Social Media Community Liaison- Signpost

ABOUT INTERNEWS AND SIGNPOST

Internews is an international non-profit organization whose mission is to ensure people have access to the news and information they need, the ability to connect and the means to make their voices heard.

Internews has played a pioneering role in the field of disaster, humanitarian and risk communications, working closely with community, humanitarian agencies, information providers such as local media, national disaster management agencies, community organizations and local responders to understand and support their role in the information ecosystem during crises. We strengthen existing and create new two-way information mechanisms that allow communities to access life-saving information, share questions, concerns and priorities with responders and shape the programs designed to support them.

Internews’ approaches are heavily localized, participatory and are implemented through a variety of tools and systems. Through these approaches, Internews sets up processes that translate community-driven data into clear pathways for improved local and international coordination and bring the community closer to responders and local media.

Signpost is an innovative digital initiative providing the humanitarian community with a platform to reach refugees, asylum seekers and crisis-affected communities around the world with accessible information. It began in 2015 in Greece and is a collaboration between the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Mercy Corps (MC). It has since expanded to include instances in Jordan and El Salvador.

Each Signpost platform provides users context-specific, up-to-date information on vital needs such as legal rights, transportation, and medical services in multiple languages – empowering individuals to make informed decisions at the most critical moments.

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

Internews is responding to the information needs of people impacted by the current war in Sudan. Our focus is ensuring people are able to access accurate, timely and contextual information to inform their decision making and to identify and respond to rumors and misinformation that may put communities at greater risk. Internews is partnering with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) to create a digital platform which will allow communities to receive responsive answers to their questions and referrals to services to support them. This project will form part of the Signpost global network.

Internews is looking to engage 3 Social Media Community Liaisons as Signpost’s beating hearts on social media. They communicate directly with our users every day- replying to their comments, messages, and questions.

Social Media Community Liaisons come from the same culture as the section of our audience they are working with and speak their language. Many of our Liaisons are refugees or part of a diaspora themselves. It’s also useful if Liaisons live in or have experiences in the country where their Signpost instance operates.

LOGISTICS

This is a remote position for 3 candidates based outside of Sudan. You must have work authorization in your location that does not require sponsorship from Internews. Additionally, there are locations in which Internews is not able to support fully remote work.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so candidates are encouraged to apply soon.

This is a limited-duration position that is expected to last 5 months.

OUR COMMITMENT TO FOSTERING A CULTURE OF BELONGING

We are an organization of dynamic, mission-driven individuals who are passionate about our core values and about supporting positive change in the world. We pride ourselves on our commitment to innovation and flexibility. We believe that diverse teams are strong teams and work to support an ethic of belonging, dignity, and justice for all people. Our current team includes a mix of genders, parents and non-parents, and people of multiple races, nationalities, ages, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic backgrounds. We are an EEO employer and encourage candidates of all races, genders, ages, orientations, ethnicities, and national origins to apply, and welcome those with alternative backgrounds and experiences.

DAY-TO-DAY TASKS will include:

• Reply to messages and comments received on Signpost social media channels with the help of a team of experts and moderation guidelines.
• Engage users in conversation online and carefully log interactions to contribute to an understanding of community needs and information gaps.
• Follow protocol to escalate any communication from vulnerable cases to Protection Specialists.
• Feedback on (and translate into English if required) representative and noteworthy comments and write an analysis of the day’s communications (including responses to posts, trends in conversation and information gaps).
• Share opinions, feedback, cultural awareness, contextual knowledge, and learning with the wider team on an ongoing basis.
• Collaborate with team members to develop thorough, well-researched answers.
• Analyze information gaps amongst refugee populations to feed into future content creation.
• Contribute to the production of regular reports for humanitarian and health partners to improve their understanding of the concerns and questions among the affected population.
• Provide input into research activities by sharing recurrent or emerging topics and trends from social media data and practices.
• Support the development of strategies to address mis- and disinformation in digital platforms.
• Keep up to date with all the new information that we put out on an ongoing basis and attend regular trainings as required.
• Perform any other duties as assigned by the supervisors.
• Understanding of and demonstrating commitment to upholding Internews’ Core Values.

QUALIFICATIONS WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

Required

• An asylum-seeker, refugee or migrant who is from Sudan.
• High emotional intelligence (our users are in difficult periods of their lives and Liaisons need to empathize with them).
• A native speaker of one of our audiences’ key languages.
• An excellent level of English (B2 or higher).
• A clear communicator with an understanding of the subtlety of language and an ability to apply communication guidelines in written responses.
• Integrity and a respect for people of all walks of life.
• An understanding of the subtlety of language and an ability to apply communication guidelines in written responses.
• A typing speed of 30 words per minute.
• An understanding of the power and importance of accurate information and the ability to exercise strong judgement in ensuring all answers are accurate.
• Ability to work autonomously and to communicate with remote team members and supervisors.
• Respect for people of all walks of life.
• A team player.
• Fantastic attention to detail.
• Strong computer proficiency and well acquainted with basic software tools – can navigate autonomously in Windows, Android, Skype, Microsoft Suite, and Google docs.
• Knowledge of social media platforms, especially Facebook, and cultural use of these platforms.
• The commitment to going above and beyond in the quest to give people in crisis accurate information.

Preferred

• Experience working with refugees, migrants, or displaced people in a voluntary or professional capacity.
• An accredited bachelor’s degree in social work or a related field.
• Experience managing a Facebook page or group, and other social media platforms where the admin constantly assessed the digital environment and engaged with audiences.
• A basic level of understanding of the host country’s language (if different from your own).
• Experience in a newsroom desired.
• Experience in a humanitarian organization is a plus.
• Knowledge of refugee issues in Sudan/East and Horn of Africa desired.
• Experience conducting social science research a plus.
• Experience working in a call center or hotline a plus.
• Experience working in a service industry a plus.