GENERAL SUMMARY:
Internews, an international non-profit organization that empowers media worldwide to give people news and information they need, the ability to connect and the means to make their voices heard, is implementing a five year, USAID-funded Liberia Media Development (LMD) Program in Liberia. The Liberia Media Development’s goal is to increase all Liberian citizens’ access to independent and reliable information and empowerment to engage in well-informed public discussion of important issues of the day. In the course of the implementation of the Program, Internews is currently looking for a qualified and motivated international, full-time Business Strategy (media market) Advisor.
The Business Strategy Advisor will work with Internews project management and staff to strengthen the financial sustainability of Liberian media outlets. Additionally, the position will be partly seconded to support Internews’ international partner GeoPoll. S/he will work closely with Internews program staff and GeoPoll on media business data collection, processing and dissemination, to train and support the Liberian media managers, marketing and advertisement personnel and with the international advertising and marketing consultant.
This is a senior position which requires sound, expert technical knowledge and skills in the areas of media business management/development, organizational development, planning and strategy, and finance and administration.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITES include the following. Additional duties may be assigned.
- Set up a Media Market Forum--made up of implementers, media owners, advertisers, academics, project managers, and ad agencies—that will specifically map out the ways and means through which the media development community in Liberia can efficiently assist media outlets with audience research and measurement aimed at increasing and diversifying their revenue sources and increasing income generation.
- Ensure regular coordination of the Media Market Forum stakeholders around matters of common interest.
- Support the setting up of a media market architecture, including access to Web analytics, audit verification of print publications’ circulation;
- Closely coordinate with GeoPoll on the production or regular audience research and in particular establish comparability among media outlets;
- Provide practical advice to strengthen partner media outlets’ revenue generation capacities, in order to enable them to achieve financial sustainability;
- Work with community radios on professional market studies and action plans that will enable them to systematically explore revenue generation in their immediate neighborhoods and vicinities;
- Provide training on core business skills-- such as budgeting, financial management, goal setting and tracking results--to Liberian media outlets and work with them to articulate and follow business plans;
- Mentor media personnel on core management issues, with the ultimate goal of supporting retention of journalists and other media professionals/workers, as well as media overall editorial independence;
- Assess and develop the capacity of Liberian media business trainers;
- Coach media to interact with local, national and international businesses, for revenue generation purposes on behalf of their media outlets;
- Guide media managers and personnel in linking market research and audience data with media programming and business operations;
- Support program team to define small equipment grants for key independent media outlets;
- Perform other duties as assigned by the Country Director/Chief of Party, the Deputy Chief of Party, the Regional Director for Sub Saharan Africa, and HQ offices;
- Understanding of and demonstrated commitment to upholding Internews’ Core Values
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Master’s Degree required, MBA preferred.
- Minimum ten years of experience in media business management in a developing country context, preferably Africa;
- Previous experience working on programs funded by international donors (preferably USAID);
- Strong communication skills; Fluency in English required;
- A teamwork oriented person;
- Experience in adult learning/training;
- In-depth knowledge of USAID rules and regulations;
- Comparative knowledge and experience in media business management and development across multiple international organizations and countries, in order to provide, instill and transfer best industry practices.
- Excellent knowledge of capacity building of organization and staff. A patient and good listener, who hears and understands the problem of staff as a mentor;
- Knowledge of fundamental concepts, practices and procedures of strategic business management and strategic marketplace analysis.
- Demonstrated abilities in:
- Management, organization and problem-solving skills;
- Planning and strategy;
- Strategic development with resource scheduling, managing timelines, and leading team activities;
- Strategic thinking to facilitate interpretation of market information for decision-making;
- Establishing and maintaining effective professional relationships through collaboration, negotiation and teamwork;
- Motivating, mentoring, and managing individuals and groups from diverse backgrounds and expertise, resulting in high quality and timely work delivery;
- Exercising judgment within broadly defined practices and policies in selecting methods, techniques for obtaining results;
- Serving as an organizational resource for process improvement and strategic decision making;
- Extensive experience in strategic business management, financial and operational analysis, financial reporting, cash flow management;
- Ability to effectively manage a variety of internal and external relationships;
- Strong analytical, training, oral and written communication, and team-building skills;
- MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint required. Excellent written and oral communication skills;
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects while working as part of a team;
- Proficiency in financial software Quick Books preferred.
HOW TO APPLY:
