Summary: Heartland Alliance International (HAI) is searching for a dynamic and passionate Communications Officer to join our human rights organization on a part-time basis. This position will lead the development and implementation of an externally-facing, organization-wide communications strategy to raise awareness, promote advocacy, and enhance the visibility of our global human rights work. In addition to leading the development and implementation of a communications strategy, the incumbent will be responsible for creating compelling communications content (including news stories, one-pagers, externally-facing programmatic reports, website and social media content, among others), manage HAI’s website and social media platforms, and support other urgent communication needs of the organization. The incumbent will leverage HAI’s expertise in mental health and psychosocial support, specialized torture treatment, gender equity, access to justice, and stigma-free HIV prevention and care to deepen and expand its external presence. This is a part-time position requiring approximately 20 hours per week.

Reporting to the Director of Business Development and Policy Advocacy, this position will collaborate closely with team members at HAI headquarters (Senior Leadership Team, Business Development team, Programs team), as well as at HAI country offices in Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Iraq, Syria, Ukraine, and in the US at the Marjorie Kovler Center to inform HAI’s communications strategy.

Essential Functions:

• Communications Strategy:
  • Lead the development and implementation of HAI’s communications strategy.
  • Identify opportunities to enhance HAI’s public profile and increase awareness of its activities.
• Content Creation and Management:
  • Develop and write engaging content for HAI’s website, social media platforms, and external engagement. This may include news stories, newsletters, and programmatic updates, among others.
  • Ensure all content aligns with HAI’s mission and messaging.
• Social Media and Website Management:
  • Manage HAI’s website, frequently updating content when necessary and publishing new content.
  • Manage and grow HAI’s presence on social media platforms, ensuring equal representation of global programming across social media platforms.
  • Create and schedule posts, respond to comments and messages, analyze engagement metrics.
• Event Support and External Communications:
  • Support the planning and execution of events, including HAI and the Marjorie Kovler Center’s annual Power of Healing event, including coordinating with speakers, managing invitations, and promoting the event through various channels.
  • Support the Business Development and Senior Leadership teams to send periodic external communications to our donor audience. This may include newsletters and private fundraising appeals, including HAI’s Annual Giving Campaign.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, or a related field.
• Minimum 2 years of experience in a communications role, preferably within the non-profit or human rights sector.
• Excellent written and spoken fluency in English. Candidates with written and spoken fluency in Spanish, French, Arabic, Ukrainian, and/or Kurdish are preferred.
• Ability to effectively communicate with non-native English speakers, and with remote team members via a variety of technologies, such as Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Teams.
• Proven experience creating and managing content for social media platforms.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Experience developing communications content in HAI’s sector areas is preferred, including human rights, mental health and psychosocial support, specialized torture treatment, access to justice, gender equity, anti-trafficking, and humanitarian assistance.
• Demonstrate a commitment to advancing human rights and supporting the mission of Heartland Alliance International.

Certifications/Licenses:

N/A

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities (K/S/A):

• Forward and Strategic Thinking- Able to understand the strategic intent and purpose of job duties and responsibilities, and able to offer insights to the management team regarding means to over-come barriers or improve processes.
• Self-motivation - Has an awareness of their intrinsic motivations. Understand that many jobs have duties or responsibilities that the employee does not feel motivated to complete, but can identify strategies –or seek guidance from management- to complete all work duties with the same level of quality and efficiency.
• Professionalism - Thinks carefully about the likely effects on others of one’s words, actions, presentation of self, and mode of behavior. Monitors quality of work and selects the words or actions most likely to have the desired effect on the individual or group in question.
• Reliability - Shows commitment/ dedication and accountability in one’s work, and follows through on all projects, goals, aspects of one’s work. Fulfills all commitments made to peers, co-workers, and supervisor. Works to achieve agreement (by offering alternatives, etc.) on time frames or objectives that can be realistically met.
• Teamwork and collaboration- Willingly seeks and shares knowledge to enable a colleague to improve in their job or the team to advance towards a project goal. Takes into account the organization as a whole when making decisions. Separates one’s own interests from HAI’s interests to make the best possible judgments for HAI.
• Adaptability - Changes behavioral style or method of approach when necessary to achieve a goal; adjusts style as appropriate to the needs of the situation. Responds to change with a positive attitude and a willingness to learn new ways to accomplish work activities and objectives.
• Integrity and Authenticity- Respects confidentiality. Contributes fair and equal contributions at work, measured by following through with promised and assigned work and honoring commitments, being honest about capabilities, limitations, and mistakes.
• Cultural Humility and Interpersonal Awareness- Aware of and able to read cues in different situations then adapt accordingly. Makes others feel comfortable by responding in ways that convey interest in what they say.
• Resilience and Stress Tolerance- Ability to manage difficult situations, seek support or accept offers of support when necessary, and overcome challenges
• Service Orientation- Willing to assist colleagues or participants by performing duties outside of one's job description, being able to recognize when someone is confused or needs help, and offering assistance without being asked. When unable to help, directs the individual to someone who can.
• Written Communications- Writes using concrete, specific language relevant to the purpose and audience
• Technical Expertise- Keeps informed about developments and trends in one’s technical area.

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here represent those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• The employee may be required to travel occasionally to insecure and limited-resource environments.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here represent those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, use hands to handle or feel, and reach with hands and arms.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

Ex:

Heartland Alliance makes all hiring and employment decisions, and operates all programs, services, and functions without regard to race, receipt of an order of protection, creed, color, age, gender, gender identity, marital or parental status, religion, ancestry, national origin, amnesty, physical or mental disability, protected veterans status, genetic information, sexual orientation, immigrant status, political affiliation or belief, use of FMLA, VESSA, military, and family military rights, ex-offender status (depending on the offense and position to be filled), unfavorable military discharge, membership in an organization whose primary purpose is the protection of civil rights or improvement of living conditions and human relations, height, weight, or HIV infection, in accord with the organization's AIDS Policy Statement of September 1987.