United States of America: Associate Director, Global Communications

Requisition ID: req1647

Job Title: Associate Director, Global Communications

Sector: Communications

Employment Category: Regular

Employment Type: Full-Time

Location: USA-New York, NY - HQ

Job Description

Background/IRC Summary: More than 80 years after Albert Einstein helped create the International Rescue Committee, the number and intensity of humanitarian crises across the globe warrant a dose of Einstein-inspired vision.

Every month, nearly one million people flee their homes because of conflicts or natural disasters. With few wars ending, and new wars starting, the number of people displaced by conflict has reached nearly 60 million, the most since World War II. Their growing and increasingly complex needs mandate a transformation-a creative rethinking-in the global humanitarian response.

Job Overview/Job Summary: As a key member of the IRC's Global Communications Team, the Associate Director, Global Communications will develop and execute communications strategies positioning the IRC as the thought and practice leader of the humanitarian sector with a focus on our international programs.

This position is based at the IRC's headquarters in New York with some travel expected. The Senior Officer will act as a spokesperson as needed.

Major Responsibilities:

• Convene and lead a dynamic range of IRC teams to develop and implement communications strategies that drive awareness of the IRC's impact and advocacy, enhancing the IRC's reputation, supporting fundraising objectives and influencing target policy makers.
• Work with (and persuade) internal stakeholders, including communications team-members, field teams, advocates, fundraisers, and technical experts to develop and support dynamic communications tactics: From innovative media outreach and top tier op-eds, to creative digital content and social media output.
• Deliver strategic proactive and reactive media relations, leveraging global insights and expertise in both international and humanitarian media but also counter-intuitive media beats that will help tell the IRC's story to strategic audiences.
• Deploy excellent writing skills that deliver: killer pitches that land IRC-led features, high-level IRC messages for cross-organizational use, top tier landing op-eds, and talking points for spokespeople.
• Represent the IRC as a spokesperson to external and internal audiences, both via media interviews and contributing to digital content.
• Partner with Digital Content and Communications to produce and coordinate digital content collection, distribution and measurement, working closely with digital communication technical specialists.
• Produce quarterly reports on coverage and communications results using industry standard metrics and bench-marking.
• Strengthen / develop internal systems and processes to deliver on communications objectives.
• Coordinate and lead crisis and emergency communications, including high profile field visits and high speed content gathering.
• Deliver and lead executive communications for IRC leaders, including the CEO, as needed.
• Expand and nurture IRC's communications network.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Director of Global Communications Position directly supervises: n/a

Indirect Reporting: n/a Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal: Work with global communications colleagues, writers, content creators, IRC advocates and fundraisers External: Work with journalists, media producers and editors, strategic influencers and sister humanitarian organizations

Job Requirements:

Education:

Minimum: Bachelor's degree in communications, journalism, international affairs or related field

Work Experience:

Minimum: Six to eight years of professional experience in communications, preferably with a focus on international affairs or issues that cross with the humanitarian sector.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

Minimum:

• The Communications Senior Officer must demonstrate a flexible approach and ability to navigate ambiguity, as well as multiple projects and competing priorities at once
• Ability to work effectively, efficiently, diplomatically and calmly in a high-pressure environment on issues that are often complex and politically sensitive.
• Deep knowledge and experience of working successfully with US media covering international and humanitarian issues and proven track-record of results.
• Experience in producing and editing, under tight-deadlines, accurate and dynamic communications materials including press-releases, op-eds, talking points and digital content.
• Record of creativity in developing compelling content, and creative pursuit of targets in achievement of communications objectives across different channels (media, social, web etc.)

Working Environment:

• Standard office work environment

Please follow this link to apply: http://www.aplitrak.com/?adid=SGVyaW5lLk9jaG9sbGEuNDU1NDIuMzgzMEBpcmNjZC5hcGxpdHJhay5jb20