Strengthening Media for Accountability in Zimbabwe (SMAZ) Project

Deadline: 28 April 2021

Location: Harare, Zimbabwe

Duration: 5 Years

Introduction

A consortium of organizations working on various specialized aspects of the media sector in Zimbabwe, including investigative journalism, research based advocacy, policy think tanking, internet governance, online literacy, media regulatory frameworks, community broadcasting and publishing among other components is seeking the services of three senior project staff to manage a five (5) year project, Strengthening Media for Accountability in Zimbabwe (SMAZ) scheduled to start on the 1st of August 2021.

The aforementioned project has two pronged objective of inculcating a culture of accountability by enhancing the capacity of the media to hold powerful state and non-state actors accountable for their acts and omissions and to strengthen citizens in public life by improving citizens’ access to timely and reliable information.

Being a project that a consortium is seeking to implement, the successful candidates will report to a project steering committee, notwithstanding the overall project management as key staff of the project as outlined in the below terms of reference (TORs). The full management and implementation structure of the project will be discussed with successful candidates.

Position Summary

The Chief of Party is expected to oversee the full operations of the project and manage the donor contractual obligations and ensure the implementation of the project within the agreed timeframes. S/he will be responsible for ensuring that the consortium meets the project objectives by designing innovative monitoring frameworks that implementing partners can effectively harvest and record significant change stories. The Chief of Party will be responsible for finalizing project documents such as narrative and financial reports and advises consortium members on project implementation. S/he will be responsible for assessing the media environment, including political and economic developments, threats and opportunities such that as overall Director of the project s/he can advise on changing the frame of the project implementation in consultation with the donor. The Chief of Party will also be responsible for assessing the funding available to the media sector and ensure there is complementarity of interventions.

Qualifications

The Project Chief of Party should possess an advanced degree (Masters preferred) in Media, Communications, Law or any relevant social science degree with aspects relating to the media. S/he should have a traceable record in interfacing with the media sector and has served in senior management for at least ten years. The applicant should be familiar with the US Aid and appreciation of its systems and operations. S/he should be a person of integrity and defender of human rights.

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