Play Well Distribution Officers

Program Background Summary:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and in 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

The COVID-19 pandemic has left many across the world in need of lifesaving and life-sustaining support. Beyond this immediate need for aid, millions of children are out of school and at home. It is hard to measure the losses for families and individuals when children are not in school, with severe learning loss, uncertain futures and generational consequences for children all while parents struggle to balance work with childcare and their own child’s education if they can. School closures compound and deepen educational inequities, with high-resource communities and families more able to fill the learning gap with—for example—access to remote learning options like internet-based activities. 

In recognition of this double emergency facing the world’s most vulnerable children, the IRC fueled by an award of $2 million by the LEGO Foundation, will create and provide distance-learning opportunities via multi-channel content delivery system with a focus on social-emotional learning (SEL).

Job Overview/Summary

The Play Well Distribution Officer will be the key person responsible to implement and manage the content delivery system to beneficiaries in Uganda. S/he will work closely with M&E department to share evidence about the content disseminated over multiple channels and provide data and analytics. The incumbent will ensure effective use of the system by closely coordinating with the technology and distribution partner.

Major Responsibilities:

•  Develop radio broadcasting schedule in coordination with radio partners and ensure adherence to the broadcasting schedule.
• Coordinate with radio partners to arrange public campaign about radio broadcast and ensure promos are broadcasted as per agreed schedule.
• Coordinate with key stakeholders such as UNHCR, Office of the Prime Minister, District Local Government and education partners in mobilization and distribution of materials
• Work with local communities and key stakeholders in material creation and adaptation
• Participate in sector working group meetings (CPWG,EWG & PWG)
• Proactively monitor radio broadcasting schedule and integrate SMS campaign to inform beneficiaries about the weekly IRI episode.
• Ensure that the IRI episodes are available through radio partner website.
• Manage IVR, SMS, WhatsApp and Facebook Channel (this includes Add, Update and Delete menu items).
• Plan, prepare and manage the distribution of publicity materials through various social media platforms. This includes using Facebook, SMS and WhatsApp to reach out to beneficiaries about the availability of new content.
• Manage recordings for IVR, test and update the menu.
• Use robocall to reach out caregivers through audio segments.
• Update address book based on the system log, exclude not working, and blocked numbers.
• Schedule outgoing calls to intended beneficiaries.
• Send an informational message before the IVR Call.
• Extract the system log and analyze and develop the content-based report.
• Test the SMS with core working group to check the appropriateness of text.
• Schedule and send the SMS.
• Design Feedback SMS on the system and send it to beneficiaries.
• Compile the feedback and analyze data and develop reports.
• Create and update menu for incoming messages and develop routing flow for WhatsApp and Facebook Channels. 
• Develop template messages for multimedia content and disseminate weekly template messages.
• Liaise with M&E team and extract system log of all channels to update program performance trackers for course correction.
• Coordinate with community radio stations and share the audio episodes and devise broadcasting schedule.
• Liaise with M&E team, distribution partners, and operation team to collect evidence of distribution.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to:Child Protection Manager

Position directly supervises:no

Indirect Reporting: Global Education Technical Unit

Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal:   Country Team- Uganda

External: Technology Service Providers, Community Radio Partners, Radio Broadcasting

 Companies and Distribution Companies

Standards of Professional Conduct

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons and several others.

Gender Equality & Equal Opportunity
We are committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer generous benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances. We welcome and strongly encourage qualified female professionals to apply.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, colour, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Deadline for receiving applications is February 22nd, 2021