Job Description - Communications Officer

The Communications Officer’s role is to ensure that Helping Irish Hosts (HIH) communications and events deliver a clear, consistent message that celebrates the host and community welcome experience, inspiring, informing, rewarding and building the community. HIH is expanding and growing based on the needs of the community and seeing how the knowledge and skills gained can be adapted to meet the needs of broader communities in Ireland.

The main goal of this position is to create a deep understanding of the role hosting plays in Ireland’s refugee accommodation response and to support the organisation’s aim of making hosting and community welcome sustainable.

Role Overview

The position will lead and manage the implementation of communication activities for the organisation which includes HIH’s internal and external communications, liaising with partners and stakeholders, organising events, supporting advocacy initiatives and building brand awareness through various channels. Travel and some evening work will be required.

Reporting to the Community Engagement Lead, you’ll build and nurture strong relationships with everyone across the organisation, from staff to volunteers, to hosts, guests and external stakeholders. You will work closely with the Matchmaking and Support teams to ensure communications are responsive and relevant to the community we support.

Responsibilities

• Support the development and implementation of HIH’s Communication Strategy
• Play a central role in raising the profile of HIH in the refugee accommodation response and Community Welcome initiatives
• Work with the team in developing and managing the content of publications such as newsletters and other branding materials
• Support HIH’s PR activities, identifying opportunities to engage with relevant stakeholders and maintain strong relationships with broadcast and print media
• Create and distribute press releases
• Conduct interviews with hosts, guests and community members to develop case studies
• Develop and maintain HIH’s online presence via the website and various social media platforms
• Organise and represent HIH at events
• Keep abreast of relevant policies that affect HIH’s work
• Undertake other duties as assigned from time to time in consultation with your team lead

Experience, Knowledge & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications or related field
• At least three years relevant work experience in the area of communications
• Experience of leading and managing communications projects
• Team player, with the confidence to take the lead and guide other staff
• Experience working on campaigns using traditional and digital marketing tactics
• A good eye for design and knowledge of Canva, Mailchimp and other relevant software
• Proficient in Google Workspace apps and products
• Comfortable working in situations of uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity
• Creativity and an ability to generate engaging messages
• Fluent English essential
• Drivers licence and car essential

Desirable extras

• Hosting Experience
• A desire to make a positive impact in the world
• Experience being part of a Start Up organisation
• Experience using a CRM system
• Good knowledge of the not for profit/charity sector

Contract Type

• This is a full-time, fixed term contract (12 months)
• Salary: €34,00 - €38,000 per annum, depending on experience
• Work from home and at shared offices in The Tara Building, Dublin 2

Please send a cover letter and C.V. by 9pm on 16th February to hello@helpingirishhosts.com with “Communications Officer” in the subject line.

About Helping Irish Hosts

Helping Irish Hosts (HIH) is a limited company formed by a group of hosts, working together with displaced and Irish based Ukrainians, to get people into Irish homes – quickly – to give them a soft landing, while avoiding Direct Provision and long term hotel / government accommodation stays.

We arose in direct response to the Ukraine crisis in March 2022, with a mission to empower and support individuals and communities in Ireland to host displaced Ukrainians in their homes, safely and sustainably. Our mission now is to make hosting sustainable.

We have matched over 3,027 Ukrainians in more than 1,465 homes across Ireland, created a vibrant, trusted support network for hosts and presented a strong voice in advocacy for hosts at all levels. Our range of supports and resources are open to all hosts, however their match came about. HIH has proven its impact, commitment and solution-driven approach in developing Europe’s largest and most sustainable Hosting Programme and in advocating for its extension to programme refugees.

In April 2023 we joined a consortium of partners responsible for the activation of public accommodation pledges on behalf of the state (DCEDIY), along with IOM, Peter McVerry Trust and leading consortium partner,

The Irish Red Cross.

HIH is funded by The One Foundation, The Sunflower Foundation, The Community Foundation, The Shapiro Foundation, Choose Love and a Service Level Agreement with The IRC. We are supported in other ways by a wide variety of individual, corporate and state partners.

We are hosts, helping hosts. Together, we are playing our part in this historic, unprecedented, global emergency humanitarian response. We believe that this is the best way forward.

We have built a strong, highly impactful team to deliver on this commitment. We’d love to hear from you if you want to be part of it.

Company Information

Helping Irish Hosts is a not for profit CLG, registered in Ireland. No 717469 (April 13, 2022)
Address: The Tara Building, 11-15 Tara Street, Dublin 2
Website: www.helpingirishhosts.com
Directors: Prof. Joe Carthy, Dr. Aideen Gough, Matt Lunson, Martin McDonald, Anatoliy Primakov, Dominic Rigby (Chair), Sorcha Woods (Co. Sec.)