Liaison Officer

Background/IRC Summary:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries, the IRC aims to restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure.

In response to the increased refugee arrivals into Europe, in October 2015 the IRC began responding in Serbia and later expanded to other countries in the Balkans to assist refugees during their journey through Europe. As a result of the March 2016 border closures along the so-called “Balkan Route”, the IRC has adjusted its programs to assist refugees and migrants stranded across Balkan countries while still supporting people on the move. The Balkans programs are implemented in close partnership with local non-governmental organization and government institutions. In 2020, IRC Balkans initiated response in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Refugee.Info is an innovative, first-of-its-kind project that harnesses social media to communicate with refugees and asylum-seekers, listen to their questions and provide information. Refugee.Info (RI) is the European instance of Signpost.

Job Overview/Summary:

With the guidance of the Senior Content Development Officer, the Liaison Officer will act as the middle person between IRC Balkans and other humanitarian actors to streamline operations, resolve issues, improve communications, and generally ensure that the relationship is as beneficial as possible. As part of the editorial team is responsible for information collection, delivery, verification and content creation.

Key working relationships:

· Position Reports to: Senior Content Development Officer;

· Internal collaborations within IRC: All IRC Balkans operational departments (Finance, Supply Chain, HR), IRC departments in other country offices as needed.

Major Responsibilities:

· Develop, maintain, and intensify contacts with relevant humanitarian actors, government institutions and authorities in BIH;

· Collect, analyze, verify, utilize and otherwise organize content delivered from information focal points and partners in BIH for dissemination through Refugee.Info channels and to IRC programs;

· Coordinate with Senior Content Development and Service Mapping Officer to create new content/services based on the collected information above so that information can reach users of Refugee.Info platforms;

· Research and create written, photo and video content for Refugee.Info pages, social media, as assigned by Senior Content Development Officer and RI Manager;

· Ensure that all public outreach, media and communication efforts, including Public Service messages are coordinated and disseminated efficiently across all available channels;

· Maintain and update a database with all relevant contact (i.e. spokespersons and focal points) from the different organizations and government ministries/units;

· Regulary pitch ideas for new content and content updates to Senior Development Officer;

· Conduct outreach in the field whenever needed;

• Help ensure accuracy of services listed on the Refugee.Info service mapping tool for BIH;
• Represent and/or promote Refugee.Info in interactions with partners and beneficiaries in BIH.

Collaboration & Representation:

• Ensure close communication and coordination among IRC Balkans program staff and between IRC Balkans and Refugee.Info;
• Collaborate with the editorial team to ensure consistency in information presented across all Refugee.Info platforms;
• Work with editorial team to ensure that content is aligned with the content strategy and appropriate for publication;
• Use online tools and other modes of communication to consistently share information with other members of the editorial team;
• Participate in all editorial team meetings, workshops, strategy sessions, regular communications, etc., as established by the Senior Content Development Officer and the Refugee.Info Manager.

Success Factors:

The ideal Refugee.Info Liaison Officer is extremely proactive, detail-oriented and organized. S/he values accurate and error-free reporting. S/he is self-directed and reliably completes tasks. S/he is diplomatic and able to work with a range of peers to gather and verify information. S/he is tech- and social media-savvy and quick to learn new tools. S/he has good understanding of the context in emergency settings. S/he is good in networking and is familiar with the humanitarian ecosystem in BIH. S/he has a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability and regularly seeks opportunities for collaboration and thrives in evolving and ambiguous environments.

Expected Travel:

· This position in will require frequent travel between sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Job Requirements:

· BA/BS or equivalent experience in journalism, communications or other relevant field;

· 2-5 years of reporting, writing and editing experience, including for online platforms and social media.

· Video production and photo skills will be considered as an advantage.

· Excellent oral and written English skills required;

· High level of tolerance for ambiguity.

· Ability to learn quickly and proactively seek out information, assess trends/developments, and build relationships across diverse actors and contexts.

· Ability to work well both within a team and independently, in a challenging, fast-paced, multicultural environment.

· Ability to adapt journalistic ethics to a humanitarian context.

· Familiarity with humanitarian principles; familiarity with refugee and migration issues in Europe.

· Ability to work in the field for extended hours, regardless of the elements.

· Driver’s license.

Disclaimer Clause: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skills, effort, duties and responsibilities associated with position.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability.

This position is dependent on the availability of funding.

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.