HERRC Content Coordinator, Signpost

Background

Beginning in January 2024, the IRC will provide transitional case management services to asylum seekers in New York City under a contract with New York City’s Health & Hospitals (H+H). In 2022, in response to an increase in asylum seekers arriving in New York after having recently arrived via the southern US border, H+H launched several Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers (HERRCs) to provide humanitarian reception and supportive services to asylum seekers while they stabilize and organize plans to reach their final destination.

The IRC believes that coordinated, client-centered humanitarian reception can serve as a gateway to a safe and dignified asylum system in the US. With this new program, IRC staff will work with families in HERRC facilities to identify strategies to remove barriers to stability, facilitate safe connections to US ties and communities, and provide basic information on the immigration process to ensure they understand their rights and have access to available legal services in the community, provide referrals to legal and social services in final destinations, and provide more intensive case management for families and individuals with heightened needs. We will leverage our strong infrastructure and technical and emergency expertise to ramp up transitional case management capacity while coordinating closely with agencies providing legal and social services to asylum seekers in New York City (the City).

The IRC will also implement an innovative model to support asylum seekers interested in relocating by leveraging its proven and award-winning virtual case management model and infrastructure. Through this model, trained case managers will provide virtual navigation of resources and information for asylum seekers interested and willing to relocate outside of the City. These virtual services will include cash assistance, guidance on navigating the new community of resettlement, and ongoing virtual case management, including referrals to legal service providers and community-based organizations for up to five months post-resettlement. This virtual case management model endeavors to empower asylum-seekers who wish to resettle outside of the City but lack the resources, information, and support network needed to make the move.

In response to the complex landscape of systems, services, rights, and responsibilities faced by this population, the IRC is launching InfoDigna NYC, as an expansion of IRC Mexico’s InfoDigna Signpost platform. Signpost is a global interagency project that creates digital help centers to empower people impacted by conflict, disasters, poverty, and violence. Driven by community needs, Signpost allows clients to access essential services and make informed decisions on the issues that matter most to them, with content available in multiple languages. InfoDigna NYC will provide information to asylum seekers on available public benefits, the immigration process, and available services in NYC that are responsive to their needs; it will consist of interactive information content, service mapping, two-way communication via digital staff, and broad dissemination of the platform via governmental and civil society partners.

The Content Coordinator will support the newly launched casework program by developing client-facing content that meets asylum seekers’ information needs, including related to the immigration system, accessing public benefits, information for families such as school enrollment, availability of services for asylum seekers in New York City, and other topics.

Job Overview/Summary:

The Content Coordinator supports the development of accurate and accessible information materials for asylum seekers and migrants in NYC. Content will be developed in collaboration with the Asylum and Legal Protection Technical Unit and may be coordinated with external partners. They will ensure clarity, translations, design, and production of the information products.

Major Responsibilities

• Develop a communications plan and related client-facing information.
• Draft, revise, edit, and finalize content and resources that respond to the information needs of asylum seekers in City shelters.
• Work with case management program colleagues and InfoDigna NYC Digital Community Liaisons to ensure content creation responds to clients’ needs, questions, and other communications.
• Ensure content is visually appealing and user-friendly.
• Work with colleagues to identify language needs and manage the translations of all information content.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• Develop and manage relationships with third-party content providers, including immigration legal service providers. Ensure third-party content receives appropriate internal technical review.

Job Requirements:

Education

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required in social justice, communications, journalism, migration studies, or other related field.

Work Experience

• 1-3 years of experience utilizing graphic design for information and communication services.
• Experience working with asylum seekers and other immigrants is strongly preferred.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies

• Understanding of the U.S. immigration system.
• Awareness of and commitment to the rights and realities of immigrant communities in the U.S. Lived experience welcome.
• Strong demonstrated writing, editing, and graphic design skills.
• Experience using visual aides to reach preliterate populations.
• Strong cross-cultural understanding.
• Experience driving communications and/or information sharing across channels, e.g., social media, digital, print, preferred.
• Strong cross-cultural understanding and excellent communication skills, both written and verbal***.***

Language Skills

• Fluency in written and spoken English.
• Bilingual ability is preferred in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Mandarin, Russian, Arabic, Turkish, Dari, Georgian, or other New York City refugee/immigrant languages.

Working Environment:

• Regular on-site presence at the HERRCs, which are 24-hour/7-day facilities, where the IRC is expected to operate on a two-shift schedule. Flexible or hybrid work schedule available.

Compensation: Posted pay ranges apply to US-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

US Benefits: The IRC offers a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. All US employees are eligible for sick time, a 403b retirement savings plans: up to 4.5% immediately vested matching contribution, plus an 3-7% additional IRC contribution, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support in times of crisis and mental health struggles.

In addition, full-time employees are eligible for 10 US paid holidays, 20-25 paid time off days, disability & life insurance, medical, dental, and vision insurance (employee contribution starting at $135, $7, and $5 per month respectively) and FSA for healthcare, childcare, and commuter costs. Part-time employees are eligible for a proportionate amount of paid time off. These additional benefits apply to employees who work at least 6 months within a 12 month time period.