Journalist and Content Strategist

IPI is seeking an experienced journalist, creative storyteller and content strategist to help support journalism in transition.

The International Press Institute (IPI) is a global network of editors, publishers and leading journalists committed to advancing press freedom and independent journalism around the world.

IPI’s work spans press freedom monitoring and advocacy, support to independent journalism including grants for investigative journalism, and an innovation program designed to support a strong independent media and journalism through the digital transition.

IPI is looking for a journalist to work on the innovation program, who can think and act strategically about its audience, how it tells stories and share information in different formats and across platforms and can help us reach new people with its work.

Through its innovation program, IPI is working to level up access to expertise and other digital transition support to help independent media navigate the transition journey and serve their communities with journalism they value and find pathways to sustainability. IPI does this by mapping the industry as it changes, telling the stories of experiments and innovative news media around the world, through its research, slack community and live and online events.

IPI has a growing portfolio of activities building new digital media and helping traditional media remain sustainable as the sector experiences continuous innovation and digital transition. In particular, you will support Media Innovation Europe, a series of innovation support activities for independent media based in Europe.

In the coming months, IPI’s team will host virtual and in person events that require a journalist to report, promote and capture learnings across formats and platforms. For example, you will support training sessions with media participating in IPI’s programmes and public conferences with the world’s leading media innovators and managers as a journalist promoting, covering and detailing learning from each session. You will help tell the story of the independent media companies IPI is supporting while they innovate and grow.

For this new position IPI is open to looking for a part-time or freelance communications consultant with a background in multimedia and print journalism.

What you’ll do:

• Support the day-to-day execution of IPI’s media innovation and local journalism communications strategy throughout the 12 month project period.
• Help design and implement a wide-reaching communications strategy to position IPI in the innovation space and share the learnings of the program where they are needed.
• Work with IPI’s online and communications team to weave innovation and local journalism content into IPI’s social media, blogs, newsletters and email communications.
• Write and produce clear, concise and insightful stories, briefings, reports and promotion on IPI’s ongoing media innovation activities.
• Provide support for webcasts, info sessions, meetings, press statements and other virtual or in-person events.
• Be available to work and support IPI’s team during important events IPI hosts such as its annual World Congress and the Media Innovation Festival.
• Help promote and market key activities of the innovation program.
• Work with the innovation team to produce, record and interview programme participants in video and audio formats.
• Draft daily social media content for media innovation and local journalism projects and manage social media content schedule. This includes analyzing and sharing metrics from social media outreach.

Work experience and education:

• Minimum three years of related work experience, preferably as an in-house journalist.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent training and experience in communications or journalism.
• Demonstrated experience as a creative communicator and a gifted storyteller — you understand what makes a good story and can communicate that and other key campaigns and messages to diverse audiences across a global network.
• Strong English skills are a must. Additional language skills are a plus.
• Be a creative thinker with fresh ideas about how to engage different audiences in IPI’s work in support of sustainable journalism as well as in defense of human rights and press freedom.
• Outstanding time management and organizational skills.
• Familiarity with basic audio, video and graphic/visual editing programmes.

Location and term:

The location for this position is remote or in Vienna, Austria, at IPI’s headquarters. All nationalities are eligible to apply.

To attract the right person IPI is flexible in how the appointment is made (part-time, regular freelance, consultant) and where the person is located. The start date for this position is 20 February 2023, or as soon as possible thereafter. The working hours will be approximately 8-10 days per month. The position length is also flexible and IPI is initially looking at a 12 month period.

How to apply:

Applicants should provide the following:

Current CV, including at least two professional references and up to 5 links to your work.

Cover letter explaining why you are interested in this position and want to work with IPI (150 words max) and how you will make a difference in this role (200 words max).

Please send your application by email to innovation@ipi.media now as the role will be considered on a rolling basis and interviews will be ongoing until an appointment is made. Please include “Journalist and Content Strategist” in the email subject line.

For more detailed information, please click here.