Client Voice Coordinator

IRC Background: ​

Founded in 1933, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and regain control of their future. For over 40 years the IRC office in Dallas has provided a range of services to refugees, immigrants, and other working families including resettlement and economic empowerment services, immigration, and case management.

Our strength and success lie within our core values of Service, Accountability, Equality, and Integrity. We are strongly motivated by our clients and are dedicated to delivering high-impact and quality programs.

Job Overview:

The Client Voices Coordinator will strengthen client engagement and feedback initiatives at the Dallas office. IRC believes that designing our strategies and programs based on clients’ particular needs and preferences is one of the most critical drivers of impact. We also believe that we have a role to play in working with clients so that they can engage as an equal, influential partner both with IRC and in the broader community. Strengthening client voice in all aspects of our work and increasing accountability to clients is an IRC priority, and the Client Voices Coordinator will play a key role in supporting client engagement and feedback initiatives at the local level. The Coordinator will also be key in building partnerships across the community, including with diaspora networks, in order to better inform IRC in Dallas programming and decision making. The Coordinator will be the key liaison with client and community groups such as client advisory board(s), facilitate groups such as community leadership trainings, and coordinate with Refugee Voices activities. The position reports to the Deputy Director of Programs.

Major Responsibilities

Client and Community Engagement Capacity Building

• Work with the Dallas office leadership and program office staff, and with support from the HQ Client and Community Engagement team, to develop, implement, and document a strategy to build upon and sustain client and community engagement capacity and practices.
• Coordinate client collaboration and engagement initiatives, supporting the priority that clients have greater and more sustained influence over decisions that impact their lives. This could include but is not limited to coordinating the office’s advisory body and supporting program staff to include clients and communities in program design processes.
• Foster the inclusion of clients and client inputs into office strategy formulation, program development, and funding proposals.
• Provide support with client needs assessments and intersectional context analysis, including through collaboration with office leadership and program managers.
• Provide training to staff on how to effectively engage clients and community members.

Client Feedback Support

• Collaborate with and support office program staff on client satisfaction, core indicator, and feedback efforts, including but not limited to focus group discussions and surveys.
• Collaborate with office and headquarters Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) colleagues to create and implement client-responsive and Gender, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (GEDI)-informed methods for collecting client feedback.
• Understand from clients their preferred ways to engage and provide feedback.
• Collaborate with local program staff and HQ stakeholders to test, adapt, and/or develop client-responsive and GEDI informed client feedback tools and processes.
• Support and collaborate with program staff to foster equitable client accessibility to input and feedback mechanisms.
• Support office compliance with IRC client complaints and feedback policies.
• Support program staff to develop feedback action plans, including:
• Provide insight to clients and community members regarding how information was used and the outcome
• Present client engagement and feedback information to leadership at a regular cadence
• Support as needed with coordinating additional actions, including internal and external referrals

Community Capacity Sharing and Influencing

• Support client input and collaboration into discussions with external partners
• Support local Refugee Voices programming, a platform to, equip, and partner with former refugees and other New Americans to mobilize in order to advocate, tell their story, develop leadership, volunteer, or take other actions in support of other refugees and refugee programs in the United States.
• Organize and facilitate community leadership and civic engagement trainings for Client Voices Council.
• Stay connected to and proactively engage with local refugee and diaspora communities and raise community issues to office leadership.

Client and community engagement learning at the global level

• Pilot and input into recommendations, learning, and knowledge into global Client and Community Engagement related tools and processes.
• Actively participate in RAI’s Client and Community Engagement working group and community of practice.

Key Working relationships

• Position reports to: Deputy Director of Programs, Dallas, TX
• Position directly supervises: interns and/or volunteers

Job Requirements:

• Undergraduate degree preferred, in relevant field of study, however, relevant training and professional experience may be substituted;
• Minimum 3 years of work experience
• Demonstrated experience working with refugees, asylees, victims of human trafficking, and/or immigrant populations required
• Community outreach experience strongly preferred
• Strong written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills: the ability to communicate effectively and build relationships with colleagues and partners in a cross-cultural, multi-disciplinary environment, and the ability to present to a varied public required;
• Experience with monitoring and evaluation preferred
• Ability to develop new programs and initiatives as priorities and opportunities emerge
• Solid diplomatic and networking skills: the ability to effectively manage a variety of internal and external relationships required
• Solid organizational skills with the ability to juggle multiple tasks, set priorities, effectively manage time, and meet deadlines required;
• Microsoft Office suite required
• Fluency in spoken and written English; Fluency in an additional language relevant to current client populations preferred.

Working Environment***:***

• · Standard, professional office environment at IRC offices in Dallas
• · Regular travel to off-site locations is required with a valid driver’s license;
• · Offices hours are scheduled as Monday-Friday, with occasional evening or weekend activities as needed.
• · Access to a reliable vehicle to travel regularly throughout the service delivery area for meetings and events.

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All are invited to apply but we particularly welcome applicants who bring lived experience of forced migration to the role.

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.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity: IRC is committed to building a diverse organization and a climate of inclusivity. We strongly encourage applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they can contribute to this goal.

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.

Professional Standards: The IRC and IRC staff must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Global Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti-Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

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: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days (depending on role and tenure), medical insurance starting at $145 per month, dental starting at $7 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare, childcare, and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with up to 4.5% immediately vested matching contribution, plus a 3-7% base IRC contribution (3 year vesting), disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.