Chief of Party At BBC Media Action

JOB TITLE: Chief of Party (COP)

REPORTS TO: Country Director, North Africa

BASE: Currently Tunis, then the project will be moving to Libya

START DATE: 1st of October 2024

DURATION: 2 years with possible extension

BBC Media Action

BBC Media Action is the BBC’s international development charity. We use media and communications to help reduce poverty, address development goals, and support people to understand their rights. We do this through partnering with media, civil society, and others to produce creative programmes and other outputs which inform and engage audiences on key development issues. We also strengthen the media sector through building professional capacity and infrastructure of local media organisations in the countries in which we work.

Our North Africa operations are based in Tunis. From here we deliver a portfolio of media projects, and work to ensure they are delivered on time, to the highest possible standard, and in accordance with BBC editorial values and BBC Media Action best practice. El Kul is our flagship public interest media brand that is now one of the largest current affairs social media sites in Libya with over 1.3 million followers (about a quarter of Libyan social media users).

Overall Purpose of Job

This influential and exciting role will be responsible for the overall management and delivery of the USAID funded MIRSAL (Media Integrity and Resilience, Supporting Audiences in Libya) project which will strengthen the foundations of a more stable, inclusive, and self-reliant Libya by empowering Libyans to mitigate drivers of instability and conflict. It will do this by:1) supporting the El Kul brand to reach, engage, and represent even larger numbers of young and marginalized audiences with content that tackles issues such as social cohesion, peace and resilience to mis and disinformation; 2) supporting El Kul to transition into a separate legal and financial identity, grounded in public interest values and ideally based in Libya; 3) the creation of a media incubator to support Libyan media to fulfil their public interest mandate. Research will guide and support the delivery of every stage of the program.

The COP will bring both a vision for how MIRSAL can deliver its objectives, alongside humility, collaboration and inclusivity in how they work with the Deputy Chief of Party, El Kul staff and the wider program team. The COP will be expected to interact regularly with program staff, USAID Mission staff, civil society organisations, government officials, other donors and all program stakeholders. The role will work closely with the Deputy Chief of Party to optimize the program outcomes ensuring full understanding and compliance of USAID and BBC Media Action policies and requirements.

Main duties and accountabilities:

1. Provide overall leadership and strategic direction for the project to ensure an integrated vision for project implementation and effective delivery of the activities.
2. Report to the North Africa Country Director, take responsibility for overseeing the planning and implementation of the program and the activities.
3. Serve as the main point of contact for USAID, program managers, government, partners, academics, civil society organizations, and other project stakeholders.
4. Lead all aspects of program implementation, including overall responsibility for personnel, project results, efficient budgeting, risk and financial management.
5. Lead, manage and supervise the program team, including short and long-term staff.
6. Oversee staff recruitment as per the project needs and ensure effective human resources protocols are implemented.
7. Build strategic plans, annual and quarterly work plans, and provide overall management of the program in line with USAID guidelines to achieve project objectives.
8. Assume responsibility for overall USAID contract management, ensuring quality control and delivery of objectives within program timelines. Ensure compliance with USAID’s operational requirements; BBC Media Action policies (including editorial guidelines); the Tunisian/Libyan Governments rules and regulations.
9. Lead and take ultimate responsibility for programmatic and financial reporting, both internally to BBC Media Action and externally to partners, donor(s), and other interested parties, in line with USAID reporting requirements.
10. Identify program risks and ensure mitigation of those risks in line with BBC Media Action’s risk management procedures and in coordination with its High-Risk Management team.
11. Engage with research activities to guide and support the program at every stage, through close collaboration with the local and global research teams.
12. Ensure the development of strong MEL mechanisms, program monitoring tools and efficient systems to ensure high quality implementation.
13. Work closely with the Deputy Chief of Party to improve the quality, creativity and reach of El Kul’s content and to oversee the transition of El Kul from being a project within BBC Media Action towards full institutional legal and financial independence in Libya.
14. Oversee the development of a media incubator to support public interest content in Libya.
15. Evaluate and document project progress and lessons learned, particularly around the role of media in building resilience to mis and disinformation and improving social cohesion, as well as learnings on how best to support the delivery of public interest content in highly fractured contexts such as Libya. Ensure the project learning and results contribute to thought leadership in Libya, North Africa and beyond.
16. Other duties as assigned.

