Senior Communications Officer, Global Partnerships at International Rescue Committee

Job Overview/Job Summary

• The Global Partnerships communications team is part of the Marketing & Mobilization (M&M) department. The team supports and highlights the IRC’s high value donors and partnerships with the private and philanthropic sectors.
• Working in collaboration with teams across the organization, this role leads external-facing communication with philanthropic partners to raise brand recognition, engage donor audiences, spotlight sector-leading solutions and innovations, facilitate fundraising through cause marketing and other campaigns, and meet donor visibility requirements.
• This position works directly with the global high value teams to support forward-looking and purposeful communications strategies targeting key audiences and markets. Does this sound like an exciting fit for you?

Major Responsibilities
This communicator will:

• Work alongside our foundation and corporate teams to support grant visibility requirements and proactive profile-building opportunities.
• In particular, focus on expansion of external visibility opportunities, technical program thought leadership in partnership with foundations, and coaching support to local communications staff.
• Lead external engagement strategy around campaigns and key moments with partners, including digital activations, earned and paid media pitches, flagship events, etc.
• Lead thought leadership and executive communications strategy with partners to elevate cross-sector solutions and commitments to the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges.
• Collaborate closely with, seek input from, and manage opportunities with a wide range of internal stakeholders, including the Media, Experiential Marketing, Events, Entertainment Relations, Fundraising, Digital, Brand, Creative, and other teams.
• Identify and grow key media targets beyond the policy / humanitarian sectors and help to build our profile with new audiences and international markets.
• Ensure that existing partnership materials are kept up to date – such as messaging documents, decks, media lists, etc. and help to the development of messaging, project management systems and processes, strategy planning documents, etc.
• Contribute to quarterly reports on coverage, engagement, and performance using industry standard metrics and bench-marking.
• Manage additional special projects across the Partnerships communications team based on strategic needs of the team.

Key Working Relationships

• Position Reports to: Associate Director, Global Partnership Communications
• Position directly supervises: n/a
• Indirect Reporting: n/a
• Internal: Work with global external relations colleagues, writers, content producers, digital team members, IRC advocates and fundraisers.

Job Requirements

• Genuine passion about the IRC’s work and leading 360-degree communications activations with philanthropic partners!
• 6+ years in communications in the private or NGO sectors; experience supporting communications for technical program areas is a plus
• Strong understating of media landscape and comfort with pitching stories and writing statements, quotes, etc.
• High degree of comfort coaching other team members on communications strategy and supporting adaptation of global communications plans for local audiences
• A generalist who thinks about communications across channels, e.g., video, digital, social, and media and is able to connect the dots!
• Experience with events and activations to build profile and visibility.
• Experience leading complex projects from start to finish.
• Experience handling external relationships, such as with customers, clients, media, or donors.
• Experience with cause marketing preferred.
• Experience working with high value donors preferred, bonus for experience working in the donor landscape in US, EU, and/or MENA.
• A planner and executer. Someone who has a consistent record of project management, taking initiative and driving implementation.
• Self-starter comfortable working with remote, global teams and in ambiguity.

Education: Bachelor’s degree required.