Development Radio Journalism Trainer

Development Radio Journalism Trainer, Kenya 

Company Profile: 

MSI is a Washington, D.C.-based international development firm providing specialized short- and long-term technical assistance. Since its 1981 founding, MSI has grown in size and technical scope, now implementing and managing more than 70 projects worldwide. More than 30 are long-term, many in conflict-prone or fragile states that include Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Today, our range of technical expertise includes analytical and field projects in democracy and governance, economic growth, strategic planning, organizational capacity building, health and the justice sector. MSI focuses on helping our local partners foster progress, manage change and improve the effectiveness of development assistance. We expanded our global footprint in 2008 by becoming part of Coffey, a leading geoscience, international development and project management firm, and a publicly traded company on the Australian Stock Exchange. Alongside Coffey, MSI has corporate offices in 17 countries. Together, MSI and Coffey employ more than 1,400 professionals worldwide. For more information on MSI, please visit our website at www.msiworldwide.com.

Project/Proposal Summary: 

Public education within Kenya and in the U.S. is a critical objective of USAID/Kenya’s Program Office. MSI has been tasked by USAID to create and supervise a pilot radio program working with six vernacular radio stations in Kenya [still to be determined]. These stations will be dedicating one journalist from their station to be trained in development journalism. MSI will assist the stations in identifying the journalist in each station to be trained. MSI will also be working with the station editor and management to better understand the long-term benefit and value of having a staff member trained in development journalism.

Position Summary: 

The pilot project is envisioned to last for six months. The focus is to be on ensuring vernacular radio stations are staffed and equipped to receive useful information from USAID so that USAID would be able to send a press advisory or press release to these stations (as it does to the major English-language stations), and have them dispatch a reporter to cover the event or report on the news item. MSI is seeking an experienced radio journalism trainer, with particular expertise in development journalism training, and with experience training journalists in Kenya. The trainer will be engaged to lead two one-week trainings: the first one at project inception, to train the journalists invited to participate from the six vernacular stations, and another week at the end of the project, focused on lessons learned. In addition, the trainer will be asked to conduct at least one on-site training at each of the six vernacular radio stations, working with the journalist, editor and station manager on development journalism. The trainer is expected to work closely with MSI in developing the curricula and agenda for these trainings, and to co-lead the trainings with the Radio Project Coordinator. The trainer will help journalists to see opportunities to convert a story into a set of stories, how to be more interactive through “phone-ins”, and how to make constantly reported themes sexier to its listeners. 

**The position is open to Kenyan nationals and internationals residing in Kenya**

Responsibilities: 

• Assist MSI in developing training materials and agendas, for both the week long and on-site trainings.
• Co-lead the trainings with MSI staff tasked to this project.
• Travel to the radio stations as determined by MSI Communications and COP.
• Provide training to the journalists, marketing staff, and station managers on how to use development data in a fresh way.

Qualifications: 

• A degree, preferably advanced, in journalism or communications or international affairs.
• Minimum seven years professional experience in journalism with a minimum of three years of radio journalism.
• Experience in the vernacular radio sector of Kenya would also be an asset.
• Fluent in English essential, knowledge of Swahili an asset.
• Experience working with international donors.
• Minimum three years’ experience working as a radio journalism trainer.
• Ability to travel within Kenya.

Only candidates who have been selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please.

To apply: Please visit our website, www.msiworldwide.com