Technical Advisor II, Media and Information Literacy Programs (NEW)

Who We Are

IREX is a global development and education organization. We strive for a more just, prosperous, and inclusive world—where individuals reach their full potential, governments serve their people, and communities thrive. With a projected annual portfolio of more than $100 million and more than 600 staff worldwide, we work with partners in more than 100 countries in four areas essential to progress: cultivating leaders, empowering youth, strengthening institutions, and increasing access to quality education and information.

IREX is a pioneer in solutions to address information manipulation, including disinformation as an ever-growing threat to stability, democratic institutions, and the cohesion of communities. Launched a few years ago as a global initiative to develop tools, partnerships, and solutions to the problem of disinformation, IREX’s Learn to Discern (L2D) initiative has grown into a dynamic portfolio of activities and programs that build skills of individuals and communities to navigate today’s information environment and make fact-based decisions in over 20 countries. These initiatives build citizen resilience to information threats from foreign influence operations, radicalization and violent extremism propaganda, political polarization, hate speech, and COVID-19 related disinformation and conspiracy theories. The L2D portfolio of programs is advanced by a dedicated team of over 30 professionals globally.

The Technical Advisor II will be responsible for managing and providing technical assistance on L2D programs and activities to ensure objectives are met, partner and donor satisfaction is high, and a data and evidence mindset drives innovation and implementation. They will be responsible for generating lessons learned, gathering evidence of impact, and other data that is needed to ensure the effective tracking and measurement of IREX’s global L2D strategy and program outcomes, adjusting and updating the L2D monitoring, evaluation, and learning framework, and producing timely internal and external communications of impact and relevance in the community of donors and organizations that fight disinformation. In this role, they will collaborate closely with and support the efforts of the IREX Center for Applied Learning and Impact.

They will also work across IREX Groups and Units to integrate essential ingredients of Learn to Discern and promising new approaches into other relevant programs and activities at IREX. They will work with professionals across IREX to cultivate a spirit of entrepreneurship and support colleagues in developing new media and information literacy initiatives in areas of priority to IREX.

A core responsibility of this position will be to support the growth and expansion of this portfolio. The Technical Advisor will collaborate with IREX’s business development colleagues in Strategy and Development Group and maybe responsible for leading proposal efforts, for examples being involved in proposal design and writing as well as supporting strategic communications.

We are doers. Our decades of on-the-ground experience help us create greater impact, practical recommendations, and lasting partnerships.

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Your Background & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, Master’s degree in relevant subject preferred.
• 10 – 12 years of relevant experience.
• Previous professional experience in a relevant technical area required. Relevant technical areas of experience include media, information, and/or digital literacy, digital citizenship, resilience to disinformation and propaganda, countering disinformation, addressing hate speech in digital spaces.
• Project/initiative management experience with human-centered approaches and in relevant technical areas of expertise. This includes demonstrated experience in ensuring the successful execution of complex programs that lead to measurable impact.
• Experience with building, motivating, and leading teams and communities of practice.
• Experience in supporting business development efforts, writing proposals for funding, and growing initiatives that promote information literacy and building resilience to disinformation.
• Demonstrated experience with developing and implementing metrices and frameworks for major organizational initiatives.
• Successful record of designing and implementing donor-funded technical assistance programs, with strong preference for US government-funded program management experience.
• Experience with financial planning and management of complex, multi-year budgets.
• Strong analytical, time management, team leadership skills.
• Excellent speaking, writing and presentation skills in English, with professional level proficiency in a second language highly desired.
• Ability to think and plan strategically in the context of broad organizational goals.
• Demonstrated skills in methodically solving problems in fast-paced environments.
• Ability to engage and collaborate with colleagues across aa wide spectrum of interests and programming.
• Ability to translate and shape complex, innovative ideas into compelling funding proposals.
• Experience in working across cultures and in inclusive international teams.
• Experience with subgrants and grants administration desirable.
• Experience supervising and mentoring junior level staff desirable.
• You must have unrestricted authorization to work in the United States.

Your Daily Tasks

• Responsible for facilitating development and tracking implementation of Information and Media Practice’s L2D initiatives annual workplan.
• Provide technical and management support to L2D projects. This will include direct management of assigned L2D projects.
• Nurture L2D community of practice within IREX enriching it with resources and facilitating internal and external learning and professional development.
• Support L2D technical working groups and expand research and technical skills within IREX
• Ensure high quality team/program deliverables and monitoring and evaluation outcomes and results are being met.
• Support senior IREX leadership in external communications on the topics of media literacy, digital citizenship, information integrity and resilience to disinformation with relevant program updates, data, success stories, impact results, and other products.
• Work closely with the Strategy and Development Group to raise awareness of the Learn to Discern Approach and products, identifies opportunities for scaling up or replicating projects, and helps generate donor support for the efforts to scale up or expand.
• Cultivate and grow relationships with government, corporate and foundation donors that are interested in advancing Learn to Discern initiatives nationally and globally, planning at least quarterly visits to, or engagements with, identified donors/markets/locations.
• Develop, manage, and grow relationships with thought leaders and trend influencers in initiatives to advance information literacy and counter disinformation.
• Proactively shape new business opportunities by initiating, creating, or co-creating and marketing new services and products in the Learn to Discern portfolio of activities, establishing new strategic relationships/partnerships, and by building on existing relationships/partnerships/programs.
• Lead and/or author complex proposal efforts which reflect global best practices, cutting edge approaches, research, and relevant insight; mentors other staff in leading and designing high quality proposals and concept notes.
• Capture lessons and best practices and organizes and manages knowledge management processes and systems related to Learn to Discern initiatives.
• Provide high-level representation and support for prominent communications and outreach events and related to the Learn to Discern initiatives.
• Provide inputs on assigned L2D programs’ budgets, projections, and quarterly budget recasts as requested.
• Contribute to assigned L2D programs’ budget amendments and no-cost extension requests, as requested.
• Contribute, as needed, to the development of assigned L2D program- and donor-specific compliance processes, in close coordination with relevant IREX units.
• Serve as Manager for headquarters and/or country office staff as assigned.
• Provide overall technical leadership, in coordination with the I&M Practice leads.
• Partner with team members to co-create solutions, solve problems, and devise actions.
• Other support duties as needed.

IREX will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments of 2008.

We conduct background checks on all successful candidates.

This position is eligible for Telework. The eligible employee is a regular, full-time DC-based staff who works from a worksite outside the DC office for one or more days a week.

This position is not eligible for Immigration Sponsorship.

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EOE – Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/vets.