Senior Trainer/Mentor, Tanzania

Reports to: TBC

Contract duration: 12 months (with possible extension)

Salary: Competitive within Tanzanian NGO market rates

Job purpose

The Senior Trainer/Mentor will work directly with local radio stations and support local trainer/mentors to deliver interactive behaviour change programmes. The ST/M will play a critical role in building capacity of local partner stations by ensuring skills are developed to support station outputs. They will editorially manage the local trainer/mentors and oversee the design of training plans, ensuring the training and mentoring process is harmonised to achieve results.

Main Duties

• To manage the growing team of local trainer mentors working across the projects run by BBC Media Action Tanzania

• To train Tanzanian journalists as trainers with mentoring skills

• To identify training needs for existing and new partners in order to facilitate the design of suitable training packages for delivery to partner stations in the most effective manner that builds capacity

• To manage and train previous category of main partners who will have ceased to fall under the mentioned category

• Spot-check and analyse local and national programme in order to provide feedback to production teams

• To ensure that all programming and training meet the highest BBC standards, as well as delivering the project’s development objectives.

• To deliver training as necessary to support station development

• To oversee the delivery of the training packages, ensuring the impact is maximised

• To ensure that findings from research and audience feedback are used to refine and improve project outputs.

• To assist with project co-ordination, including work planning, ensuring health and safety of project staff, and liaising with project partners and government officials as required

• To contribute to narrative and financial reports on project implementation

• To ensure training activities meet all contractual requirements of the project donors.

• To maintain contact with partner stations to ensure managers and radio station staff are aware of the training goals and ensuring on-going impact

Skills, knowledge and experience 

• Strong editorial judgement, knowledge of BBC editorial guidelines and substantial radio production experience essential, including production of audience participation formats.

• Experience of behaviour change communications and using mass media approaches to influence positive behaviour uptake.

• Fluent in English and Swahili

• Significant experience of planning training courses and training journalists in Africa essential.

• Strong understanding of and commitment to issues of governance, transparency, accountability, financial sustainability and participation.

• An awareness of the importance of new media and how it affects journalism and a willingness to learn the skills required to deliver journalism training using online means.

• Excellent interpersonal, communication and influencing skills.

• Experience of operating effectively in difficult, highly politically sensitive and often fluid environments.

• Good working knowledge of computer packages including Email, Word, Excel, PowerPoint.

Desirable

• Demonstrable understanding of the role of communications in development.

• Thorough grasp of core BBC values.

• Substantive experience of successfully managing diverse teams of creative and support staff.

Key competencies

The following competencies (behaviours and characteristics) have been identified as key to success in the job. Successful candidates are expected to demonstrate these competencies.

• Editorial judgement - demonstrates balanced and objective judgement based on a thorough understanding of BBC editorial guidelines, target audience, programme and department objectives. Makes the right editorial decisions, taking account of conflicting views where necessary.

• Decision making – Is ready and able to take the initiative, originate action and be responsible for the consequences of the decision made.

• Planning and organisation – Is able to think ahead in order to establish an efficient and appropriate course of action for self and others. Prioritises and plans activities taking into account all the relevant issues and factors such as deadlines, staffing and resources requirements.

• Resilience – Can maintain personal effectiveness by managing own emotions in the face of pressure, set backs or when dealing with provocative situations. Can demonstrate an approach to work that is characterised by commitment, motivation and energy.

• Influencing and persuading – Ability to present sound and well-reasoned arguments to convince others. Can draw from a range of strategies to persuade people in a way that results in agreement or behaviour change.

• Gains the respect of the team by the excellence of their work. Leads by example and takes the appropriate amount of responsibility for self and others. Puts the effectiveness of the team above their own personal interests

• Is able to recognise potential (managerial, professional, artistic or otherwise) and is willing to foster the development of that potential. Creates a climate in which potential can be realised.

Application instructions: Candidates should send their CV and a covering letter (PDF or Microsoft Word format) which outlines their experience and suitability for the role in English totzrecruitment@tz.bbcmediaaction.org with the name of the position applied for in the subject line.

Please do not send certificates or other attachments. Applicants with no separate covering letter will not be considered. Please only apply if you meet the basic criteria under the person specification. This is a local post applicable to people who have the legal right to live and work in Tanzania. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified and only if a donor application is successful.

Please note that the availability of this position is dependent on the success of an application to a donor.

Application deadline: Friday 14 June 2013