Cultural Mediator

Background

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 50 countries, the IRC aims to restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure.
Following a first assessment conducted in January 2017 in Italy and another one in July 2017, several critical protection gaps were identified within the assistance provided to refugees and migrants in Italy: mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), assistance to unaccompanied children, information provision and legal support.

To respond to the identified gaps IRC established a small presence in Italy which has significantly grown over the past 8 years. Programs in Italy currently include Refugee.Info web-based information platform, protection programming targeting people arriving in Trieste through the Balkan route, initiatives aiming to the socio-economic inclusion of refugee youth and women, and educational projects (social emotional learning and healing classrooms).

To give continuity to the protection work launched in April 2024 and consolidated in 2025, IRC Italia is working throughout 2026 in a joint effort with UNHCR teams to provide support to persons recently arrived in key disembarkation areas as well as in reception facilities and transit centers in Sicily (including Lampedusa) and Calabria.

Job Summary

The French-Bambara/Somali-Arabic speaking Cultural Mediator will be part of a roving team led by a Protection and Specific Needs Expert based in Catania. The team will support newly arrived people in the region, both in disembarkation points and in reception facilities, with a specific focus on survivors of trafficking. The Cultural Mediator will provide not only cultural mediation services but also direct support and information sessions to the people arriving in Italy with a high degree of autonomy. The candidate will support the Protection Expert in identifying persons with specific needs, especially survivors of trafficking, facilitating referral mechanism to the relevant services in the area. Reporting to the Protection Expert, the cultural mediator will operate in an inter-agency context, organizing the intervention with the protection and specific needs expert, in coordination with other International Organizations and relevant actors operating in the area.

The cultural mediator will also help with data collection and contribute to protection monitoring and assessment activities.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide cultural mediation during information provision sessions, both in groups and in 1 on 1 meetings with people in key disembarkation areas and in emergency reception centers;
• Deliver up-to-date and accurate information on rights and duties to the newly arrived persons, with a focus on the right to access asylum procedures and anti-trafficking, in particular to women, children, families;
• Provide information to newly arrived persons on the available services according to their specific needs;
• Conduct outreach in key disembarkation areas and reception facilities to identify beneficiaries’ needs and vulnerabilities;
• Identify persons with specific needs including trafficking survivors, GBV survivors, UASC, children at risk and facilitate referral to relevant services with a specific focus on the anti-trafficking entities available in the different territories;
• Attend all the internal capacity building organized to strengthen the competence of the team working with sensitive target populations;
• Support the overall protection monitoring activities by gathering the relevant data;
• Any other task assigned by the line manager.

Reporting Lines

Position directly reports to: Protection and Specific Needs Expert, IRC Italy

Expected Travel

This position will be based in Catania, with the expectation of regular travels throughout each respective catchment area to provide assistance during disembarkation procedures and within reception facilities.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Fluency in French and Bambara or Somali and Arabic, good command of Italian.
• The knowledge of Arabic language is preferable.
• Previous experience in cultural mediation/interpretation.
• Previous experience in providing information sessions to migrants and asylum seekers.
• Good knowledge of the Italian legal system linked to the international protection procedure.
• Previous experience in working with trafficking survivors.
• Good knowledge of the survivor-centered, trauma-informed approach, child-centered approach.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook); ability to use the internet and other digital tools for data entry, research and problem-solving purposes.
• Valid driver’s license is strongly preferred
• Predisposed to teamwork, problem solving, ability to create a proactive environment.
• Excellent communication and relational skills.
• Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact, and diplomacy

This position has an end date of 31 December 2026.

Compensation: (2,258 EUR). Compensation is based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer IRC considers all applicants based on merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability.