Regional Project Managers

Call for Applications – WAN-IFRA Regional Project Managers Africa, Asia, Latin America, MENA

 

Title: Regional Project Managers for Africa/Asia/Latin America/MENA, WAN-IFRA Media Freedomdivision, ‘Strengthening Media and Society in Developing Countries and Fragile States’ project Location: Regionally based Africa/Asia/Latin America/MENA

 

Start date: ASAP

Terms of engagement: External contract position, milestone-based.

 

The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) is seeking Regional Project Managers to work within its Media Freedom division to assist in delivering the ‘Strengthening Media and Society in Developing Countries and Fragile States’ project. The project will run for 24 months in Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Jordan and Palestine.

 

The positions report to the WAN-IFRA ‘Strengthening Media and Society in Developing Countries and Fragile States’ Senior Project Manager, with oversight from the WAN-IFRA Media Freedom Programme Director and the Head Consultant for Media Development.

 

The successful candidates will have:

 

1. The proven ability to work independently, with a high-level of self-motivation and ability to set and meet goals;
2. Proven ability to manage multiple priorities under pressure and accomplish short- and long- term deadlines;
3. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills as well as a history of being a strong team player.

S/he will also possess:

 

• University-level qualifications in humanities, media/journalism, international relations, development, human rights or related fields;
• Regional expertise and awareness of the challenges facing independent media. Particularly valued would be a solid understanding of the media freedom environment, and/or media development priorities, and/or business issues affecting independent media;
• Excellent English-language written and verbal communication skills;
• In the case of the Latin America and MENA positions, fluent Spanish/Arabic.
• Experience in research or report writing highly desired;
• Event management and logistical support experience highly desired. 

Scope of work

 

 

The Regional Project Managers will work to support the Senior Project Manager in delivering the goals of the ‘Strengthening Media and Society in Developing Countries and Fragile States’ project, under the terms of the strategic initiative between WAN-IFRA and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They will play a vital role in coordinating the on-the-ground implementation of this project.

 

Specifically, Regional Project Managers will have responsibility for: 

• Providing input and expertise in identifying project participants; communicating and liaising with participating media for the duration of the project;
• Leading on monitoring and evaluation with project participants; 
• Lead in establishing and supporting Media Freedom Committees; 
• Advising the Senior Project Manager on programmatic content across the three focus areas of the project;
• Providing support to the organisation and implementation of project activities; 
• Providing programmatic and logistical support in preparation for workshops and master-classes, during events and on-site initiatives;
• Assisting and contributing to a virtual Webinar series;
• Assisting in setting up partnerships and exchanges among participating media;
• Assisting participants in preparing and presenting editorial/digital pitches for the small grant scheme element of the project;
• Encouraging and actively supporting the building of a professional community between participants;
• Exploring ways of sustaining initiatives beyond the project life-span and identifying opportunities for additional funding;
• Researching and monitoring regional media freedom and media development issues;
• Outreach to media, civil society and local/national/international NGO communities;
• Providing follow-up to project activities – communications with participants, blog and social media content:
• Other duties as assigned. 

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

Please specify job title AND REGION in the subject of your email.

 

Background

 

The project seeks to build the internal capacity of media in developing countries and fragile states by strengthening digital media, creating partnerships among media, and empowering women media leaders while promoting gender sensitivity in the news. It will address systemic threats to media freedoms by strengthening legal protections and encouraging best-practice, promoting information sharing and solidarity activities among media, and building coalitions among media, civil society and decision -makers to address governance, accountability, professional safety, economic prosperity, poverty reduction and human rights issues.

 

‘Strengthening Media and Society in Developing Countries and Fragile States’ is one of a number of projects overseen and implemented by WAN-IFRA’s Media Freedom division, which defends and promotes media freedom and the financial sustainability and editorial independence of media as essential conditions of that freedom.

 

The project has three focus areas: Digital Capacity Building for Media Professionals,Women in News - Editorial Leaders, and Media Freedom Advocacy: 

• Digital capacity building for future business growth and greater community reach/engagement tostrengthen media sustainability and independence.
• Editorial leaders’ skills development, which aims to equip women editors and journalists with thetools to make a greater contribution to their media to promote gender sensitivity in the media and a reduction of gender bias in the news.
• The overall environment in which media operate: legal restrictions, safety concerns, pressures oncontent, psychological issues affecting journalists, as well as weak advertising markets and other economic conditions that undermine independence and the ability of news media to carry out their essential role.