Project Director Job at World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers

Title: Project Director

Location: Tanzania, Kenya, Malawi or South Africa

Contract Duration: 11 months (July 2015 – June 2016), Full-time Contract

Salary: Competitive

Background

The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) is seeking a regional project director for its innovative capacity building programme Women in News: Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania.

Women in News partners with media organisations to equip female media editors and executives with the skills they need to advance within their companies, to both improve gender balance and also to contribute to society as a whole by providing a greater female contribution and perspective to news and information.

Women in News combines WAN-IFRA’s global experience in running advocacy and development initiatives in support of media freedom with the first-hand knowledge of the impact gender-based programmes can have on media and society.

Women in News falls under WAN-IFRA’s Media Freedom division, which promotes media freedom, and the economic independence of media, as cornerstones of freedom of expression and democracy.

Women in News: Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania is supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  https://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/ud/id833/

The Programme

Women in News equips women editors and senior journalists with new tools, strategies and professional networks to contribute in a more meaningful way to their media, while working to change institutional bottlenecks to the progression of women media executives within their media companies through industry-led advocacy.

The programme combines certified media and newsroom management training with career coaching, mentoring and networking to achieve the following outcomes:

• Impart new media management and editorial skills so women editors and senior journalists are able to take on a greater role in editorial strategy, newsroom management and leadership;
• Help participants advance their media careers using their 3-5 Year Career Roadmaps as a tool;
• Encourage participants to leverage their influence within their newsrooms to create content that raises awareness on issues in pursuit of positive social change within their societies;
• Educate participants on gender bias in the news so they in turn can become educators and advocates within their newsrooms helping to reduce this tendency
• Create a culture of mentoring that is infused across the organisation and industry
• Expand the professional networks of participants to help them overcome the isolationwithin which they operate and strengthen the industry at large.

Women in News engages in advocacy and education efforts to

• Sensitize top management to promote environments that are more conducive to gender mainstreaming
• Facilitate cooperation and dialogue to promote industry-led solutions to gender mainstreaming

25 high potential editors and senior journalists from 20-25 print and digital media are accepted into the programme, annually.

Candidate must possess the following:

• University degree in humanities or media/journalism
• 5-7 years full-time paid experience in one of the following fields: journalism, communications, media development or other gender-focused capacity building/advocacy work
• Familiarity with regional media markets (minimum one of the three target countries)
• Event management experience with direct accountability for results
• Budget management experience with direct accountability for reporting
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to self-motivate and work independently while part of a virtual team

Scope of Work

The Project Director will develop and manage (programmatically and financially) all Women in News activities in Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania. S/he will play a vital role to manage the implementation of this project, while representing the project and WAN-IFRA to all stakeholders. Specifically, the Project Director will have:

• Day-to-day responsibility for the project including programmatic, operational and financial management;
• Responsibility to establish and maintain relationships with trainers, coaches and any other project-related suppliers, and ensuring their deliverables are met in a timely manner that is in keeping with WAN-IFRA standards;
• Responsibility for meeting, within established deadlines, the identified inputs/outputs in support of overall intended project outcomes as outlined in the project workplan and logframe;
• Day-to-day responsibility for the project budget, ensuring sound fiscal management and transactions comply with good business practices and WAN-IFRA’s procurement standards;
• Responsibility to promote the project within the media and other relevant stakeholders, as well as recruit and select candidates/media for the 2015-2016 intake;
• Day-to-day responsibility to manage regional training institute to ensure the delivery of the WIN certified media and newsroom management curriculum (curriculum already created), workplace assignments and take-home examinations;
• End-to-end responsibility for the Programme Wide Gatherings and training sessions (2x per year lasting 5 days each) including hotel and flight logistics, agenda setting and coordinating training process and social events while onsite;
• End-to-end responsibility for the National Gatherings (smaller, one days events/3 per country for a total of 9 events over a period of 9 months), combining organization and oversight of these events with advocacy work with media companies;
• Responsibility to identify, engage and onboard local coaches to implement the WIN 3-to-5 career roadmap process (built on pre-existing format); ensuring coaching schedules are maintained and milestones achieved throughout the 9 month process
• Ownership of relationships with media owners/CEOs and other top management to educate and sensitize this stakeholder group on gender mainstreaming issues in target countries
• Responsibility to implement of baseline and year end measurement tools; as well as analyze results for reporting

Furthermore, the Director will:

• Liaise with WIN project directors from other regions to coordinate training sessions and leverage other synergies where possible;
• Ensure the project complies with donor regulations, laws, and WAN-IFRA’s policies;
• Ensure regular and timely reporting and review of project progress to WAN-IFRA Head Media Development Consultant in keeping with WAN-IFRA’s internal requirements;
• Ensure effective and timely reporting to the donor, with primary ownership producing content for narrative reports; 
• Produce regular multimedia materials (i.e. blog posts, photos, social media…) documenting the life of the project for external audiences, as required;
• Maintain other duties as assigned.

This position jointly reports to WAN-IFRA Head Consultant, Media Development and WAN-IFRA Secretary General.

Additional Assets:

Experience with training programmes for media; and/or

Experience with development and implementation of monitoring and evaluation tools; and/or

Experience working with senior level stakeholders on media freedom or gender issues.

Deadline: 10 July, 2015

Interested candidates should submit their CV along with references to wanifra.hr@gmail.com