Community Engagement & Partnership Manager

IRC Background:  The mission of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is to help people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover and gain control of their future. Founded in 1933, the IRC has a presence in over 40 countries and 27 offices in the United States; the IRC leads the way from harm to home. IRC opened an office in Seattle in 1976 and provides a continuum of services including intensive case management, employment and economic empowerment services, immigration assistance, health and wellness programming, and education support to refugee and immigrant families in Washington State. IRC Washington is committed to providing trauma-informed, equitable, and accessible services and maintaining and evolving a diverse, inclusive, and supportive workplace.

Job Overview:

The Community Engagement and Partnership Manager will support IRC efforts in Washington to develop and implementing local community engagement strategies and building, maintain, and harness strategic partnerships within the community.This role works closely with IRC teams and partner agency leaders to increase community awareness of IRC’s activities and relevant issues, actively participate in relevant forums and coalitions, mobilize the community to participate in programming and strategic engagement opportunities, strengthen community partnerships further develop relationships with local diaspora networks, and facilitate participatory and feedback processes with clients and community members.

Major Responsibilities:

Strategic Partnership Development

• Lead creation and implementation of community and partner development and engagement plans, including identifying key stakeholders to engage and developing outreach strategies.
• Lead creation of partnership maintenance and reporting strategies with other IRC Washington teams to support local strategic, community relations, external influencing and programmatic needs, ensuring integration of partnership and community relations strategies across programs and strategies
• Develop partnership and forum participation targets based on systems change goals in alignment with office and IRC Gender, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) commitments
• Participate in relevant IRC community of practice forums to implement and contribute to promising practices for client and community engagement practices
• Provide trainings to IRC staff on client and community engagement
• Collaborate with the office donor relations team and leaders on strategies to engage with donors and decisionmakers to influence how programs can be shaped by client and community influence 
• Relay community priorities and interests to RAI leadership and partners, and/or foster opportunities for direct engagement between community stakeholders, members, and leaders with IRC teams 
• Ensure alignment of client and community engagement programming, and office strategies with the RAI GEDI framework.

Client and Community Engagement

• Create tools, fact sheets, presentations, and templates to support community outreach and response
• Serve as a primary point of contact at IRC with local community leaders and groups, and/or initial point of contact facilitating connections to IRC program teams
• Proactively engage in outreach to and follow up with strategic relationships, networks, coalitions, and partners
• Build genuine and productive relationships with a variety of stakeholders.
• Lead on key client engagement, feedback, and collaboration initiatives, and work with program leads on integrating these approaches across programs

Communications and Relationship Management

• Develop and implement strategies to engage impacted community members (including participants in the IRC Refugee Voices initiative) and in IRC internal and external engagement efforts
• Serve as relationship manager for key external partnerships and implement engagement activities with support from resource development, program staff, and leadership as appropriate.
• Assist in raising awareness about IRC and issues related to our work. Represent IRC at meetings, speaking engagements, fora, coalition events, etc. as needed

Advocacy, Equity & Inclusion

• Collaborate closely with the office Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) team to develop and implementculturally relevant and Gender, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (GEDI)-informed client and partner feedback methods, and to close the feedback loop data collection tools and methods
• Directly train and foster training opportunities for impacted community members to be actively engaged in IRC and other external influencing opportunities
• Monitor and analyze reporting from office client and community engagement activities

Program Technical Support

• Partner with IRC Youth and Education Program Manager to expand Safe and Healing Learning Spaces programing through community partnerships, specifically to support the influx of new Afghan children and youth in Washington.
• Identify and train community partners as well as IRC Youth Program staff on effective and culturally relevant implementation of IRC’s Safe and Healing Learning Spaces for Afghan children and youth.  
• Partner with Resettlement Program Manager and Sr Volunteer & Outreach Specialist to meet the needs of clients through community partnerships, specifically to support the influx of new Afghan families to Washington.

General management

• Utilize IRC’s People Management Standards including regular team and individual meetings, clear expectations, effective feedback, and responsive support
• Provide mentorship and support to staff around professional development, workload management, trauma-informed approach, and staff wellness
• Cultivate an environment of teamwork through regular program meetings and on-going training
• Conduct mid-year and annual performance management evaluations
• Maintain ongoing communication with the Executive Director on status of client and community outreach and partnership development and provide timely reports on management issues and concerns

Leadership

• Represent IRC with partner organizations, funders, and other community stakeholders
• In conjunction with other Managers take ownership of relevant strategic objectives, provide guidance and oversight to the appropriate objectives in the IRC Seattle Strategic Action Plan
• Act as a member of IRC Washington Senior Management Team
• Work with IRC Washington Senior Management Team, program leads and other staff, and ensure a good working relationship with all internal departments/programs in the design and coordination of new partnerships and community and client engagement
• Participate in all staff meetings, staff development activities, and fully engage as a member of the IRC Washington team
• Comply with all policies, procedures, and protocols of the agency
• Other duties as assigned by the IRC Executive Director

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to:Executive Director

Indirect Reporting:

• Internal: Washington Senior Management Team, Program Managers & Program Leads, volunteers and Interns, HQ Community, Director for Client & Community Engagement
• External: Clients and community partners;