Serbia: Project Director At Internews Network

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

Come join a team of dynamic colleagues and partners who are passionate about promoting digital rights and Internet freedom! Internews’ Greater Internet Freedom (GIF) project is seeking a full-time Project Director to support a 12-month intervention focused on building multistakeholder coalitions to counter digital rights abuses in Serbia. In this position, the Project Director, under the supervision of GIF’s Chief of Party, will lead all aspects of program implementation, including overseeing the budget, project timelines and deliverables. In addition to ensuring overall compliance with Internews policies and funder requirements, the Project Director will also supervising local staff and maintaining strong relationships with both local partners and the USAID Mission.

This position leads a local intervention which forms part of a broader global Internet freedom initiative funded by USAID. Internews launched this three-year initiative in August 2020 to enhance digital security for civil society and media organizations, to engage citizens in internet governance debates, and to advance human rights online. This project places regional and local organizations at the forefront of the fight to preserve an open, interoperable, reliable, and secure Internet. By supporting localized Internet freedom initiatives within a global, community-based Internet freedom strategy, the GIF Consortium will construct strong local and regional bulwarks against a rising wave of digital authoritarianism.

LOGISTICS

This is a remote position, based in Serbia. Applicants based in Europe or the Balkans may be considered. However, you must have work authorization in your location that does not require sponsorship from Internews. Additionally, there are locations in which Internews is not able to support fully remote work.

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.

This 12-month position is contingent upon funding and the expected start date is July 1, 2022. This position will be hired on a rolling basis and will remain open until hire.

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:

Oversee all aspects of local implementation, including ensuring deliverables meet the project requirements and all timelines are met
Ensure that all aspects of project implementation (contracts, subgrants, events, etc) comply with Internews’ policies and the funder requirements;
Supervise local staff, likely a Program Associate and MEL Officer
Track project budget, including monthly spending and regular forecasting
Coordinate all project partners, ensuring clarity of roles, clear and secure communications, and coordinated plan for activities;
Maintain strong and positive relationship with USAID’s Serbia Mission and other local actors, such as civil society, the tech community, media outlets and relevant government officials;
Write reports for the funder, including quarterly reports, project updates and success stories;
Keep up to date on local, regional and international news related to Internet freedom, human rights and surveillance;
In the Chief of Party’s absence, serve as local GIF representative and represent organization at various conferences and events;
In all duties, an understanding of and demonstrated commitment to upholding Internews’ Core Values .

QUALIFICATIONS WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

Required

Bachelors degree or a minimum of 5+ years experience managing human rights or similar programs;
Excellent written and verbal communications skills;
Proven ability to build consensus among various (and sometimes competing) stakeholders;
Demonstrated leadership experience;
Knowledge of local civil society ecosystem, including stakeholders and other relevant actors;
Proficient in MS Office;
Ability to prioritize and handle multiple on-going assignments;
Serbian and English language skills;
Ability and willingness to travel within and out of Serbia;
Optimism, a sense of humor, and excitement at supporting and elevating voices of people across the globe.

Preferred

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