Europe Advocacy Officer (sabbatical leave cover)

The International Press Institute (IPI) is looking for a motivated and strategically minded advocacy officer to help drive forward our work in defense of press freedom in Europe. This is an opportunity to be at the center of efforts to protect and promote independent journalism as a cornerstone of democracy at a crucial moment.

This position comes as IPI is bolstering our monitoring and advocacy work across Europe – with a particular focus on Central and Eastern Europe – in response to a multitude of challenges facing the media, including media capture, legal harassment, impunity for attacks on the press, and threats to journalist safety.

As part of this role, the Europe Advocacy Officer will help coordinate IPI’s input to the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), an alliance of media freedom organizations that tracks, monitors, and reacts to violations of press and media freedom in EU member states and candidate countries. The project provides legal and practical support, public advocacy and information to protect journalists and
media workers.

This is a one-year role intended as cover for a sabbatical leave.

The right candidate will

• Be passionate about working to protect Europe’s journalists and upholding press freedom as a fundamental right
• Possess a solid understanding of the challenges and risks facing media freedom andindependent  journalism in Europe, especially Central and Eastern Europe
• Have at least 3 years of experience working in a journalism or human rights role
• Have a flair for writing, editing, and polishing copy in different formats, including social media.
• Strong English skills are a must. Additional language skills are a plus.
• Be a confident public speaker and be comfortable conducting public advocacy work
• Possess strong research skills, be detail-oriented, and have a willingness to dig deep, get the story, and verify reported information
• Be able to manage multiple tasks, working with partners in different locations around Europe, and meet short deadlines
• Be a strategic thinker, with the ability to assess where and how to engage IPI’s voice in support of press freedom and journalists at risk.

Main tasks

• Drafting a range of advocacy statements, press releases and letters to national authorities and European and international institutions
• Editing IPI texts and reports
• Planning, organizing and participating in press freedom missions across EU member states and candidate countries; supporting the drafting of follow-up reports and analyses
• Commissioning and editing articles and reports from IPI’s network of freelancers and stringers across Europe
• Overseeing and taking part in IPI’s monitoring work in Europe on the Mapping
  Media Freedom platform, and cooperating with colleagues in the MFRR consortium on monitoring
• Assisting with the production of podcasts, video interviews, and webinars on topics related to media freedom and independent journalism in Europe
• Posting statements on the IPI website and drafting social media posts for
  sharing IPI’s publications, outputs, and campaigns
• Developing media contacts and liaising with journalists
• Helping maintain and strengthen IPI’s membership network in Europe, communicating with individual members, identifying new members to bring into IPI’s network
• Supporting work in coordinating with the IPI National Committees in Europe and joining online meetings with key contact points.

Location and term

• The preferred location for this position is Vienna, Austria, which is regularly ranked as the most livable city in the world. Hybrid work arrangements may be possible for the right candidate. All nationalities are eligible to apply. A successful candidate who is not a citizen of the European Union/European Economic Area will be eligible for a work permit in Austria.
• The start date for this position is 1 February 2024. This is a one-year position to cover for an employee on sabbatical leave.

Remuneration

• The salary will be determined based on experience and qualifications. The salaries of IPI employees are not subject to income tax in Austria. IPI employees are able to benefit from Austria’s national health and other social insurance programmes.
• Holiday allowance is 25 days per year, in addition to Austrian national holidays

Application procedure

Apply by email now. This is a rolling application. They will be interviewing shortlisted candidates as applications are received.

Applicants should provide the following:

• Cover letter should not be longer than one page where you explain why you are interested in the position, how you think you could make a difference in this role, what skills, qualities, and strengths you would bring to the position, and what you see as the three biggest challenges for independent media in
  Europe.
• Current CV, including the names and contact information of at least two professional references.
• The application should be sent by email to hr@ipi.media with the subject line “Europe Advocacy Officer”.