Program Officer Info & Media at Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa

JOB PURPOSE

The Participation and Expression Pillar confronts the most significant threats and opportunities to open society, spawned by changes in information technology. These include current trends in the fields of disinformation, hate speech and platform regulation. These technologies are transforming the ways governments and corporations exercise power, and the ways citizens communicate and mobilize to keep that power accountable and to make technology deliver on democratic dividends and more prosperous and equal societies.

The Program Officer – Information, Independent and Digital Media is an individual contributor role reporting directly to the Participation and Expression Program Manager and is responsible for developing, planning and implementing the Open Society-Africa strategy to confront digital authoritarianism, using a range of tools including grantmaking, advocacy, fellowships, litigation, and program-related investments. The role provides the program with technical and administrative services relating to projects/grants and program administration and implementation as well as a variety of support in the area of information collection.

The Program Officer – Information, Independent and Digital Media represents the foundation in the public and makes decisions on the allocation of funds according to the strategy within their portfolio.

As a Program Officer – Information, Independent and Digital Media at Open Society-Africa, you will be responsible for:

• Monitoring regional and global digital technological developments and the lay of the digital field.
• Digital rights advocacy, designing and/or leading campaigns on online freedoms regionally.
• Staying up-to-date on the issues of technology policy globally, following key developments and debates, keeping abreast of the academic, industry and popular literature, and sharing key findings and lessons among colleagues and the field.
• Budgeting
• External Communications and Advocacy
• Internal Communications
• Project Management
• Research and Recommendations
• Strategic Planning
• Grantmaking to Individuals
• Grantmaking to Organizations
• Knowledge Management

TECHNICAL SKILLS

• Analytical Processes, Assessment, Planning and Organizing, Presentation Skills, Reporting, and Writing Skills.

INDIVIDUAL COMPETENCIES

• Advancing Diversity and Inclusion, Expertise, Getting the Right Things Done, Leading Change, Managing Time and Money, Strategic Thinking, Working Well with OSF Colleagues, and Working Well with Others.

EDUCATION

• Postgraduate degree.

EXPERIENCE

• Substantial work experience including proficiency in field of expertise.
• Minimum number years of relevant working experience—7 years.
• The candidate must have an understanding and knowledge of regional and global digital technological developments and the lay of the digital field.
• The candidate must have demonstrable evidence of experience in digital rights advocacy, designing and/or leading campaigns on online freedoms regionally.
• The candidate must have demonstrable understanding of big tech and the internet ecosystem as well as online rights policy frameworks and regional positions on the same.
• The candidate must have demonstrable project management skills, including the ability to direct others to gather evidence and research to support a key decision or judgment.