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Background

The Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) is a research and advocacy organization that seeks to improve the lives and protect the rights of women, children, and youth displaced by conflict and crises. We research their needs, identify solutions, and advocate for programs and policies to strengthen their resilience and drive change in humanitarian practice. The Women’s Refugee Commission is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

WRC’s Program Work

WRC’s program work covers multiple sectors: sexual and reproductive health and rights, economic empowerment and self-reliance, sexual and gender-based violence, gender and social inclusion, and rights and justice, as well as diverse populations: adolescent girls, refugee youth, people with disabilities, LGBTQI+ refugees, as well as displaced women and children. The program team consists of 15 program staff and multiple short- and longer-term consultants. The programs’ work focuses on improving the availability and quality of humanitarian responses globally with an aim to influence, change, and transform the humanitarian system into one that is more responsive, protective, effective, and efficient and that utilizes and builds on the skills and capacities of affected populations.

WRC also leads and hosts several networks and initiatives: the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights, the Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative, the Welcome with Dignity Campaign, the Global Refugee Youth Network, and the Inter-Agency Working Group on Reproductive Health in Crises. Nascent but developing bodies of work include advancing the localization agenda and climate and gender justice.

Program staff work closely with the advocacy and communications teams to amplify learnings, recommendations, and reach of guidance and toolkits developed by staff. Program staff also work in partnership with the development teams on resource mobilization.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with and support the Vice President of Programs to advance all WRC’s program efforts and priorities.
• Supervise and support assigned program staff and bodies of work.
• Assist program teams with developing vision and strategy for critical program areas.
• Incubate new program areas that address gaps and needs in the humanitarian response.
• Work with development and program colleagues on fundraising and proposal development.
• Develop and manage partnerships with INGOs, local civil society organizations, refugee-led organizations, and academic institutions in the global south.
• Develop and sustain relationships with key stakeholders and donors (e.g., UNHCR, Department of State – Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, USAID/Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs, Swiss Development and Cooperation (SDC), Global Affairs Canada).
• Work closely with advocacy, communications, and development staff to ensure synergies, alignment, and maximal impacts of program efforts.
• Participate and engage in key networks and consortiums such as ICVA and InterAction to advance WRC’s goals and objectives.
• Represent WRC at events and meetings with humanitarian policymakers, donors, UN agencies, partners, and consortia.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in international affairs, international development, humanitarian management, or related field.
• 8+ years’ international field experience in humanitarian settings including emergencies.
• Deep knowledge of the humanitarian system, actors, and donors.
• Technical expertise in at least two WRC-focused sectors of work.
• Solid management and supervisory experience.
• Proven track record of successful fundraising.
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation and data management.
• Experience conducting qualitative research, including with participatory methods, and quantitative data collection and analysis.
• Proven track record writing reports and policy papers for varied audiences with publication in peer-reviewed journal articles desired.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Solid diplomatic skills.
• Ability to work independently.
• Ability to work across multiple projects.
• Solid organizational skills with excellent attention to detail.
• Good computer skills: facility with Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Languages: English, with preferred working knowledge of French, Arabic, or Spanish.

Reports to: Vice President, Programs
Position: Regular, Full-Time
Salary: $123,000-$185,000 (commensurate with experience)
Location: New York (hybrid)
Posting Date: November 22, 2023
Closing Date: Until filled

How to Apply

Interested candidates must submit a CV and cover letter via via this link.

APPLY NOW

The Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) is an equal opportunity employer. It is our policy to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, gender identify, sexual orientation, age, religion, marital status, veteran status, or disability. Qualified applicants from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. The Women’s Refugee Commission is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

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Background

The Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) works to improve the lives and defend the rights of refugee and internally displaced women, children, and young people. As a research and advocacy organization, WRC is dedicated to securing systemic changes in policy and practice that ensure uprooted women, children, and young people can fully exercise their rights to protection, services, and self-sufficiency.

