Program Manager, Signpost

Signpost is a digitally enabled responsive information service that supports and empowers populations in crisis, including asylum seekers, migrants, and people who have experienced violence. Our program equips people with information to understand their options so that they can make informed decisions about how to stay safe, get urgent care for acute problems, exercise their rights, and access services. Signpost was developed by the IRC and Mercy Corps in 2015 to address asylum seekers’ and migrants’ pressing need for reliable information upon arrival to Greece and is now active in 12 countries on 5 continents. It meets communities on the digital platforms they already use and aims to deliver information that is contextualized to their specific needs and speaks to their lived realities. This approach draws on evidence that people are more likely to trust and act on information that is responsive to their needs, speaks to their lived realities, and that comes from peers rather than authority figures.

Signpost as a digital safety net for Unaccompanied Children

IRC is launching a program to reach unaccompanied children in the US once they have been released from federal custody to provide them with critical information about legal and social services and direct referrals to legal providers. It will focus on reaching children who are most at risk of falling through the cracks, vulnerable to receiving in absentia removal orders or missed opportunities to secure lawful immigration status, or vulnerable to exploitation, trafficking, or social exclusion. Based out of the Dallas office, the program will engage with unaccompanied children across the US to deliver interactive and age-appropriate content paired with individual support by dedicated digital community liaisons providing information and referrals.

Position summary

The Signpost Manager will have overall responsibility for launching and growing this project, including developing a partnership approach and helping to shape the overall strategy of the program, based on insights gathered on information and support needs during an initial emergency start-up phase.They lead a team and work closely with a wide range of IRC US staff and the Signpost global team.

They oversee fact-checking, keeping abreast of context and vulnerable groups. They also guide the work of Digital Community Liaisons, ensuring that messages from users are answered in a timely fashion and in line with best practice, and that referrals follow appropriate protocol. They are responsible for creating and leading the implementation of a user-focused content strategy that is informed by protection principles and current digital content and social media best practice.

Essential Responsibilities

●Manage deliverables on the project, including provision of legal information, referral of unaccompanied children to legal services providers, completion of an information needs assessment and other key components, with support and collaboration from a number of local and HQ IRC staff.

●Establish clear editorial guidelines and standards and ensure staff are trained in and able to use them. Vet and edit all sensitive content for adherence to editorial standards.

●Revise editorial, social media, and referral Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) as needed and in collaboration with relevant advisors.

●Provide input on, and draft language for, proposals and reports related to Signpost.

●Maintain ongoing communication with Signpost Product Manager on website strategy, features, and issues.

●Maintain knowledge of, and ensure staff are trained on, editorial team tools including content management systems (Contentful and custom CMS, Google tools), social media tools (Facebook, Facebook Ad Manager, Page Manager and Instagram), and project management tools (Trello, Transifex and Slack).

●Establish and maintain relationships with collaborating agencies. Ensure third-party content receives appropriate technical review.

●Maintain close working relationships with related program delivery teams and technical units to ensure appropriate technical oversight and input.

●Coach, train, supervise and mentor direct-report staff, communicating clear expectations, setting performance objectives, providing regular and timely positive and constructive performance feedback, and supporting overall professional and career development.

●Other related duties as assigned.

Requirements

•Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree in social work, legal studies, migration studies, international development, or related field desirable.

•Minimum 4 years of progressively responsible, related experience.

•Familiarity with issues faced by unaccompanied children in the US and the nonprofits and government agencies serving them; knowledge of broader immigration dynamics and stakeholders desirable.

•Previous experience managing social media marketing campaigns in a media outlet, public relations firm, advertising agency or related.

•Demonstrated experience managing partnerships across organizations, (e.g., designing partnership models and assessing partner organization capacities).

•Previous experience with CMS (Content management systems) desired.

•Self-starter - productive with minimal direction and flexible to sudden changes in requirements.

•Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills; demonstrated ability to successfully work in a fast-paced environment within and across departments and develop positive relationships with locally- and remote-based staff.

•Fluency in English required.Proficiency or fluency in Spanish or an indigenous Mayan or Central American language highly desired.

Internal and External Relationships

•The Signpost Manager will be line-managed by Deputy Director – IRC Dallas

•They will work closely with IRC’s immigration teams and relevant partners to ensure legal accuracy.

•They will liaise with IRC child protection experts, and Signpost’s Global Team

Working Environment:

•This position requires a combination of office-based and remote work.

•May require occasional domestic travel (up to 10%) as permitted by public health conditions

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. 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 to request accommodation