Regional Grants and Programs Manager for Africa and the Middle East

The International Fund for Public Interest Media seeks a Regional Grants and Programs Manager with deep understanding of media and grant-making in Africa and the Middle East. The ideal candidate will have a commitment to upholding freedom of expression and will be able to demonstrate a curiosity about the future of journalism. The successful candidate will support their work to sustain and rebuild public interest media in the region.

Responsibilities

• Support the development and implementation of the International Fund’s strategy for the region, including within selected focus countries, and help ensure that all strategies are context-specific and rooted in a clear political economy analysis of the countries concerned;
• In coordination with Regional Director (RD), the Journalist-in-Residence (JiR), and other staff members, assist in grant-making including identifying potential grantee-partners, undertaking direct solicitation exercises, reviewing applications and reports from grantees, and developing pipeline for the Fund;
• Manage projects across various work streams for the regional team including grant-making, grant management, and partnership building;
• Support the development and execution of an approach to media ecosystem-level change across the medium to long term, through analysing the enabling conditions, examining shortcomings, engaging a broad set of partners (including those with currently limited engagement on media), and prioritizing solutions;
• Conduct research and due diligence to support grant-making, including but not limited to financial and editorial analysis and evaluation of leadership of media organizations that may qualify for grants;
• Ensure compliance with donor regulations and requirements, including reporting protocols and templates, donor approval policies and procedures, and award close-out procedures;
• Collaborate closely with colleagues (particularly the What Works Unit and the Regional Director), including on monitoring and evaluation and generating learnings on what works with respect to funding and supporting public interest media;
• Support the development of partnerships between CSOs, media development organizations, media, and governments (where appropriate) to improve strategies focused on improving public access to information in the region;
• Facilitate and ensure coordination, collaboration, and partnership with other media funders and media development actors active in the region;
• Support in monitoring and managing risks (including political risk) at the country and regional level;
• Represent the International Fund in conferences and other events in Africa and around the world, in coordination with the Regional Director;
• Work closely with the Regional Director, JiR, and Program Associates in liaising with grantee-partners to address program-related queries and concerns, identify and address challenges from the field, and facilitate cross-learning between and among grantee-partners;
• Support the International Fund’s partnership building and advocacy activities across the continent and beyond, including the convening of events, conferences, and seminars on protecting public interest media and advancing the organization’s impact goals;
• Any other task allocated by the Regional Director or other senior managers that may be required to advance the International Fund’s mission and vision in the region and globally.

Candidate Profile

• Minimum 7+ years of relevant experience in a similar role;
• A deep understanding of journalism and media and related challenges in the region;
• An excellent understanding of media markets and business models, the development sector in the region, and a vision for the future of journalism and media in Africa and the Middle East;
• A demonstrable commitment to public interest journalism;
• Strong experience in grants and projects management in the region;
• Experience in financing or providing grants to media or civil society organizations;
• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues across geographies and time zones;
• Excellent communication and storytelling skills;
• Strong organizational skills that reflect ability to multitask, prioritize, and solve problems;
• Experience working on multi stakeholder projects of wide scope;
• Experience setting up systems for knowledge and data management;
• Ability to adapt and thrive in a rapidly evolving organization;
• Experience in negotiating best value program deliverables with grantees, partners, consultants, and other stakeholders;
• Personal and professional integrity, flexibility, initiative, meticulous attention to detail, and a “can-do” attitude.

Desirable Profile

• Strong networks and in-depth knowledge of concepts and approaches relevant to supporting and sustaining public interest media in the region;
• Master’s degree or equivalent in either international relations or international development or related fields (a master’s degree in media and communications will be an advantage, but not a requirement);
• Experience designing, implementing, or overseeing monitoring, evaluation, and learning frameworks and tools;
• Experience working with and managing teams and projects in different locations.

How to apply

To learn more about this position and apply, please click here.