Digital Rights Coordinator

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 Digital Rights Coordinator to support a 12-month intervention focused on building multistakeholder coalitions to counter digital rights abuses in Serbia. In this position, the Coordinator, experienced in internet freedom and coordinating/convening and consensus building among diverse stakeholders, will identify and support the work of a diverse set of private, public, and non-profit actors as they coalesce together to address Internet freedom and digital threats in Serbia. The Coordinator will be supervised by GIF’s Technical Advisor for Internet Governance and Policy and report to the Project Director. The Coordinator will also work closely with GIF’s Chief of Party, Technical Advisor for Digital Security and other team members, based both in Serbia and around the world. The Coordinator will be expected to have prior experience in at least two of the following: consortium building, convenings different stakeholders, working experience with multisectoral group and networks, familiarity and/or experience in the tech sector in Serbia, and/or digital rights.

This position supports 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 with preference given to candidates who are based in Serbia, the Balkans, or Europe. 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:

• Convene and support the work of a diverse set of actors including media houses, NGOs, regulators, government agencies, and others as they seek to collectively tackle internet freedom issues;
• Conduct research, develop advocacy strategies, and train beneficiaries in Serbia on digital rights issues;
• In close collaboration with the Project Director, lead the day-to-day work of the consortium, assist programmatic development, selection of subgrantees, partners, and beneficiaries;
• Attend and facilitate regular check-in calls with funders, consortium members, and other relevant stakeholders;
• Help translate materials into the local language and/or adapt for the local context;
• Link partners/beneficiaries with the GIF team for support on issues related to digital security and/or digital rights threats in the country;
• Collaborating with GIF team on documentation of processes and in extending training materials;
• Collaborate with the Project Officer in documenting MEL outcomes/outputs and learning across the project, as well as developing communication products;
• Carry out research as assigned and in support of ongoing projects and new initiatives;
• Participate in stakeholder and international Internet Freedom meetings and forums as requested;
• In all duties, an understanding of and demonstrated commitment to upholding Internews’ Core Values.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Deep understanding of Internet freedom and other political issues;
• Strong familiarity with the political and human rights context in Serbia, the Balkans or Europe, as well as key stakeholders and actors;
• Previous experience building coalition, convening multisectoral groups, or building consensus among diverse set of actors, or work or familiarity with the tech sector in Serbia;
• Ability to juggle competing deadlines and provide support to a diverse range of actors;
• Ability to explain technical concepts in plain language for individuals and groups with different levels of digital experience and understanding;
• Able to provide support remotely, working with those who may have technical difficulties;
• Experience with delivering technical support over Internet chat, voice or video calls, or in creating documented how-to lessons and resources;
• Strong writing skills for research and/or project documentation;
• Ability to work with colleagues in different time zones,
• Strong attention to detail, problem-solving and analytical skills;
• Superior communication and presentation skills;
• Ability to work well with others, meet deadlines, and respond to changes in priorities;
• Proven ability to operate effectively in a multicultural environment;
• Ability and willingness to travel within and out of Serbia;
• Serbian and English language skills;
• Optimism, a sense of humor, and excitement at supporting and elevating voices of people across the globe.

Preferred

• Experience in digital rights advocacy and policy making, legal analysis, and/research;
• Experience or interest in working with charities and NGOs, nonprofits, media, human rights and/or civil society groups, private sector, and/or regulators;
• Experience with event planning and/or arranging logistics for project implementation;
• Experience with communications platforms such as Slack or MS Teams;
• Experience managing complex travel arrangements;
• Knowledge of USAID compliance and policies.