Internews seeks an experienced Project Director for a four-year European Commission (EC)-funded project to advance the global response to increasing the resilience of at-risk independent media. The Project Director will lead and manage a consortium of four international NGO and academic implementing partners, overseeing and coordinating the design and implementation of a diverse portfolio of activities in multiple countries worldwide, as well as project monitoring and evaluation and a robust learning agenda. Strong skills in project financial management and communications are required.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
· Lead the Inception Phase of the project, working closely with consortium members, the EC, and other awardees to finalize target country selection, select research initiatives, draft the project workplan and monitoring and evaluation plan, and determine country-based activities.
· Serve as Internews’ primary point of contact with the European Commission, establishing and managing strong partnerships and dialogue with EC representatives in Brussels as well as country-level delegations.
· Effectively manage the project consortium, ensuring transparent communication processes and protocols.
· Pro-actively coordinate activity design and management with Internews Regional and Thematic Directors who manage Internews programming in key geographic regions and technical areas.
· Provide strategic, operational and representational assistance to ensure that activities are meeting their goals and targets, recommending program adjustments when necessary to keep the project on track;
· Regularly travel to London and Brussels, as well as target countries, for project and donor management purposes;
· Cultivate and strengthen relationships with local partner organizations and ensure that implementation is responsive to the needs of partners and beneficiaries;
· Track and report project progress and activities monthly against work plans;
· Oversee program monitoring and evaluation to ensure effective implementation and to measure activity impact;
· Working with the Monitoring and Evaluations specialist and team, ensure a robust learning agenda and deliver a learning symposium at project’s end with the consortium and EC.
· Maintain a thorough knowledge of key issues affecting independent media (print, broadcast, digital), and a general understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing independent media globally;
· Ensure the project is in compliance with all grant and cooperative agreement rules, requirements and regulations as well as with Internews internal policies and procedures;
· Serve as the primary budget authority over the project, responsible for ensuring all costs charged to the project are allowable, reasonable and correctly allocated;
· Accept fiduciary responsibility for all funds advanced for the purpose of the project;
· Understanding of and demonstrated commitment to upholding Internews’ Core Values.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
Manage and oversee all project staff.Carry out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; addressing complaints and resolving problems.
QUALIFICATIONS
· At least 10 years of experience in media and program development, including senior-level management of personnel and financial administration;
· Donor grant management experience with EU funding and wider donor experience is essential;
· Professional experience in the media sector is an asset; experience managing assistance programs supporting media and/or civil society required.
· Experience as a manager or trainer with professional capacity-building programs for journalists and media outlets an asset.
· Demonstrated knowledge and experience in some or all of the following areas:traditional, digital, and social media; media and internet law and policy; information disorders/ disinformation; and/or sustainability models for media;
· Excellent soft skills, including diplomacy, interpersonal and communication skills, with a problem-solving attitude and as a self-starter who works both independently and as a collaborative team player;
· Willingness to travel regularly to London and Brussels, as well as target country visits;
· Additional language skills are a plus;
· University degree or equivalent experience.
Vacancy Timeframe:
Deadline for applications: 09 May 2024
Candidates must submit a succinct cover letter of no more than 2 pages explaining how they satisfy the requirements of the role, and a CV highlighting relevant experience. Successful candidate will also be asked to provide three professional referees, one of whom must be from their most recent employer.
The above noted job description is not intended to describe, in detail, the multitude of tasks that may be assigned but rather to give the associate a general sense of the responsibilities and expectations of their position. As the nature of business demands change so, too, may the essential functions of this position.
This position will be located in the United Kingdom and therefore a successful applicant must both be present in the UK for the duration of the assignment and be able to demonstrate their Right to Work in the UK in order to commence employment.
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This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
1. Background
The International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) promotes evidence-informed equitable, inclusive and sustainable development. We support the generation and effective use of high-quality evidence to inform decision-making and improve the lives of people living in poverty in low- and middle-income countries (L&MICs). We provide guidance and support to produce impact evaluations and associated formative evaluations; systematic reviews and syntheses, evidence gap maps and support for using that evidence in decision-making and capacity development. Our work encompasses a wide range of topics, sectors and themes, including but not limited to health, nutrition, education, agriculture, governance, microfinance, climate change, humanitarian interventions, and social protection. 3ie is registered as a non-governmental organization in the United States. It has offices in New Delhi, London and Washington, DC.
