Programme Manager (Civic Power and Media)

Civitates is looking for a Programme Manager who will be responsible for the coordination of the sub-fund on Civic Power and the sub-fund on Media, and for ensuring strategic alignment and synergies of this work with Civitates’ other portfolio (on Tech and Democracy) and with Civitates’ overall agenda.

They are expected to contribute to the development and lead the implementation of the sub-funds’ strategies, manage a portfolio of grants, including monitoring and learning processes and organise capacity building for the grantee and donor partners.

The Programme Manager is also expected to oversee the sub-fund general operations with the support of a part-time Programme and Grants Officer and in coordination with NEF. This includes reporting, budget management and contracts, and other administrative duties and logistics support as needed.

The role reports to the Civitates Director. The Programme Manager is expected to collaborate closely with colleagues in the Civitates team and NEF.

Key responsibilities.

Strategic leadership

• Contribute to the strategic development of Civitates’ portfolios on Civic Power and on Media, in close collaboration with the Civitates Director and the donor working groups, to continuously position Civitates as a key and trusted player in these fields.
• Foster strategic alignment, synergies and coordination between Civitates’ portfolios and among donors and other relevant players in the field, including multilateral agencies.
• Spearhead emergent learning processes for the portfolios to ensure that Civitates learns and adapts as it goes, with a view to benefiting the entire field.
• Stay abreast of key developments in the fields of civic space and independent journalism, spot strategic opportunities/gaps/needs, identify and analyse risks and mitigation strategies and feed this into ongoing reflections within the team, donor working group and Steering Committee.

Portfolio management

• Lead the grants management process for the Civic Space and Media portfolios, from designing calls for proposals, coordinating selection/renewal processes and assessing grantees’ progress in close cooperation with Civitates’ donor partners and external experts.
• Support grantee partners throughout the grant implementation process, including by designing and organising site visits, peer exchanges, convenings and capacity-building programmes.
• Conduct the monitoring and evaluation of individual grants and the broader portfolios.
• Lead and facilitate decision-making, learning and strategy processes within the working groups of donors for the Civic Space and Media portfolios and implement ensuing actions.
• Contribute to managing, monitoring and reporting on the multi-annual budget available for the sub-funds, in collaboration with the grants officer and NEF.
• Contribute to raising the funds available for Civitates’ work on Civic Space and on Media, including through contributing to the identification of potential new donors and the development of funding proposals, in close collaboration with the Director and relevant players in the field.

Contribution to Civitates’ Overall Development

• Contribute to monitoring, evaluation and learning efforts, including assisting in the preparation of Civitates’ annual report and any other reporting requirements from donors involved in the working groups.
• Contribute to Civitates’ strategic communications, by surfacing insights and helping produce inspiring stories and analyses gathered from across the portfolio of Civic Power and Media.
• Foster exchanges with external stakeholders and regularly participates in conferences and other events, sharing findings from the work of Civitates with the field at large.

Requirements

Knowledge and Experience

• Experience in the human rights, democracy, media and/or human rights fields (7+ years).
• Good understanding of the challenges to democracy, press freedom and civic space in Europe; extensive knowledge of the policy agenda on these issues; ability to identify the implication of these trends for Civitates’ work.
• Knowledge of how philanthropy operates and familiarity with the funding landscape for democracy, civic space and journalism.
• Proven track record in grants/projects planning and management to ensure impact.
• Previous experience in grant making desirable.
• Experience in preparing, managing and overseeing budgets.
• Excellent spoken and written English.
• Experience in civil society or media organisations (desirable).

Skills and Abilities

• Strong sense of initiative and creativity, ability to deal with uncertainty and find solutions in the face of challenges.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability of translating complex ideas into clear and accessible content.
• Ability to maintain high standards of ethics, integrity and professionalism.
• Good strategic thinking skills.
• Good organisational skills and the ability to stay on top of many large and small tasks simultaneously, excellent time management skills and attention to detail.
• A proven record in building and maintaining productive working relationships with people from a wide diversity of background, both in person and online.
• An outstanding team player, including in remote work settings, with experience of working with on-line collaborative tools.
• Computer skills: Google Drive and MS Office suite.
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 20% of the time (more if not based in Brussels).

Personal Style and Behaviours

• Commitment to the vision, mission and values of Civitates.
• Actively encourages and feels at home in a diverse and inclusive working environment.
• A sense of humour, humility and collegiality.
• Capacity for self-reflection and a commitment to learning and growth.
• Comfortable and able to work within a remote team.

Please note:

• EU Citizenship or a Belgian Residence Permit status is required for this role.
• The application will close on 24 September. Our first round of interview will take place in person, at NEF Office (Philanthropy House, Rue Royale 94, 1000 Brussels). The selected candidates will be contacted in the week of 2 October 2023.

See more here to learn and apply.