August 2011

Dear Applicant External Projects Co-ordinator Thank you for expressing interest in the above post. The job description, person specification, guidance notes and background information are available from the MRC website www.migrantsresourcecentre.org.uk under careers section. We are asking prospective applicants to send us the completed application form and EO monitoring form by email no later than 12 noon on Wednesday, 14th September 2011 info@migrants.org.uk. Please refer to the guidance notes on how to complete your application. Please do not send your CV as this will not be considered. Please note that the interview date is Wednesday, 21st September 2011. unable to give feedback to non-shortlisted applicants. We look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely We are

Ros Lucas Executive Director

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
About the Migrants Resource Centre (MRC) MRC was founded in 1984 and is a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity. The organisation works with migrants, refugees and asylum seekers to effect social justice and change, enabling migrants and refugees to fully participate in this society. To achieve this, MRC carries out the following activities for the benefit of its users: - Advice services, including a generalist casework service in housing, welfare and debt and specialist immigration advice service - Community based training and educational opportunities (including ESOL) and new courses in response to identified and prioritised need - Online centre providing specific training courses and drop-in sessions - Crche support for users of the Centre - Health access advice and support - Information, Advice and Guidance on employment, training and job search support - Media & Policy work to influence policymakers and training on media and policy work to users. MRC has approximately 45 volunteers who assist with aspects of service delivery and administration and, where possible, MRC helps them to retrain or gain qualifications. MRC operates from two main sites: premises that the organisation owns in Victoria and the Legal Advice Team operate from rented premises off Edgware Road in north Westminster. About the Position This post will be within the Media & Policy team and the postholder will be directly line managed by the Executive Director. The position has become available due to the number of new projects that are due to start in the autumn that all have a small management/staffing element. In three of the projects we are minor partners in European Integration Fund projects and in the fourth we are subcontracted by the Low Income Tax Reform Group (with funding from the HMRC) to, initially, help to develop and test materials. A summary of the projects is as follows: 1. EIF Realise: to research the under use of skills and qualifications of third country nationals 2. EIF Media4US2: to assist with the development of a free supplement in the Metro, photo and journalism competition 3. EIF Maseltov: to pilot mobile phone applications with users 4. HMRC/Low Tax Reform Group: to test materials (web-based and hard-copy) and phone applications with users (yr. 1) and to assist with implementation of Centre of Excellence for Tax advice for migrants in year 2. There will be a requirement for occasional travel to meetings in EU states dependent on the project.

JOB DESCRIPTION Title of Post: Hours: Contract Term: Salary: Responsible to: Responsible for: JOB SUMMARY
To manage the implementation and development of four new projects at MRC with European partners and UK partners as follows: 1. EIF Realise: to research the under use of skills and qualifications of third country nationals 2. EIF Media4US2: to assist with the development of a free supplement in the Metro, photo and journalism competition 3. EIF Maseltov: to pilot mobile phone applications with users 4. HMRC/Low Tax Reform Group: to test materials (web-based and hard-copy) and phone applications with users (yr. 1) and to assist with implementation of Centre of Excellence for Tax advice for migrants in year 2.

External Projects Co-ordinator 28 hours per week 18 months 27,500 per annum pro rata Executive Director Users/volunteers

Responsibilities
To establish panels of local key stakeholders and attend panel meetings To establish national roundtables and attend meetings To recruit users to the projects To set up focus groups of users To organise training on aspects of media as appropriate To arrange and carry out surveys and research To assist with the production of free newspaper supplements To maintain records of meetings and focus groups To maintain records of feedback from users To handle administration relating to course bookings To be the point of contact and support for volunteers/users on the project To liaise with other MRC services to ensure a holistic service is provided to users To maintain financial records To ensure effective monitoring and evaluation of the projects.

General Participate in team, staff and other meetings as appropriate Be self-servicing Share information and experience with others in MRC Adhere to MRCs policies and procedures Attend training as required Undertake any other work commensurate with the post.

PERSON SPECIFICATION External Projects Co-ordinator

Essential Criteria
Experience Proven experience of working with migrant and refugee communities Experience of working with and supporting volunteers from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures Proven project management experience

Skills and Abilities Ability to motivate others and work creatively with them to develop their skills Ability to work/communicate with politicians, the media, policymakers, IT professionals and other stakeholders Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to prepare reports Excellent project management and organisational skills Ability to encourage, enthuse and empower individuals Ability to organise courses, visits, meetings and to encourage participation Be self-motivated and work on own initiative and be flexible Excellent IT skills and ability to use social media Ability to attend meetings with partner agencies in the EU.

Knowledge Awareness of the issues faced by migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in accessing information and getting a voice in the media Understanding of the democratic processes in the British system and how people can take part Knowledge of the key issues that impact on the lives of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers

Desirable Be fluent in another community language in addition to English.

GUIDANCE NOTES ON COMPLETING YOUR APPLICATION FORM Completing the application form is the first stage of the selection procedure. The information you provide in it is the only information we will use in deciding whether or not you will be shortlisted. It is therefore very important that you complete your application form accurately and include all the information you think is relevant. The following notes have been designed to help you complete your application form as effectively as possible in order to ensure that it is treated fairly. 1 The application form should be completed and submitted as an email attachment with the equal opportunities monitoring form to info@migrants.org.uk. 2 Read through every section of the application form carefully. You may find it helpful to do a rough draft first. 3 Education and training Apart from formal education and qualifications, mention any short courses that you may have attended to improve your knowledge and skills, particularly if they are relevant to the job you are applying for. 4 Employment history. It is essential here that you include all relevant work experience that you have had. This will include part-time work or work undertaken on a voluntary basis, or such things as household management. This is particularly important if you have not been employed on a full-time basis before, or have long gaps in your employment history. 5 Experience / Reasons for applying for the post / Interest. This section of the application is very important, for this is where you make your case for the job. a Read through the job description and person specification, these describe the skills and qualities that we are looking for. b You will be assessed on whether you have the experience, qualifications and abilities to carry out the job. Therefore describe any experience that you have and make sure that you tell us in what ways you match the requirements of the job. This may be from your current or previous job, or from community or voluntary work i.e. you may have considerable domestic responsibilities or may organise community activities, or be active in a trade union. c Ensure that the information that you provide is well organised and relevant. It should show to what extent you have gained the skills and experience necessary for the post. Give specific examples of the work you have been involved in and write in a positive way (e.g. I was responsible for, I organised.) Always remember to specify your responsibilities rather than those of your organisation, section or department. 6 References You should provide the names and addresses of two people who know you and who are able to comment on your suitability for the post. One of these should be your most recent employer. If you are leaving college or school then it will be your head teacher or tutor. References from relatives are not acceptable. It is always advisable to ensure that your referees know that you have used their name, before we contact them to obtain references. 7 When completed read through your application form carefully checking for errors or omissions. You may find it useful to keep a copy for yourself. Make sure it is sent in by email to info@migrants.org.uk before the closing date. Applications received after the closing date cannot normally be considered. 8 The Interview If shortlisted, you will be invited for an interview. Members of the interview panel will ask you questions so that they can decide how well you match the requirements of the job. You will also have the possibility to ask questions about the work, conditions of service etc. The panel has to keep a record of their assessment of each candidate so that the reasons for their decision are clear consistent and justifiable. You should not therefore be concerned about the panel taking notes. You may ask for feedback following the interview.