ACCESS TO INFORMATION DIRECTOR (ARABIC REQUIRED)

Pact seeks an Access to Information Director for the anticipated USAID-funded Sudan Youth and Women, Strengthened Together and Advancing in New Directions (Sudan STAND) Activity, an Associate Award under the Civil Society and Media-Strengthened Together and Advancing in New Directions (CSM-STAND) Africa & Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Leader with Associates (LWA) Cooperative Agreement. Sudan STAND aims to increase collaboration, sustainability, and resilience of civil society and independent media to advance the inclusion, participation and leadership of youth and women in Sudan. The activity will apply locally led, problem-driven, adaptive approaches. This is anticipated to be a five-year activity and the position will be based in Khartoum, Sudan. This position is contingent upon award.

The Access to Information Director will provide strategic guidance, vision, and management oversight to activities to improve access to reliable information, civic knowledge, and practices that help citizens forge a shared vision of freedom, peace, and justice; provide a better understanding of the information ecosystem; expand digital media and alternative information ecosystems; and increase civic education among youth and women. The Director will lead initiatives to increase access to a wider range of fact-based, independent information for, and to enhance the awareness, knowledge, and skills of, Sudanese citizens, particularly youth and women, to navigate a fractured public information space and gain a deeper understanding of their rights and responsibilities as citizens.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide intellectual and strategic leadership and vision to support Sudan STAND’S mandate of universal access to information, including digital media development and transformation, information literacy, and civic education.
• Maintain and strengthen a network of relationships with high-level officials in the Sudanese government and other key actors within the Sudanese and international community; civil society and other community-based organizations; teachers’ committees, and the media, utilizing these networks to strengthen civic education, information access, and media content development.
• Oversee the creation and convening of a network of digital and independent media content creators and practitioners, to be supported through a small grants program to counter disinformation and misinformation by producing content on social media, online platforms, and other platforms. Oversee the process for mapping, soliciting, vetting, and selecting this pool of media content creators to receive small grants for ongoing mentoring and training, empowering them with the skills and tools to provide citizens with relevant and impactful information, amplify engaging and high-quality content, and reach marginalized populations.
• Analyze needs, design, and oversee implementation of programs to support civil society and media to understand, map, and develop capacities to navigate Sudan’s changing information ecosystem. This includes overseeing analyses to inform the co-design of locally led strategies to promote diverse media platforms to detect and counter disinformation and information manipulation in an automated matter.
• Contribute high-level expertise and coordinated leadership on activities of local actors, including other USAID- and donor-funded projects, civil society and other community-based organizations, to inform its approach to civic education—and in particular among youth and women—ensuring that its approach builds on previous investments and efforts.
• Manage a team of Khartoum- and regional-office based staff and advisors.

Basic Requirements

• Master’s degree in a relevant course of study in addition to substantial practical experience: a minimum of (ten) 10 years’ experience relevant to at least (two) 2 of the focus areas, including civic education, information access, freedom of expression, media and information literacy, and innovation and digital transformations, along with demonstrated understanding of the current political climate in Sudan affecting these focus areas.
• Demonstrated success collaborating with Sudanese media organizations, digital influencers, community media content contributors, and journalists. Demonstrated ability to serve as a thought partner and leader in these areas.
• Possess digital and media savvy with a thorough understanding of alternative Sudanese information ecosystems.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with a diverse community of local actors, including educators, community organizations, women’s and youth’s groups, and marginalized communities.
• Previous management and supervision experience.
• Fluency in Arabic and English.
• Excellent written, research, presentation, and oral communications skills.
• Ability to travel within Sudan when health and safety concerns regarding COVID-19 allow.

Preferred Qualifications

• Sudanese nationals strongly encouraged to apply.