Required skills, knowledge and experience:

1. Master degree (or equivalent experience) in social sciences, community development, media and communications, journalism, business, international development, and/or other fields
2. Ten-years’ experience implementing development projects, with at least three years in media for development or media development programming
3. Five-years proven experience managing diverse teams, preferably in a North African context
4. Previous experience working on a USAID program and knowledge of USAID regulations, requirements, policies, and procedures
5. Willingness to be based in Tunisia and Libya
6. Strong financial management skills with extensive experience managing complex budgets of $ 5Million or more
7. Good judgement and decision-making skills, including the ability to adapt, react and respond to crises, and to evaluate risk
8. Strong coordination and communication skills to include a variety of stakeholders (national, international, government, non-government, international organization, donor)
9. Demonstrated ability to work in a diverse environment
10. Fluent written and spoken English

Desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

1. Direct experience working in the Libyan media, ideally in explicitly public-interest media such as El Kul and/or international media houses committed to the highest standards of impartiality.
2. Knowledge of Arabic is preferred
3. Knowledge of the Middle East and North Africa Region
4. Strong understanding of how research, MEL and adaptive approaches can be a powerful tool for sharing learnings with wider stakeholders.
5. Experience of direct delivery of media development projects focused on building financial and organisational resilience either for CSOs or media outlets.
6. Familiarity with BBC editorial guidelines (or equivalent).

Key Competencies

1. Managing relationships and teamwork: able to build and maintain effective working relationships with a range of people. Works co-operatively with others to be part of a team, as opposed to working separately, competitively or micromanaging. Values individual’s’ differences and demonstrates a commitment to knowledge sharing and informal learning, for the benefit of the team.
2. Strategic thinking: Able to identify a vision and create plans for implementation of that vision to meet the end goal. Evaluates situations, decisions, and issues in the short, medium and long-term.
3. Leadership: Ability to inspire others to realize an identified vision.
4. Analytical Thinking: Able to simplify complex problems, processes or projects into component parts, explore and evaluate them systematically. Able to identify causal relationships, and construct frameworks for problem solving and/or development.
5. Change Management: Able to understand and anticipate the need for change and to build frameworks for planning and managing the continuous process of change.
6. Planning and Organization: Able to think ahead in order to establish an efficient and appropriate course of action for self and others; planning of activities taking into account all the relevant issues and factors such as deadlines, staffing and resources requirements.
7. Resilience: Can maintain personal effectiveness by managing own emotions in the face of pressure, setbacks or when dealing with provocative situations. Can demonstrate an approach to work that is characterized by commitment, motivation and energy.
8. Decision Making: Able to take the initiative, originate action and be responsible for the consequences of the decision made.
9. Deep and respectful listening: Ability to create a safe environment for feedback, constructive criticism and ideas to ensure inclusion of different voices into the program aims.

BBC Media Action has zero tolerance of all forms of abuse and exploitation of vulnerable people. All staff are required to undergo safeguarding training and maintain behaviour that is consistent with BBC Media Action’s code of conduct. The role may involve managing staff who have direct contact with children and adults at risk of harm. Informal contact with children and vulnerable adults is likely, including when not at work.

BBC Media Action is committed to maintaining diversity within its employees and ensuring that all recruitment practices and procedures do not discriminate, either directly or indirectly, on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, colour, national origin, age, sex, citizenship, gender, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or family situation. Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply for this position.

The successful candidate will need to undergo enhanced DBS and/or related background checks. References for the last five years of work experience are required and will be verified.