Programme Manager - Africa at Thomson Reuters

About the job

This is an exciting opportunity that involves a mix of partnership and project management to strengthen the Foundation’s impact and build its reputation and presence across the continent of Africa.

It is a chance to play a key role in the Foundation’s work to advance media freedom, foster inclusive economies and promote human rights across the Africa region. The successful candidate will be able to make a real difference as part of a dynamic team, working to design and implement integrated projects and programmes, combining the power of media, law, and convening to deliver systemic long-lasting impact.

The Programme Manager - Africa will design and manage the Foundation’s project portfolio in the region, ensuring the highest level of alignment with the strategy, synergy across projects, and the highest possible quality and impact on the ground. You will lead other project managers, as well as manage your own projects, as necessary.

Reporting to the Senior Programmes Manager, you will work closely with other Foundation teams, local partners and donors to develop and implement new projects, products and services. This is a new role, which will oversee a small number of strong pre-existing projects focused on Africa, with the expectation and ambition that the role will increase the number and scale of TRF’s projects and work in Africa over the next 18months to two years.

Please be advised that for this role we offer 2 years fixed contract.

Key responsibilities:

• Lead on the management and further development of a diverse project portfolio, identifying common outcomes, operational synergies and the alignment with the Foundation’s strategy with the goal to strengthen the Foundation’s impact and presence in the region
• Lead a team of project managers and coordinators, ensuring effective project design and delivery and compliance with donors’ and contract requirements
• Effectively manage at least one strategic project, in coordination with project colleagues, including full project cycle and donor’s accountability requirements, as necessary.
• Strong contextual knowledge and networks across the Africa region – build a strong understanding of local contexts, including socio-economic and political situation and local legal, media, business, and NGO landscapes. Work with local partners and other stakeholders to understand local needs and capacities and advise other teams on the local contexts, as necessary
• Identify, monitor and manage risks to ensure excellent project delivery, staff, consultant, local partner and beneficiary safety and to promote he Foundation’s reputation
• Working closely with thought leadership and other teams, develop and manage longer-term local partnerships and networks
• Working with the Business Development team and others to identify new business opportunities, and develop, design and implement new projects, products and services for the region, as TRF and in partnership with others
• Work with Finance on project budgeting and resourcing and economic analysis of programmes and projects
• Working with other teams, build the Foundation’s reputation as an important stakeholder, with long-term regional presence, strong partnerships, impactful projects and excellent understanding of the local contexts. Ensure high visibility and recognition of the Foundation’s activities and understanding of its priorities in the region
• Working with the Senior Manager, Media Initiatives manage the pool of consultants including consultant selection, contracts, appraisals, etc., deploy the right training content, and improve delivery modalities
• Strong and inclusive team management skills, able to empower and coach colleagues effectively
• Share strategic project data, updates and programme impact with TRF’s regional board once in place
• Make sure that the Foundation’s standards and principles are upheld by all contractors, freelancers and local partners
• Proactively facilitate learning, exchange and innovation

Required skills:

The candidate should have experience in the following:

• Strong experience in project management (5+ years), ideally in the international development sector, including experience in designing and setting up new projects, recruitment and management of consultants and project staff, planning project activities, developing MEAL processes, end-to-end oversight of project activities, and reporting to donors
• Experience in budget development and financial management, including fluency in Excel
• Strong experience in remote setting up and management of partnerships, including local partner capacity building
• Strong contextual knowledge of several African countries and/or region(s), and strong networks across civil society, especially with independent media outlets and journalists
• Self-starter
• Proven ability to manage and drive high quality client facing relationships
• Excellent communication and writing skills, including fluency in English.
• Demonstrated ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines
• Willingness to travel internationally when required

Desired skills:

• Previous experience of working in Africa
• French, Portuguese and African languages
• Experience with the professional training industry
• Familiarity with Salesforce or other similar customer relationship management platforms