Media Trainer at Code for Africa (CfA)

About this role

The successful candidate will join CfA’s Knowledge team and play a vital role in promoting CfA’s capacity building initiatives for media, government, universities, and civil society across Africa. This will involve developing curriculum and training materials, and providing training and mentorship to various stakeholders. 

The primary responsibility of the role is to equip media professionals (journalists, newsroom managers, editors etc), social media influencers, researchers, activists and students across Africa with relevant skills. Specifically, you will design and deliver engaging training programmes, workshops, and seminars that enhance media literacy competencies, including, fact-checking, source verification, open source intelligence (OSINT), data visualisation, and other digital media literacy topics. You will collaborate with various CfA’s partners to identify training needs and tailor programmes accordingly. In addition, you will be responsible for providing one-on-one mentorship to trainees or partners.

Although many of our trainings are conducted through webinars on virtual platforms, you may be required to travel in Africa. 

The ideal candidate will proactively stay up to date with the latest media trends, technological advancements, and emerging issues related to media literacy. Strong strategic analysis and critical thinking skills are essential, as our projects are diverse and fast-paced, requiring the ability to quickly grasp and acquire new knowledge. 

Successful candidates will work as part of a multinational and multilingual team using digital collaboration tools to provide training and mentoring support to newsroom partners and media houses across Africa. 

Responsibilities: Your daily responsibilities will include:

• Conduct assessments to identify the specific skills and knowledge gaps of the target audience, enabling the design of tailored training programs.
• Develop comprehensive training materials, for both online and offline use, including curriculum, lesson plans, and other necessary resources.
• Customise and deliver engaging training catering to various target audiences, including university students, media professionals, civic organisations, and think tank researchers.
• Assess the effectiveness of training programmes through participant feedback and performance evaluation.
• Provide technical support, guidance and mentorship support to participants, addressing their specific challenges and questions and ensuring the application of the skills acquired through the training in their work.
• Prepare detailed reports summarising training activities and outcomes, along with recommendations for improvement.
• Collaborate with other Academy team members and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to identify, develop and incorporate case studies, examples, exercises, and relevant insights into the training curriculum. 
• Support CfA’s donor-funded projects by ensuring timely delivery of training projects activities and milestones. Strive for excellence by meeting or exceeding donor expectations. 
• Manage the promotion and marketing of training initiatives, utilising various channels such as social media, email marketing, and engagement with media partners.

Required minimum requirements include:

• 2+ years experience working in the media industry
• Proven proficiency with fact-checking, investigative journalism, data journalism or other methodologies that combine technology and media.
• An understanding of influence operations, including both disinformation and misinformation, as well as digital amplification and viral media techniques.
• 3+ years of experience as a media trainer/educator, or a related position.
• Excellent pedagogical expertise and the ability to design engaging and effective training curricula using adult learning principles and instructional design methodologies.
• Experience in delivering training across multiple platforms, including but not limited to, in-person and online training, as well as in individual mentorship.
• Excellent presentation and facilitation skills, with the ability to engage and inspire diverse audiences.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail in order to manage and drive multiple training initiatives simultaneously
• Possesses a growth mindset – always monitoring and proactively learning about new media techniques and technologies
• Empathetic communication and listening skills, plus a sensitivity to and ability to work with cross-cultural dynamics.
• Familiarity with media literacy frameworks, methodologies, ethics and best practices.
• Adaptability and flexibility to adjust training methods based on participants’ learning styles and needs.
• Excellent report writing skills, with an ability to get across complex details in an understandable and accurate way for a variety of audiences.
• Digital-first workplace skill-sets, including proficiency in collaborative work solutions such as Google Drive (Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, etc) and Slack (or equivalents such as Teams), as well as project management tools like Trello (or equivalents). 
• Proficient in English (spoken and written).

Preferred: candidates who are able to demonstrate the following will have an advantage:

• A relevant degree in journalism, communication or media studies.
• Familiarity with verification techniques and tools such as InVid, Google verification tools, TruthNest, Telegago, Botometer etc.
• Familiarity with social listening tools such as CrowdTangle, Meltwater, MediaCloud etc.
• Experience with Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as WordPress’ LearnDash platform.
• Experience working with a variety of teams, such as journalists, data analysts, and subject matter experts from various fields.
• Deep understanding of and experience in the education technology, and/or digital innovation space in Africa. 
• Proficient in French.

Language and Location Requirements:

• Location: Remote 
• Languages: English and French
• Preferred but not required: Arabic, Swahili, or other major African languages