Communications Officer

HIAS Europe is seeking a Communications Officer to join its growing and dynamic team in Brussels, Belgium. HIAS has been operational in Ukraine for more than twenty years, and in recent months has scaled-up its Emergency Response programming to respond to the urgent needs of people fleeing war. Whilst HIAS has been active in Europe for well over a century, key constituencies in Europe have little or no familiarity with either the historical mandate of the organization or its contemporary work.

The incumbent is thus tasked with generating greater visibility of HIAS’ Ukraine response work, as well as improving knowledge of HIAS Europe amongst target audiences. A particular focus will be promoting HIAS Europe programming in support of European Jewish communities that are stepping up to shelter, support and uphold the rights of refugees who have fled Ukraine. Further, the Communications Officer will work to enhance the humanitarian aid profile of HIAS Europe, positioning the organization as the humanitarian arm of the European Jewish community.

The incumbent will collaborate closely with the HIAS Europe Advocacy Officer and community engagement staff, as well as colleagues from the Communications department in the U.S.

**ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS**:

- Increases the visibility of HIAS’ humanitarian work in Europe by designing and implementing a HIAS Europe communications strategy; this will focus in part on the role of faith-based communities in promoting refugee inclusion (including the work of Jewish communities in response to the war in Ukraine).
- Engages European audiences with HIAS’ work, including by collecting and curating stories, pictures and videos of HIAS’ humanitarian response in Ukraine and Eastern Europe.
- Develops a social media strategy aimed at maximising engagement from key audiences, namely policymakers and NGOs, Jewish communities and Europeans supportive of refugees.
- Leads press work by arranging media contacts, press briefings and interviews, serving as media spokesperson, developing relationships with Jewish and non-Jewish media and providing talking points and other material as needed for colleagues.
- Conducts monitoring and evaluation of social media reach, media relations and campaigns.
- Provides communications support for events and other HIAS Europe-organised activities.
- Supports crisis communications and develops emergency response communication campaigns in coordination with the HIAS Europe EU Partnerships Manager and Development colleagues.
- Designs multimedia content (visuals, video or audio) and resources as needed.
- Drafts and produces HIAS Europe annual reports, one-pagers, proposals, brochures and promotional materials.
- Writes and copy-edits blog posts, op-eds and other articles.
- Implements and manages a CRM system aimed at tracking community engagement, press and advocacy contacts.
- Co-manages the HIAS Europe private Facebook groups in collaboration with community engagement colleagues.
- Coordinates internal communications (policing branding, style guide, use of HIAS messaging, etc.).

**QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS**:

- Undergraduate Degree in Communication or Public Relations or International Relations
- 3-5 years of experience in communications in an international setting.
- Work experience in an international (humanitarian) NGO, preferably in the refugee sector.
- English fluency required; other European language fluencies preferred.
- Basic graphic design skills; video and photo editing experience preferred.
- Excellent communication and organisational skills.
- Ability to work in a team and independently, take initiative, prioritize competing tasks and meet short deadlines under pressure.
- Understanding and commitment to the values of HIAS.

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