Job Introduction
BBC Media Action is the BBC’s international charity. We work with partners around the world to provide impartial, impactful, trustworthy media to people in need so that they can make informed choices to transform their lives. In a world of disinformation, distrust and division, we share the BBC’s values, skills and experience to bring people together, and foster greater understanding and trust. We use media and communication to help deliver stronger democracies, a safer, more habitable planet and inclusive societies.

We are looking for an experienced development professional to provide strategic leadership and support our country teams across the world in the area of Media Development. This is a global role, working closely with internal and external stakeholders to grow our work in this area and improve the quality of projects and research that BBC Media Action delivers.

The post holder will provide expert advice on how the organisation can be innovative and support healthy media ecosystems, as well as develop staff, institutional and partner capacity under this theme.

The ideal candidate will have strong knowledge, understanding and experience of what influences healthy media ecosystems and how to achieve impact.

Main Responsibilities

• Improve the quality of projects that BBC Media Action delivers by developing and articulating evidence-based strategies and approaches and providing expert advice on how the organisation can be innovative and support healthy media ecosystems and develop staff, institutional and partner capacity under this theme.
• Work closely with BBC Media Action teams to improve the quality of project delivery, research and evidence generation and learning around media development, e.g. building staff and partner capacity to apply tools and approaches.
• Play a lead role identifying and engaging with influential external stakeholders about the potential of media and communication in these areas. This will involve representing BBC Media Action externally (through high-level meetings and public presentations), forging relationships with major external partners, stakeholders and funding bodies and supporting business development to articulate BBC Media Action’s offer.

Are you the right candidate?

• Knowledge and understanding of how media and communication can achieve impact on media development.
• A proven capability in business development skills relevant to this field, including the formation of external institutional and professional relationships with donors and other development actors.
• Capacity to exercise intellectual leadership on media development and experience of engaging with relevant external research, practice and policy agendas at a high level, linking these creatively to the project design and implementation of BBC Media Action.
• Extensive contacts and networking ability within the fields of media development.
• Extensive experience of working with media practitioners.
• Strong understanding of the international development system, particularly in relation to media ecosystems.
• Experience delivering work that supports healthy media ecosystems.
• Experience building capacity among staff and partners to support healthy media ecosystems.
• Excellent communication and writing skills.
• A relevant post graduate qualification or demonstrable record in delivering relevant projects, research or learning.
• The ability to work effectively across teams and to mobilise resources to achieve impact.
• Ability and willingness to travel as required to deliver the job.

Other information
This is a six month fixed term contract

This role will be based in one of BBC Media Action’s offices in Africa, Asia or London. Current BBC Media Action offices are in the following cities, and the role could be based in any of these cities, subject to the prevailing security situation at the time of appointment: Abuja, Addis Ababa, Dar Es Salaam, Delhi, Dhaka, Freetown, Hargeisa, Jakarta, Juba, Kabul, Kathmandu, London, Lusaka, Nairobi, Phnom Penh, Tunis, Yangon.

Applications are welcome from anyone with the existing right to work in any of those countries. The successful applicant will be employed and based in their home country, with salary set according to BBC Media Action’s pay scales in that country.

We’re happy to discuss flexible working. Please indicate your choice under the flexible working question in the application. There is no obligation to raise this at the application stage but if you wish to do so, you are welcome to. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.

The role may involve working with groups of vulnerable children and adults. For the successful candidate, mandatory training will be provided on BBC Media Action’s safeguarding policy and staff code of conduct. An appropriate background check (depending on the country of residence) will form part of the recruitment process. BBC Media Action operates a zero-tolerance policy concerning all forms of abuse and exploitation of vulnerable people.