and integration at the state/local level.