INFORMATION OUTREACH OFFICER_Kyiv/Odesa at Mercy Corps

Programme/Department Summary

Mercy Corps intends to scale up a project/programme and protection-oriented information management service that links relevant local information about services, risks, and opportunities for conflict-affected people, including IDPs, in formats and platforms that are user-friendly and easily accessible as they make crucial decisions for their current situation and next move.

Mercy Corps in Ukraine employs the Signpost approach as a digitally enabled responsive information service that supports and empowers populations in crisis, including asylum seekers, migrants, and people who have experienced violence. This service equips people with information to understand their options so that they can make informed decisions about how to stay safe, get urgent care for acute problems, exercise their rights, and access services.

General Position Summary

The Information and Outreach Officer is responsible for information collection, delivery, and content creation of locally relevant information that can help people affected by the conflict to identify services and support in the area where they are currently residing.  The Information and Outreach Officer’s duties include assessing the information needs of a defined target audience within different localities, including elderly people, people with disabilities, the LGBTQIA+ community, national minorities and third-country nationals. Then in close coordination with the ongoing MC programme collaborate with partners in the area to research, gather, vet and produce accurate and updated content that is easy to use and comprehend for end users.  They will also ensure that information is shared using multiple communication channels that can reach and engage with diverse groups of people.

 Essential Job Responsibilities

• Ensure implementation of the Signpost approach:
• Provide reliable, concise, and easy-to-understand information that is relatable to the target audience’s needs, preferences, and information consumption
• Contribute to strengthening the MC/partners’ two-way communication and engagement with the public
• Adjust information activities to the changing context using a bottom-up and data-driven approach
• Develop and maintain an in-depth, nuanced understanding of the humanitarian context in Ukraine by staying abreast of reports and current literature, developing a network of internal and external contacts, attending working groups and other meetings, and travelling to the project sites and locations
• Ensure there is regular communication with target audiences to continually assess information needs in real time
• Gather, vet, condense and organize content about locally available services and existing referral mechanisms from MC’s information & outreach team and partners in the area of operation and ensure content is easy to comprehend for a diverse group of end users/clients and sensitive to their information needs
•  Organise and arrange the dissemination of information using a variety of channels that can reach diverse groups with different access needs to information
•  Collaborate with MC Ukraine Response programmes and partners as an entry point for the dissemination of relevant information
•  Build and strengthen partners’ capacity in information management and technology aligned with protection and gender mainstreaming principles
•  Provide onsite technical supervision to relevant partner staff in the implementation of the Signpost approach. This may require working from partners’ offices periodically
•  Support MC information & outreach team and partners with troubleshooting Signpost-related technical problems
•  Provide feedback to Information Advisor on gaps in partners’ information systems, capacity strengthening needs as well as opportunities to scale up the Signpost approach, and present solutions/suggestions
•  Regularly pitch ideas for new content and content updates to MC’s protection team and partners
•  Help ensure the accuracy of the information stored in the repository
•  Represent and/or promote the Signpost approach in interactions with partners and the communities
•  Report protection and information activities of partners to Information Advisor
•  Report protection and information activities of MC and partners to the Protection Cluster’s 5W/ActivityInfo Platform upon approval of the Information Advisor and Protection Advisor

 Information Management

•  Locate and contact relevant platforms/service providers in agreed-upon areas to inform them about MC’s information activities
•  Gather and update information stored in the repository regularly and share it via the appointed communication channels, when requested
•  Continuously monitor for updates and changes on locally provided services, as well as misinformation and disinformation
•  Refer protection concerns to the relevant focal points internally and externally in line with safe referral standards, protocols, and protection cluster guidance

Team Collaboration

•  Ensure close communication and collaboration with the protection and gender staff and other programme focal points from MC and partners to ensure information is consistent; sensitive to safety concerns; and inclusive to marginal groups and individuals who are at-risk or hard-to-reach
•  Collaborate with the gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) team to incorporate a gender and social inclusion lens
•  Coordinate with the MC’s community accountability focal points and partners to ensure smooth operation and feedback on shared platforms and channels
•  Ensure all relevant MC staff are informed of and involved in the planning and information dissemination
•  Use online tools and other modes of communication to consistently share information with other team members
•  Correspond with the security and crisis analytics team to understand the sensitivity of different types of information in different areas and align information dissemination to reflect safety protocols
•  Participate in all team meetings, workshops, strategy sessions, regular communications, relevant protection and cash clusters and task forces etc. in the area of operation

 Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by the country leadership
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies

Organisational Learning

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit MC as well as themselves

Accountability to Affected Population

• MC’s team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to people we assist and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects

Supervisory Responsibility

• None

Accountability

• Reports Directly To: Area Manager (administrative supervision); Information Advisor (technical supervision)
• Works Directly With: MC’s protection and community accountability teams, MC’s partnerships and security/crisis analytics focal points and partners in the operation area

 Knowledge and Expertise

• Degree in linguistics, communication and public relations, journalism, translation and/or other relevant fields
• Experience from working in humanitarian/recovery/human rights or development contexts
• Familiarity with international protection principles, concepts, and standards
• 2-3 years of reporting, writing and/or editing experience, including for online platforms and social media
• Knowledge of social media platforms and cultural use of these platforms
• Fluent in Ukrainian and Russian; good level of English (B2 or higher)
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• An understanding of the subtlety of language and an ability to apply communication guidelines in written responses
• Ability to learn quickly and proactively seek information, assess trends/developments, and build relationships across diverse actors and contexts
• Ability to work well within a team and independently in a challenging, fast-paced, multicultural environment
• Ability to adapt journalistic ethics to a humanitarian context
• Creative thinking and problem-solving abilities
• Strong computer proficiency and well-acquainted with basic software tools
• High levels of tolerance for ambiguity
• High emotional intelligence
• Respect for people of all walks of life

Living & Environmental Conditions

We are recruiting officers for Dnipro, Kyiv, and Odesa, but the location within Ukraine may be subject to reassessment given the security context. Given the emergency response nature of this role, this position may require exceptional work schedules including occasional evenings and weekends.

 Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organisations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives. We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening, and evolving to become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal-opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact. We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants, or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary-General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.