The Contracts and Compliance Officer will support 3ie’s efforts in contract, compliance, safeguarding and risk management guidance and oversight with an emphasis on providing direct billable compliance support to the FCDO Research Commissioning Centre (RCC). The Officer will work closely with various teams across the organization including project, business development, finance, and senior management teams to develop and implement compliance processes, tools, resources, and best practices, provide quality control, and build staff capacity in compliance and risk management. The Contracts and Compliance Officer will report directly to the Cost and Pricing Controller with informal reporting to the RCC Sr. Programme Manager.
2. Key Responsibilities
2.1 FCDO RCC Contracting, Compliance and Risk Management
- Draft, review, and negotiate contracts and grants for sub awardees delivering work under the RCC.
- Support strategies and systems to respond to FCDO and/or RCC project team requests for new research commissions, project related questions, and general advisory services providing information and interpretation on a broad range of topics including contract and subcontracting regulations, compliance procedures, management, and risk mitigation.
- Provide safeguarding leadership, including implementation of best practices for the RCC, review of downstream partner policies and practices, audit of safeguarding procedures, etc.
- Identify and propose mitigation strategies for RCC operational, financial, and other compliance gaps that pose risk to the project and/or 3ie.
- Review and provide guidance on proposed amendments to the RCC accountable grant agreement and daft RCC related subcontracts, sub-grants, amendments, services agreements, and independent contractor agreements.
- Draft and/or support development of approval requests and other donor correspondence related to procurement, grant, consultant, or other contractual actions.
2.2 Organizational Compliance and Risk Management
- Serve as the primary resource and subject matter expert on FCDO contracts, risk, and compliance to ensure quality control and guidance in order to maintain consistent approaches and implement best practices across 3ie’s FCDO portfolio.
- Stay updated on changes in FCDO and other donor rules, regulations, and industry wide compliance best practices.
- Support the development and implementation of 3ie internal policies and procedures to enhance contract and grant compliance. This includes but is not limited to reviewing, analyzing, and making recommendations to current policies, processes, and internal controls to ensure effective and efficient identification and mitigation of noncompliance and risks.
- Recommend improvements to the corporate authorities structure, file/recordkeeping processes, as well as support senior management in organizational risk management.
- Support the development and maintenance of a repository of contract and grant compliance best practices, innovative approaches, guidance documents, and tools.
- Contribute to increasing staff awareness and capacity of donor regulations, 3ie policies, tools, templates, and procedures through formal and ad hoc trainings and development of guidance materials
- Conduct internal compliance audits.
- Assist with ad hoc compliance related tasks as required.
2.3 Business Development
- Review tenders, assist with development of questions and/or responses to tends, and provide ad hoc proposal development needs ensuring consistency with corporate policies and strategies, relevant regulations, and FCDO requirements.
- Support review and negotiation process for new FCDO awards.
3. Qualifications and Skills
- Undergraduate degree in relevant field
- 3-5 years (Officer) or 5+ years (Sr. Officer) of experience in direct contract administration or compliance, preferably with FCDO and/or a mix of bilateral (USAID, GIZ, NORAD), multilateral (UN, World Bank), and foundations (BMGF, GAVI) in the international development context
- Strong knowledge and understanding of FCDO and/or other bilateral and multilateral rules, regulations, and policies required
- Experience with a wide variety of grants, contracts, and subcontract types and methodologies (commercial contracts, accountable grants, framework agreements, hybrid agreements/contracts)
- Experience managing payment by results or performance-based contracts.
- Experience developing and delivering participatory trainings on compliance, regulations, and policies
- Demonstrated experience in conducting internal compliance audits preferred
- Experience with various business development processes including cost and pricing, recruitment, contract negotiations, and/or writing preferred
4. Eligibility
We will recruit one or more individuals, preferably with the right to work in the UK.
3ie is an equal-opportunity employer committed to equality and diversity. We do not discriminate based on sex, age, religion, ethnicity, caste, sexual orientation or for being differently abled. We particularly encourage ethnic minorities and differently abled persons to apply.
5. Terms of Employment
Candidates should be available to start work as soon as possible. 3ie offers competitive remuneration based on location, experience and qualifications.
Our policies and procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults from abuse. We follow a zero-tolerance policy for any form of bullying or harassment in the workplace.
6. How to apply
Your application package must include the following*:
- A cover letter, highlighting your experience relevant to the terms of reference. It is mandatory to include information about your work authorization for the US/UK/ India, else it will be considered as incomplete;
- Curriculum vitae along with names and contact information for at least three professional references.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Only the shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
*Incomplete applications will not be considered
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.