Program Officer, Internet Freedom & Resilience At Internews Network

ABOUT INTERNEWS

Internews is a non-profit, non-partisan organization with 40 years of experience in media development across the world. Internews supports independent journalism in 100+ countries, helping media outlets reach millions of people with quality information. We train individuals to report on topics such as health and the environment and help media organizations become financially sustainable. We do all of this in partnership with local communities — the people best placed to know what works. You can learn more about our work here: https://internews.org/areas-of-expertise/global-tech/what-we-do/

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

Internews seeks a full-time Program Officer (PO). The PO will manage select projects under the Internet Freedom and Resilience (IFR) team’s digital safety portfolio.

Initially, this position will oversee two projects. Specific projects vary depending on the funding cycle and projects overseen by this position are subject to change as the portfolio shifts from year to year. Individual project budgets range up to US $3 million.

This role supervises overall project implementation and directly manages project staff and consultants, ensuring the quality of results, efficiency, and security of operations, and maintaining communication with the donor, partners, and other relevant stakeholders. This position identifies and hires experts and consultants, is in charge of project reporting, and ensures compliance with Internews and donor policies. Additionally, the PO will be responsible for building project-level systems and norms and supporting portfolio growth by leading the development of new concept notes, statements of interest, and proposals. This position reports to the Senior Manager of Internet Freedom Programs.

You’re an ideal candidate if you have an interest or experience in both project management and digital safety.

LOGISTICS

This is a remote-based position, and all remote candidates will be considered.

Wherever possible, we work to try to find solutions for international hiring that work for both the company and the candidate. This means that some of the particulars around the offer for a role will be dependent on several factors and that the benefits and salary structure that apply to a position will ultimately be based upon the candidate’s location and where the role is hired.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so candidates are encouraged to apply soon.

This position is currently funded through September 2024, and may be extended.

OUR COMMITMENT TO FOSTERING A CULTURE OF BELONGING

We are an organization of dynamic, mission-driven individuals who are passionate about our core values and about supporting positive change in the world. We pride ourselves on our commitment to innovation and flexibility. We believe that diverse teams are strong teams and work to support an ethic of belonging, dignity, and justice for all people. Our current team includes a mix of genders, parents and non-parents, and people of multiple races, nationalities, ages, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic backgrounds. We are an EEO employer and encourage candidates of all races, genders, ages, orientations, ethnicities, and national origins to apply, and welcome those with alternative backgrounds and experiences.

DAY-TO-DAY TASKS will include:

Supervision & Project Implementation

  • Provide strategic, operational, and representational leadership for select projects in the Internews IFR portfolio.
  • Oversee work planning, organization, and implementation of all project activities, as well as project monitoring and evaluation to ensure effective implementation, measure project impact, and ensure that the project complies with donor guidelines and internal Internews policies and procedures.
  • Carry out staffing and supervisory responsibilities in accordance with organizational policies and applicable local laws. Responsibilities include: recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and training employees and consultants; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; addressing complaints, and resolving problems.
  • Serve as the primary budget authority over the projects, ensuring all costs charged to the project are allowable, reasonable, and correctly allocated.
  • Oversee the administration of all the project’s grants, contracts, and non-monetary partnerships. This includes: developing requests for application, reviewing grant/contract packages for compliance, conducting analysis of all grants/contracts to ensure they are in line with operational program plans, and reviewing/validating deliverables.
  • Maintain regular communication with the Senior Manager to communicate progress on programming and address upcoming issues in advance.
  • Develop and maintain an understanding of US government and Internews’ policies and procedures relevant to project implementation. This includes an understanding of tasks that may be carried out by other members of the project team who are managed by the PO (such as administrative tasks completed by the Program Associate or Senior Program Associate).
  • Cultivate and strengthen relationships with partner organizations and ensure that implementation is responsive to the needs of partners and beneficiaries.
  • Write and edit project reports, communications materials, and other project documentation in collaboration with project staff and according to funder stipulations.
  • In all duties, demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to upholding Internews’ Core Values.

Team Services & Learning

  • Lead the development of new concept notes, statements of interest, and proposals (with support from Internews’ Global Development team and IFR leadership) within relevant IFR thematic areas. This includes brainstorming, writing, budgeting, and partner coordination.
  • Contribute to the development of a community around relevant digital safety efforts.
  • Capture project learnings and share knowledge with the Internews IFR team.
  • Support the rollout or implementation of the Internews IFR team’s systems and norms, including reviewing and providing feedback on new processes.
  • Lead and/or assist with the onboarding of new team members.

Communications

  • Serve as the public face of the projects (both internally and externally) and primary point of contact for the donor and stakeholders.
  • Regularly produce communication materials to include blog posts shared internally and externally.

QUALIFICATIONS WE’RE LOOKING FOR

Required

  • A minimum of 5+ years of programmatic experience with US government or Internet Freedom programs and projects (or some combination of relevant academic degrees and experience).
  • A successful track record in implementing donor-funded projects and proven ability to develop and monitor work plans.
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills.
  • Experience working with and supporting human rights defenders, civil society groups, journalists, or other at-risk communities, specifically related to digital safety issues.
  • Demonstrated interpersonal skills including empathy, tact, and the ability to negotiate.
  • Proven ability to prioritize and handle multiple ongoing assignments and manage complex projects.
  • Proven ability to work both independently and as an effective team member.
  • Proven ability to creatively problem-solve and provide ethical management.
  • Strong English language proficiency.

Preferred

Note: Candidates who do not have these preferred qualifications, but are interested and willing to learn, are encouraged to apply.

  • Experience and knowledge of key digital safety issues, especially journalist security efforts.
  • Familiarity with open-source privacy and security tools (such as Signal, VPNs, and Tor).
  • Experience participating in proposal development processes and implementing successful development strategies.
  • Experience implementing US government-funded programs, or other programs with significant reporting, evaluation, and compliance components.
  • Proficiency in key languages (such as French, Spanish, or Arabic) is preferred.

How to apply

To apply, please submit CV and optionally a cover letter via our Careers page.

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