Hungary: Project Director

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

Internews seeks a Project Director for a US government-funded project focused on championing a strong independent media sector in Armenia, Georgia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Ukraine that is resistant to powerful interests seeking to manipulate, isolate, or control the press. They will oversee activities that help local media produce and disseminate high-quality and credible content across platforms that addresses issues of importance in their local communities and counters disinformation; improve cross-border content production and contextualize national stories into regional perspectives and better connect media and audiences across target countries; strengthen networks within their countries and across the region. They will provide strategic guidance and leadership; supervise program personnel, financial management, and administration. They will also be responsible for establishing strong partnerships with counterparts within the six countries of focus and coordinate with the appropriate donor representatives. The position will be based in Budapest, Hungary or remotely in the Europe and Eurasia Region.

Logistics

Internews plans to open an office in Budapest, Hungary beginning in October 2022. Our ideal candidate will be able to work fully in-office or partially in-office from Budapest, Hungary. However, remote candidates based in Europe will also be considered. You must have independent work authorization in your location that does not require sponsorship from Internews.

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

Note: Hiring is contingent upon receipt of funding.

This is a limited-term position expected to begin in October 2022 and an anticipated end date in September 2024.

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:

• Provide strategic, operational and representational leadership
• Oversee organization and implementation of all project activities, as well as project monitoring and evaluation to ensure effective implementation and to measure project impact.
• Carry out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with organizational policies and applicable local laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; addressing complaints, and resolving problems.
• Cultivate and strengthen relationships with local and regional 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 Internews staff and according to award stipulations.
• Serve as the public face of the project and primary point of contact for regional and in-country donor missions and stakeholders.
• Establish seamless coordination of all project activities with other Internews work in six project target countries; maintain on-going communication with Internews leadership in the target countries and Program Management Unit, Europe and Eurasia, to ensure synergies, cost-effectiveness, and impact amplification.
• Maintain strategic awareness of independent media issues in the project target countries, and a thorough understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing independent media and content producers in production and dissemination of high-quality and credible content across a variety of distribution platforms and channels, including production of cross-border content; networking with peers from other project countries.
• Ensure the project is in compliance with all USG rules, requirements and regulations as well as with Internews internal policies and procedures.
• Serve as the primary budget authority over the project, responsible for ensuring all costs charged to the project are allowable, reasonable, and correctly allocated.
• Maintain regular communications with Internews headquarters staff to communicate progress on programming and address upcoming issues in advance.
• In all duties, an understanding of and demonstrated commitment to upholding Internews’ Core Values.

QUALIFICATIONS WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

Required

• Four or more years of leadership experience (Project Director, Chief of Party, Program/Activity Manager);
• A strong reputation for developing excellent collaborative working relationships with local counterparts, international organizations, and donors.
• Experience working with independent media, particularly digital or multiplatform outlets.
• Experience working on multi-country media development activities.
• Deep understanding of the regional media sector.
• Experience implementing complex, multifaceted development initiatives with demonstrated skill in organizing resources, establishing priorities, and overseeing diverse teams of employees.
• Experience leveraging other sources of funding to advance programmatic objectives.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Proven ability to creatively problem-solve and provide ethical management.

Preferred

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

• Experience with USG-funded media projects is strongly preferred.
• English fluency required, proficiency in other local languages from the project target countries highly preferred (Armenian, Georgian, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Ukrainian).