• Part-time, 30 hours per week, based anywhere in Australia.

The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA), the independent national community voice on refugee issues, is seeking a Campaigns and DigitalOfficer.

RCOA is the peak body for organisations working with and for refugees and people seeking asylum. RCOA conducts research, raises awareness and advocates on national and international issues affecting refugees and people seeking asylum.

The Campaigns and Digital Officer will work with the Director of Strategy, Communications and Fundraising and play a key role in RCOA’s small but effective team, promoting awareness of refugee issues and positive policy alternatives. The position will manage RCOA’s digital assets, support the design, delivery and evaluation of advocacy and campaign strategies and support sector wide collaboration on media and campaigns.

The successful applicant will be a motivated and effective communicator with outstanding digital skills, an understanding of refugee-related issues, relevant qualifications and experience in media, public advocacy and/or marketing. The position is part-time, 30 hours per week. The annual package, including base salary, superannuation and leave loading, is from $80,000 p.a. pro-rata (Level 4 under the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award). Fringe benefits arrangements for staff of public benevolent institutions are also available which increase the value of the package.

As an organisation dedicated to enhancing the role of Australia’s refugee communities in the national discussion about refugee issues, RCOA strongly encourages applications from people with lived refugee experience and people with close personal and cultural connections to refugee communities.

RCOA has offices in Sydney and Melbourne but much of our work is being conducted remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This role can be undertaken remotely from anywhere in Australia and offers flexibility with working hours and days.

VISION, PURPOSE AND AIMS OF REFUGEE COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Vision

For the voices of refugees to be heard, the rights of refugees to be respected, the humanity of refugees valued and the contribution of refugees celebrated.

Purpose

To work with its members in promoting the development of humane, lawful and constructive policies towards refugees and people seeking asylum by Australian and other governments and their communities.

Aims

In order to achieve this purpose, the Council pursues the following aims:

1. To act as a unifying organisation and to represent its members.
2. To promote the empowerment of refugee communities and individuals in Australia and internationally and support the capacity building of the refugee sector in and beyond Australia.
3. To monitor, research and present information on issues relating to the needs and circumstances of refugees and people seeking asylum.
4. To assist governments and inter-governmental organisations to formulate policy and improve support and services for refugees and people seeking asylum.
5. To increase public awareness and media sensitivity towards refugees and people seeking asylum.

(RCOA Strategic Plan 2016–2021)

Key responsibilities

Reporting to the Director of Strategy, Communications and Fundraising, the Campaigns and Digital Officer is responsible for the following:

Digital

• Manage RCOA’s extensive toolkit of digital assets, ranging from social media platforms, customer relationship management (CRM) database, web assets, communication tools, analytics, digital marketing and a range of other applications.
• Lead RCOA’s digital strategy, utilising data and analytics to inform key goals.
• Manage RCOA’s web assets, which includes more than six microsites. Work with RCOA staff to ensure that web content is up to date and relevant and liaise with RCOA’s web developers to make improvements to web assets.

• Create and manage digital advertising campaigns that promote RCOA’s work.
• Manage RCOA’s social media platforms, posting relevant, engaging content that builds our supporter base and encourages engagement.
• Oversee RCOA’s email program to ensure quality and high delivery rates.
• Provide training and support to RCOA staff to improve use of digital tools across the organisation.

Campaigns and Advocacy

• Take a key role in the design, delivery, and evaluation of advocacy and campaign strategies.
• Facilitate and help lead sector collaboration on key strategic priorities.
• Utilise cutting-edge campaign planning frameworks and tactics to develop comprehensive strategy documents to form the basis of sector collaboration.
• Build relationships with key stakeholders in the refugee rights sector, with a focus on people with lived experience.
• Develop strategies for supporter engagement that build capacity, increase engagement and feed into campaign strategies.

Public Information

• Lead and participate in sector-wide collaboration on media and campaigns.
• Assist RCOA’s planning and delivery of campaigns, including Refugee Week and other public facing initiatives.
• Assist with the preparation of external communications including bulletins, campaign updates and reports to members, supporters and other contacts.
• Support RCOA’s response to media and public requests for information.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Essential

To be successful in this role, you must meet the following selection criteria:

1. A commitment to the fair and just treatment of refugees and people seeking asylum in Australia and abroad and knowledge of key refugee-related issues.
2. Relevant tertiary qualifications and/or experience.
3. Demonstrated track record in designing, implementing, and evaluating campaigns, including community engagement strategies and digital campaigning.
4. Experience developing, managing, and evaluating digital campaign strategies, including drafting engaging electronic direct mail messages (EDM), designing supporter journeys and implementing digital marketing strategies. Proven track record of managing social media platforms and posting regular, engaging content.
5. Demonstrated experience in coordination and facilitation skills, particularly in working with diverse groups of stakeholders to achieve common goals. This includes the ability to host meetings and convene gatherings both in person and online.
6. Demonstrated ability to manage organisational digital assets, including a CRM database, web assets and communications software. Ability to learn and employ new digital tools quickly.
7. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the capacity to communicate respectfully with culturally diverse individuals and to work in a team.
8. Strong organisational skills, ability to take initiative, prioritise and meet deadlines, and conduct thorough evaluations of key activities.

Desirable

Please outline relevant experience you may have in any of the following:

1. A deep understanding of refugee-related issues from lived experience and/or close personal and cultural connections to refugee and asylum-seeking communities.
2. Experience managing and working with volunteers.
3. Experience working with NationBuilder, Wordpress and/or Facebook ads.
4. Basic web development skills.