Location: Portland, Or, Washington, DC
Position Status: Full-time, Exempt, Regular
Salary: The salary range for this position is $64,000 - $70,000 USD

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact. .

Program / Department Summary

Technical Support Unit (TSU) houses TSU subject-matter experts that help set agency strategy and provide consultation – from assessment and design through project implementation and results measurement – to field offices worldwide, in some of the world’s toughest places. TSU team members provide critical technical leadership, share guidance on emerging trends and best practices, foster organizational learning, contribute to research, represent Mercy Corps to external audiences, and develop robust partnerships. They cover a wide range of technical areas including food security, markets, energy, the environment, maternal child health, peacebuilding, youth, gender and other sectors critical for effective agency work. The TSU is also integral to global business development and revenue, housing a team dedicated solely to this effort.

General Position Summary

The Knowledge Management and Communications Advisor for the Technical Support Unit (TSU) will serve as a strategic advisor to the Management Team and will execute a knowledge management framework that will support efficiency and effective use of our current and future resources. This framework will guide our internal process of resources creation, roll-out and retention.The Knowledge Management and Communications Advisor will support the VP and management team to build consistent internal messaging regarding the TSU’s work and technical influence. This position will be the central pillar of content management and brand for the global team, supporting efforts toward robust communities of practice and digestible and valuable technical resources. The Knowledge Management and Communications Advisor will support the team in finding more effective ways to collaborate across our 15 thematic teams.

Essential Job Responsibilities

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT GUIDANCE & VISION

Provide strategic support to the management team regarding the vision and practice of knowledge management for the TSU especially in relation to the new agency strategy.
Implement a knowledge management framework and guidance for TSU to support teams in establishing hubs of information for their internal team and external for our program teams.
Framework will support both current and future resources and the internal process for resources creation, roll-out and retention.
Play a key role in the team’s next phase of adoption of Office365. This next phase will be the google folder systems, which is the current platform where TSU living documents are stored.
Assess and act on the interim system and how it can best serve our global team.
This position will lead the TSU in building a uniform structure for the TSU in M365.
Collaborate and build a relationship with the Global Internal Comms team, supporting information sharing and feedback throughout the agency.
Work in conjunction with other departments, as needed.

BRAND MANAGEMENT

Maintain a standardized internal TSU brand and “signature approach” through:
Curation of TSU assets (TSU icon, standardization of templates and tools);
Compelling TSU presence within key agency platforms (Digital Library, Workplace etc.)

INTERNAL COMMUNICATION

Manage the production of the bimonthly TSU newsletter
Maintain regular updates to internal platforms.
Manage and develop a consistent and compelling TSU workplace page.
Supporting the Management Team to centralize communication through workplace and develop the page as an active community.
Build internal regular messaging from the VP to the TSU team members
Support VP in building a quarterly message from quarterly reports for the TSU team members
Support the VP in building a quarterly message from the quarterly reports, tracker report and infographic that will be sent to country leadership and the ET
Lead and support facilitation of Leadership Meetings, TSU gatherings and meetings, and Management Team needs.
Partner with the Marketing and Communications, Policy and Advocacy, Internal Communications and other teams to amplify TSU messages.

CONTENT PRODUCTION

Guide and monitor overall TSU content production, reporting out to the leadership team key themes or issues emerging relating to TSU content production.
Coach and support TSU teams in content production with a view to producing high-quality, digestible content for a wide range of internal audiences.
Build team capacity to identify audience(s), select appropriate communication channels, and measure success of content distribution plans.
Improve content tone and accessibility, through direct support and copy edits. Work in partnership with the Internal Communications team, when applicable.

COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE & CAPACITY STRENGTHENING

Lead the uptake of the CoP approach and provide ongoing guidance and support to the team’s nascent and mature CoPs, as well as facilitate cross-fertilization of ideas between CoPs.
Build team capacity in virtual facilitation, community management, webinar production and other activities; share lessons learned with other departments, when applicable.
Other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibility

N/A

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Operations Manager, TSU

Works Directly With: TSU Management & Leadership Teams; Senior Admin - TSU, other teams

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualifications & Transferable Skills

Track record of internal communications success at a large organization.
4+ years experience in internal communications. Preferable with a purpose-driven organization in a communication position. Experience with an agency and/or in-house communications team also qualifies.
Experience in supporting knowledge sharing (management) within a large team and to a diverse audience. Ideally with skills to establish systems and communications for uptake and roll out.
Excellent writing, editing, and research skills required; proven ability to “translate” diverse technical language into compelling content.
Background in multi-channel communication, building compelling messaging from a breadth of authors.
Demonstrated competency in communication strategy, planning, and implementation of plans and tactics.
Knowledge and experience with M365, deep understanding of the program and how to use it as a central knowledge sharing platform for a large, dispersed team.
Proven experience maintaining a high level of confidentiality and professional conduct.
Proven ability to prioritize multiple competing and changing priorities, requests, tasks, and deadlines.
Experience working in diverse, international, distributed teams through synchronous and asynchronous communication platforms.

Success Factors

The successful Senior Content and Knowledge Management Advisor will be a creative communicator, an excellent networker, and a tenacious problem solver. They will forge productive relationships with key internal stakeholders and have a strong ability to communicate with team members at all levels. They will be a strategic thinker able to make decisions while also being extremely organized and experienced at prioritizing multiple tasks. They will have a vision for both the ‘hardware’ and soft skills needed for effective communication and knowledge management. This position will be able to work with teams to ensure complex technical material is easily accessible and in line with the overall TSU approach and vision for document production and knowledge management. They will have the ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines, and work independently and cooperatively with team members. A good sense of humor is appreciated. An entrepreneurial spirit that is both creative and flexible is important.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

This position is flexible on location, ideally based in a HQ location.The position may require travel to other Mercy Corps HQ offices and/or field offices. Field conditions may be exceptionally rugged or be in volatile environments where security protocols must be followed. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme**.** We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

Covid-19 Vaccine Policy for US-Based Employees

Mercy Corps has determined that, in an effort to protect the health, safety, and well-being of all Mercy Corps employees working in the United States, all U.S.-based employees must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, regardless of prior COVID-19 infection status. This policy is necessary to ensure not only the safety of our workforce, but the ongoing functionality of the organization.

This policy will be revised as needed to comply with federal, state, and local requirements, and to respond to changing guidance from public health authorities.

For new employees this requirement goes into effect within 10 business days of employment. Team members that travel are expected to comply with host-country requirements, including vaccinations. Failure to comply may impact your employment. Proof of vaccination or exemption must be provided.