JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title : Project Manager (Media Development)
Duty Station : Dhaka
Grade : 4
Reports to : Senior Project Manager
Duration : Fixed term contract till 31/12/2022
Start Date : 1 October 2019 or as soon as possible thereafter

Context:

BBC Media Action is the BBC’s international development charity. We use media and communications to reduce poverty and promote human rights in developing countries. We partner with civil society, local media and others to produce creative programmes in multi-media formats which inform and engage audiences around key development issues; and strengthen the media sector through capacity building. Our work is built on insights from our research and engagement with communities and is focused on three key themes: governance and rights, health and resilience.

BBC Media Action is the lead partner in a new international consortium focusing on support to independent media through a project to be known as PRIMED (Protecting Independent Media for Effective Development). The project will work to strengthen independent media to produce trusted public-interest journalism and provide avenues for constructive public debate. The project will involve a range of activity in Bangladesh, as well as in other countries elsewhere in the world.

Overall purpose:
To co-ordinate and support the day to day operations of the PRIMED project in Bangladesh, monitoring progress towards project deliverables and working with the Senior Project Manager and other colleagues across the office to identify and resolve issues connected for ensuring that projects deliver on time, on budget and to high quality. The position is based in Dhaka and will involve regular travel within Bangladesh and internationally from time to time. 

Main Duties & responsibilities:

  • Convene and support the Country Programme Delivery Team for the project in Bangladesh, ensuring that local, national and international consortium partners are able to contribute to programme design, implementation, monitoring and learning.
  • Manage and monitor the delivery of project activities in Bangladesh, ensuring that deliverables are on track, on time and to the required quality standard.
  • Operate (and, where required, design new) tools and systems to organise the project efficiently and effectively.
  • Liaise regularly with programme staff and partners in other countries and at the global level, to ensure strong coordination across the global programme.
  • Act as a hub for communication between partners and teams, maintaining good working relationships with key personnel and establishing and operating robust working arrangements for planning, maintaining and reviewing project delivery.
  • Provide expert support and advice to the project in the area of media development.
  • Work with finance colleagues to manage project budgets, exercising a degree of judgment to ensure that financial targets are met.
  • Write, compile and edit monthly, quarterly and annual reports and other documents needed to meet the deliverable and reporting commitments for the global programme management until, donors and partners.
  • Line manage project staff as designated, building their capacity by passing on skills and techniques and conducting informal training and mentoring sessions.
  • Contribute to the development and implementation of BBC Media Action’s strategy for Bangladesh, including contributing to programme development activities and working with colleagues outside the direct project focus area, as required.

Skills, knowledge and experience requirements:

Criteria
Essential / Desirable
Substantial experience of collaborative working, with the confidence and proven ability to deal with a wide range of stakeholders and partners.
E
Strong experience of project management, with a demonstrable ability to effectively plan, monitor and provide progress reporting.
E
Strong knowledge of media development1 concepts and techniques (experience of having delivered media development projects in the past is highly desirable)
E
Excellent IT skills, particularly including Microsoft Excel.
E
Highly numerate, with the ability to track budget allocations and provide accurate financial reports.
E
Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to form and maintain effective working relationships at all levels.
E
Strong line management skills and experience in active and positive management of staff.
E
Excellent English & Bangla writing skills.
E
Good organisational and time management skills, with the proven ability to prioritise across multiple tasks, work independently and maintain attention to detail.
E
Experience working in a development or related setting with associated experience of development project design and donor reporting.
E
Understanding of safeguarding principles, practice and compliance.
E
Journalism training and/or experience, good editorial awareness and experience of contributing to editorial decision-making
D
Commitment to equal opportunities and health & safety.
E

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. A police background check may form part of the recruitment process. BBC Media Action operates a zero-tolerance policy concerning all forms of abuse and exploitation of vulnerable people.

Applications: Interested applicants should carefully complete the BBC Media Action job application form and email to applications@bd.bbcmediaaction.org mentioning the position in the subject field. The deadline for submitting applications is 8 September 2019.

The BBC is an equal opportunity employer

1 We define media development as “work to support the establishment and evolution of free, plural, professional and sustainable media”.  This includes supporting journalists and media organisations (formal and informal), through activities such as institutional strengthening and training. ‘Media development’ is not the same as ‘media for development’ (which could include, for example, using television drama to improve health outcomes). It is important that candidates for this role have strong media development understanding and, ideally, specialist experience of working on this topic.