Chief of Party, Balkans: Bosnia and Herzegovina

Internews seeks to hire a Chief of Party (COP) who will oversee and manage BMAP Forward, a flagship USAID-funded regional media development project in the Western Balkans.

The Chief of Party will be responsible for maintaining strong partnership and dialogue with appropriate stakeholders (such as funders, international implementers active in the region, and government representatives).

The Chief of Party will closely coordinate and communicate with other Internews projects in the Western Balkans, Europe and Eurasia region, and globally to ensure synergy and complementarity and prevent duplications.

Responsibilities

As Chief of Party, you will:

• Provide strategic, operational, and representational leadership for Internews regional programming in the Western Balkans.
• Oversee organisation and implementation of all project activities, as well as project monitoring and evaluation to ensure effective implementation and measure project impact, including monthly tracking of activities against work plans.
• Supervise project staff based in various locations across the region, carrying out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with organisational policies and applicable local laws.
• Ensure the project is in compliance with all USAID 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.
• Serve as the public face of the project; cultivate and strengthen relationships with and act as the project’s primary point of contact for in-country donor missions and stakeholders.
• Cultivate and strengthen relationships with local and regional partner organisations and ensure that implementation is responsive to the needs of partners and beneficiaries.

Required qualifications

• 10+ years of proven media development experience, including working with media organisations and providing high level program management and oversight.
• University degree in a social science, international development, media or a related field OR equivalent lived/professional experience.
• Previous senior management experience, with demonstrated experience in collaboration with counterparts, international organisations and donors.
• Experience with USAID- and/or US government-funded programs strongly preferred.
• Experience developing innovative media development program concepts.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Successful track record in supervising, designing, managing and implementing technical assistance for donor-funded media projects, preferably capacity-building programs for journalists and media outlets.
• Demonstrable understanding of digital media and media business practices, as well as current challenges facing independent media globally and in the region.
• Track record in providing leadership to remote and hybrid teams in fluid and challenging political contexts: requires an experienced change manager with the ability to organise, support and mentor a diverse distributed team.
• Strong diplomatic skills, with the ability to foster and maintain effective regional partnerships across a diverse group of stakeholders, including funders, INGOs, key local partners, and implementers, to advance the project’s mission.
• Strong interpersonal, social and communication skills, high level of emotional intelligence, ability to effectively convey messages in a clear, concise, and positive manner.
• Proven ability to develop, implement, and monitor work plans, training plans, monitoring and evaluation plans, and procurement plans.
• Positive mindset, strong problem-solving and conflict resolution skills, ability to lead by example and foster a positive work environment, even in challenging circumstances.

Preferred qualifications

Note: Candidates who do not have these preferred qualifications, but who are interested and willing to learn, are encouraged to apply.

• Development experience in the Western Balkans, Europe and Eurasia region, and/or post-conflict countries preferred.
• Working proficiency in regional languages is a significant plus but not a requirement.

How to apply

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. To learn more and apply, please click here.