Grants Officer

Media Defence is seeking to hire a Grants Officer who will administer the grants that Media Defence makes to partner organisations, help assess grant applications, and help with communications via social media and through other channels.

As Grants Officer, you will also manage and administer Media Defence’s financial grants and non-financial support to journalists facing legal action and identify new potential grantees.

You will be flexible and creative, have exceptional communication skills and a good understanding of the realities faced by lawyers and journalists operating in various regions of the world, including under repressive regimes.

Responsibilities

• Manage Media Defence’s grant support work.
• Manage Media Defence’s block grant and individual emergency defence grant application processes, including assessment of  applications and project proposals, proposal development, preparation of final recommendation for approval by Board and others.
• Manage grant award process, including contracting, setting of KPIs and reporting requirements
• Monitoring of awarded grants, including tracking developments in litigation, assessment of partner/grantee reports and grant compliance; financial oversight of grants and grant budgets; provision of additional support as may be required by grantees.
• Ensure smooth running of Media Defence’s grant making and administration of Media Defence’s grants database.
• Act as lead contact in relationships with grantees throughout the process.

Essential qualifications

• Experience of working for a ‘not for profit’ and in a human rights environment.
• Strong proven project management skills and experience of delivering successful projects.
• Proven experience of grant making administration and the process of grant making.
• Ability to analyse and synthesise complex information quickly and effectively.
• Competent IT user including Microsoft Office Packages, internet and email.
• Ability to work creatively and flexibly in a small team, supporting other colleagues, and with a strong commitment to learning and improvement.
• Excellent written and spoken English, good editorial skills and the ability to communicate with diverse communities.
• Experience of working with, and relating to, a diverse range of people and a pleasant, diplomatic manner and disposition in interacting with colleagues at all levels, as well as with partners.
• Proven track record of an organised and methodical approach to work, combining numerical accuracy with attention to detail and ability to meet deadlines.
• Experience with databases.

Desirable qualifications

• Good working knowledge (spoken and written) of Arabic, French, Russian or Spanish would be an advantage.
• Experience working in the media law sector.
• Legal training or experience of working hands on in a legal environment and the management of legal documentation.

How to apply

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and successful applicants will be invited for an interview. To learn more about this position and apply, please click here.