ThaiNGO

This position is primarily based in the Philippines and/or Thailand but is also open to qualified candidates residing in any Southeast Asian country where IJM operates. The role reports to the Communications and Marketing Manager, Asia Pacific. Applicants must have the right-to-work in their country of residence.

This is a full-time, permanent position.

Who We Are

International Justice Mission (IJM) is the global leader in protecting vulnerable people from violence around the world. Our team of over 1,200 professionals are at work worldwide in over 30 offices. Together we are on a mission to rescue millions, protect half a billion, and make justice unstoppable.

We are a global community that cares for one another. We believe that the way we work is as important as the results we achieve. We provide professional excellence with joy and celebration to all those we serve. 

The Need

For over 25 years, IJM has pioneered the work to protect vulnerable people from violence. 9 out of 9 times in the last decade, IJM’s Justice System Strengthening Projects have reduced slavery and violence between 50% and 85% for very large populations of people in poverty.

As we grow to expand our impact to protect 500 million people from violence, we are seeking a Story Specialist who will play a key role in IJM’s storytelling mission, embedded in communities where our work happens, bearing witness to transformation and translating it into compelling visual and written content that drives understanding, belief and action. This role exists to help ensure IJM’s global storytelling is increasingly locally rooted, visually excellent, ethically grounded and responsive to emerging opportunities across the region. 

This multi-discipline role spans photography, video and written output, requiring both creative craft and emotional intelligence to work with dignity and care in sensitive, high-stakes environments. The Story Specialist collaborates closely with the Global Story team and local and regional communications leaders to ensure stories in their region are captured effectively, surfaced consistently and amplified across global channels. While based in one IJM program office within the region, the Story Specialist will travel significantly across multiple countries in-region to capture stories, support media opportunities and strengthen regional storytelling capacity. 

This role supports regional storytelling efforts while actively contributing to campaign-ready content aligned with organizational messaging, advocacy, fundraising, social media and media engagement priorities. The Story Specialist will help surface stories with strong digital and media potential, creating content suited for social platforms, editorial environments and global communications channels. This role will also provide mentorship to emerging local content creators. 

Responsibilities

Strategic & Operational

• Align field storytelling with global strategy.  
• Ensure timely production and delivery of high-quality stories.  
• Coordinate with program and communications staff to gather story leads and access key events. 
• Host global content and media gathering trips in conjunction with the local office.

Marketing & PR Support

• Contribute content for regional media engagement and PR initiatives as required.
• Collaborate with Global Marketing and program teams for campaign-ready assets.  
• Support crisis communications and rapid-response storytelling when necessary. 

Collaboration & Networking

• Maintain strong connections with Global Story and APAC program teams.
• Build relationships with local media, partners and creatives to enhance storytelling opportunities.
• Participate in regional and global content reviews and planning sessions.

Values

• Model professional and ethical behavior in all interactions, demonstrating empathy, respect and humility. 
• Support the IJM team in living out organizational culture, collaboration and mission-aligned values.
• Act as an advocate for vulnerable populations, particularly children and survivors. 

Education & Experience

• Ideally a bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, media or related field.
• Minimum of 3-6 years’ experience in photojournalism, documentary storytelling, communications or related field.
• Applicants must submit a portfolio demonstrating strong visual storytelling capabilities across photography and/or video. Experience capturing sensitive stories with dignity and emotional depth is highly valued.
• Experience working in cross-cultural environments, ideally in the Global South.
• Demonstrated ability to operate independently in complex field environments, including story development, interview facilitation, logistics coordination and editorial decision-making.
• Background in human rights, international development or mission-driven organizations preferred. 
• Demonstrated commitment to advocacy for vulnerable populations and ethical storytelling practices.
• Ability to work sustainably and resiliently in emotionally challenging environments while maintaining professionalism, empathy and sound judgment. 

Technical Competencies

• Strong narrative instincts – ability to find the story within complexity.
• Proficiency in photography and/or video production (Photoshop, Premiere, Lightroom preferred), including field capture and basic post-production.
• Excellent written communication in English; multilingual ability is a significant advantage. 
• Familiarity with content management systems, Adobe Creative Suite and digital asset workflows preferred. 
• Comfort working independently in the field with limited resources and tight timelines. 
• Ability to produce results-oriented content that supports global marketing, advocacy and fundraising objectives. 

Non-Technical Competencies

• Strong narrative instincts – ability to find the story within complexity.
• Proficiency in photography and/or video production (Photoshop, Premiere, Lightroom preferred), including field capture and basic post-production.
• Excellent written communication in English; multilingual ability is a significant advantage. 
• Familiarity with content management systems, Adobe Creative Suite and digital asset workflows preferred. 
• Comfort working independently in the field with limited resources and tight timelines. 
• Ability to produce results-oriented content that supports global marketing, advocacy and fundraising objectives.

Other Duties

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of activities, duties or responsibilities for the position. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. All positions are required to perform any additional tasks assigned by the supervisor.

Application Process:

Please submit your Resume/CV and Cover Letter to apac_recruiting@ijm.org not later than 31 August 2026.

Remarks: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

IJM holds strict safeguarding principles and a zero tolerance to violations of the Safeguarding Policy, Protection against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment Policy, and Code of Ethics. Candidate selection is based on technical competence, recruitment, selection and hiring criteria subject to assessing the candidates value congruence and thorough background, police clearance, and reference check processes. IJM requires a background check, police clearance and thorough review of references with an employment offer and/or employment contract.