The #WelcomeWithDignity (WWD) campaign is a national campaign for asylum rights in the United States. It is composed of more than 100 organizations committed to transforming the way the United States receives and protects people forced to flee their homes to ensure they are treated humanely and fairly. WWD and its core staff are housed at WRC.

Scope of Work

The communications coordinator is responsible for developing and managing all communications aspects of the WWD campaign. This position will report directly to WRC’s senior director of external communications and will work closely with the WWD campaign manager and communications strategist, and the Migrant Rights and Justice (MRJ) team at WRC to develop strategic and effective communication strategies and tactics to advance WWD’s mission. The communications coordinator will serve as the primary point of communications contact for the coalition of organizations involved in the campaign.

The communications coordinator will coordinate the drafting of the campaign’s communications resources, including talking points and messaging documents, across the coalition and will craft WWD’s press releases, media advisories, and briefing documents for media work related to the campaign. The communications coordinator will also support the work of the campaign communications strategist. Under the supervision of and in collaboration with the senior director of external communications and the campaign manager, and in close coordination with the MRJ team, the communications coordinator will serve as the liaison for external partners, including public relations firms, and on all WWD press calls; manage rapid response communications efforts, press briefings, and events; and work with the senior director of external communications on paid media content production for the campaign.

Essential Job Functions

• Craft talking points, press releases, press memos, and official statements for distribution to media and other constituents.
• Ensure coordination across a diverse coalition of partners to ensure message discipline, press coordination, and research-informed persuasion.
• Support the work of the communications strategist, including with social media strategy and output.
• Build and maintain WWD press contacts.
• Proactive flacking: Engage and pitch media on asylum issues.
• Serve as primary communications coordinator with coalition members.
• Liaise with public relations firms and other external vendors.
• Work closely with MRJ program staff members and other campaign partners to identify opportunities and develop related communication materials.
• Manage the campaign’s editorial calendar.
• Manage all communications aspects of rapid response efforts, including crafting talking points, press releases, social media copy, media engagement.
• Represent WWD in coalition and movement calls and spaces as needed.
• Performs related duties as assigned. The omission of specific duties does not preclude the supervisor from assigning duties that are logically related to the position.

What We’re Looking For

• A minimum of five to seven years’ experience in political or advocacy campaign communications required, experience in rapid response efforts preferred.
• Excellent press contacts.
• Knowledge of US asylum and/or refugee and/or international humanitarian and human rights work, with personal or lived experience preferred.
• Outstanding verbal and written communications skills and the ability to grasp and communicate asylum policies to targeted audiences via traditional and social media.
• Excellent organizational skills, including ability to conduct and coordinate multiple tasks under pressure to ensure rapid response deadlines are met.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Proven experience working with large coalitions.
• Strong commitment to the mission and goals of WRC and the WWD campaign.
• Spanish proficiency a plus.

Reports to: Senior Director of External Communications
Position: Regular, full-time for 6-month period (with possibility for longer depending on funding)
Salary: Band Level 6: $56,305 – $89,844* (commensurate with experience)
Work Schedule: Hybrid – two (2) days in the office, three (3) days remote
Location: Washington, DC
Reposting Date: November 15, 2023
Closing Date: Until filled

How to Apply

Interested candidates must submit a cover letter and resume via this link.

APPLY NOW

*The range listed represents just one component of WRC’s total compensation package. The salary range as depicted above represents the low and top-level values for the given salary band for the role. The actual salary of someone hired into the position will be based on various factors that will include but will not be limited to professional and academic experience, training, associated responsibilities, and other business and organizational needs. Individual salary decisions remain dependent on the circumstances of each individual hire.

The Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) is an equal opportunity employer. It is our policy to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, gender identify, sexual orientation, age, religion, marital status, veteran status or disability. All qualified persons, including those with lived experience relating to a particular role, are encouraged to apply. The Women’s Refugee Commission is a registered 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization.