Emergency Communications Officer at International Rescue Committee

Job Overview:

• The IRC is looking for an Emergency Communications Officer to lead our communications activations around humanitarian emergencies and reactive storytelling. This position will surge into a portfolio and sometimes lead communications during humanitarian emergencies. They will be responsible for emergency preparedness work, building the department’s emergency action plan, and training country teams and country-based communications professionals to be ready to act quickly and effectively during an emergency to raise the IRC’s profile, income and influence. They will also lead the development and execution of IRC’s digital first, reactive storytelling strategy ensuring IRC teams are able to quickly develop and collect content to respond to relevant news cycle moments and trending conversations. They will sometimes deploy on quick notice to report from the frontlines of IRC’s response, act as a spokesperson and collect compelling content that showcases IRC programs.

Major Responsibilities
Emergency Communications Preparedness

• Update and improve the team’s communications emergency action plan, outlining the steps taken at the onset of an emergency to ensure when relevant that IRC is seen as a leading responder and voice on the crisis.
• Play a strategic role in the department’s overall approach to emergencies, serving as a key member of the External Relations Emergency Action Group and supporting the overall development of the department’s emergency protocol.
• Conduct trainings with key stakeholders, including country program staff, to ensure they understand External Relations strategy and are able to support the organization’s profile, income and influence goals.

Emergencies

• Offer surge support to regional communications leads during humanitarian emergencies by writing press releases and talking points, pitching to the media, producing content and stories, and approving adapted messaging. Travel to frontline programs as needed.
• Serve as lead communications focal point during new emergencies where IRC does not have existing programming. Immediately deploy to the site to collect content and serve as a spokesperson for media and digital and fundraising content.
• Serve as focal point for ongoing emergencies, offering crisis updates and context changes, updating messaging and talking points, developing new media angles, hosting journalists to visit programs, and collecting content and stories for fundraising and digital channels.

Reactive Storytelling

• Develop and lead the execution of IRC’s approach to reactive storytelling. Taking a digital first approach, training country program staff and communications professionals to produce content in reaction to news cycle moments and trending conversation.

Job Requirements
Work Experience:

• 3-4 years experience working as a communications professional with a humanitarian organization
• Experience visiting crisis contexts and producing compelling stories and media work

Demonstrated Skills And Competencies

• Media skills include writing press releases and talking points, landing media coverage and feature stories with top tier outlets, acting as a spokesperson with media and at events, and navigating complex situations and reputational risks
• Experience visiting crisis contexts and producing compelling stories and media work that show people with dignity and agency

Language Skills: English required. French and/or Arabic preferred
Preferred Experience & Skills

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills as well as, an overall ability to be clear and concise in all communications
• Strong organizational and time-management skills; proven ability to prioritize and deliver on time
• Strong analytic problem solving skills
• Ability to work both independently and in a dynamic, cross-functional global team structure
• Ability to manage and work through change in a proactive and positive manner.