Inquiries and Outreach Officer ( International)

Background/IRC Summary:

The IRC has a rich history of assisting refugees to apply for U.S. resettlement, from its founding in 1933 to help vulnerable individuals escape Nazi-occupied Europe, to pioneering the Joint Voluntary Agency which assisted Indochinese refugees for 22 years, to operations in Croatia, Sierra Leone and Sudan. Over the years, IRC has processed some half million refugees worldwide for resettlement to the United States.
Based in Bangkok with field offices in Thailand and Malaysia, the IRC Resettlement Support Center (IRC-RSC) assists persons throughout Asia seeking permanent resettlement in the U.S. The RSC prepares refugee applications for the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), provides information to resettlement agencies about arriving refugees and offers cultural orientation training to those refugees bound for the U.S.

Job Overview/Summary:

The Inquiries and Outreach Officer oversees and responds to routine refugee case status inquiries submitted to the RSC. They provide general information about the USRAP to refugees. This position ensures that any case related updates provided by refugees are accurately recorded in the START (a State Department – managed system that supports the arrival and resettlement of refugees through technology) database and flagged for follow-up as appropriate. They project the professional image of the IRC-RSC through telephone, email and in-person interaction with refugees. They attend outreach sessions in the refugee community and provides information on RSC processes to refugees.

Major Responsibilities:
Respond to USRAP applicant inquiries submitted online, by phone, email, letter and/or in-person encounters within specified timeframes
Provide USRAP applicants with accurate general USRAP information, or with case specific information and complete call logs and relevant reports
Accurately input data into START and disseminate information received to ensure 100% accurate data entry in accordance with the RSC goal of data perfection
Seek guidance and collaborate closely with relevant staff on complex cases
Recognize and alert supervisors of trends in refugee and community inquiries and concerns
Keep supervisor advised of developments in daily inquiries, including urgent inquiries; recommend process improvements and changes to supervisors
Coordinate completion of work and follow up with other colleagues with professionalism
Ensure automated response systems (voicemail, email, CaSI) are regularly updated with current information
Conduct outreach sessions and attend partner agency meetings and trainings as needed
Develop and maintain a database of refugee community-based organizations with current contact information
Contribute to updating RSC Information Campaign messages and materials
Remain informed of changes in RSC processing guidelines to ensure work processes are 100% aligned with the most current Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Adhere to all Integrity and Compliance Guidelines
Perform other duties as assigned

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Program Support Manager
Position directly supervises: Nil
Indirect Reporting: Program Support Coordinator, Senior Program Coordinator & Deputy Director, Malaysia
Other Internal and/or external contacts:
Internal: RSC Asia Staff
External: UNHCR, IOM, others as assigned