Refugee Info Manager

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:

The Refugee.Info Manager will be in charge of designing and launching the Refugee.Info BIH program towards a partnership and community-based approach. Potential partners to be considered are media and IT organizations, universities, grassroots organizations, NGOs, municipalities and Governmental entities among others..

Key working relationships:

· Position Reports to: IRC Balkans Head of Office;

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

Specific activities:

Refugee.Info launching

• Detailed stakeholder mapping of all possible partners;
• Initiate conversations and explore interest and capacity of potential partners;
• Assess and suggest partnership models;
• Provide support in deploying Signpost tools to handover partner based on jointly-identified needs. This may involve a secondment to a partner organization;
• Contact, establish and maintain relationships with local Authorities and NGOs working in Bosnia and Herzegovina and providing essential services to asylum seekers, refugees and migrants;
• Produce verified content on topics of interest for the targeted community and share it via the Refugee.Info Facebook page or blog or website;
• Building a network of contacts who can support information verification;
• Conduct field visits and assist in content development at field level as needed;
• Performing field editing work toward content development and fact-checking, working toward developing a mastery of the BIH legal framework to ensure accuracy of content and moderation;
• Creating and producing social media graphics;
• Identifying and flagging messages from the especially vulnerable and following through to ensure they receive appropriate protection technical oversight.

Fundraising and grant management:

• Supporting report writing and proposal development by regularly seeking and sharing success stories;
• S/He is on charge of the implementation of the Refugee.Info BIH grants.

Other duties:

• Provide representation for the Refugee.Info BIH in meetings;
• Any other tasks assigned by line manager.

Expected Travel:

· Travel within Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Job Requirements:

• Postgraduate in a relevant field, including Political or Social Sciences, international law, human rights law, international relations, other related field, or equivalent work experience;
• At least 2 years work experience within the “refugee crisis” preferably in BIH;
• Proven ability to learn quickly, help achieve stated results and objectives;
• Excellent relationship-building and interpersonal skills;
• Fluent Bosnian and English required;
• Knowledge of local and national actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including government agencies and non-profit organizations involved in refugee response;
• Experience managing partnerships across organizations highly desired, including designing partnership models and assessing partner organization capacities;
• Familiarity with Communicating with Communities (CwC) and/or community engagement approaches a plus.

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.