Project Manager, Media Freedom Coalition Secretariat

at  Thomson Reuters

JOIN AN EXCITING INITIATIVE THAT IS SUPPORTING GOVERNMENTS AROUND THE WORLD TO PROTECT AND PROMOTE MEDIA FREEDOM!

The Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF) is the corporate foundation of Thomson Reuters, the global news and information services company. As an independent charity we work to advance media freedom, foster more inclusive economies, and promote human rights. We combine our unique media development and legal services to drive systemic change through news, capacity strengthening, free legal assistance, and convening initiatives.
TRF provides a Secretariat function to the Media Freedom Coalition (MFC). The MFC is a partnership of 51 countries from six continents working together to advocate for media freedom and the safety of journalists at home and abroad. The MFC works closely with civil society and a panel of legal experts, among others, to promote media freedom through a range of activities – including public and private diplomacy to support journalists at risk, coordinated action through embassies, events and the promotion of legal reforms. The MFC was established in 2019 while the Secretariat was established in 2022. More information about the MFC can be found here.

The MFC Secretariat plays a central role in maximising the impact of the Coalition. It does this in four areas:

• Administration and operations: engaging with and supporting members of the Coalition; delivering activities including events and briefings; coordinating responses to cases of concern (in which journalists and news organisations are facing threats to their reporting); supporting embassies to act on media freedom; organizing meetings and maintaining the MFC’s network of contacts;
• Communications: communicating the MFC’s activities and impact externally, via website, social media and mainstream media coverage; supporting public-facing events; keeping the MFC’s network informed about activities and opportunities to take action;
• Policies and strategy: ensuring policies and processes are in place to facilitate an efficient, effective and responsive coalition; supporting strategic decision making; monitoring the latest developments in the media freedom context;
• Monitoring and evaluation: tracking and understanding the MFC’s outcomes and impact, and learning lessons from this.

The Secretariat is supported by grants from Global Affairs Canada, the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office, and Germany’s Federal Foreign Office.
We are seeking an organized and resourceful Project Manager to join our team. The Project Manager will lead on two key areas of the Secretariat’s work: (1) supporting and facilitating the MFC’s work on cases of concern, in which journalists and media workers are under threat, and (2) promoting greater engagement with diverse member countries of the MFC.
As part of the role you will interact with a wide range of government officials, civil society experts and legal experts from different parts of the world and establish improved processes for MFC interventions and engagement. The ideal candidate will be able to take the initiative while working collaboratively and will have excellent problem-solving skills. This is an excellent opportunity for anyone looking to deepen their engagement in the media freedom, human rights and/or democracy fields through working with leading experts and cutting-edge issues.
The role is based in Canary Wharf in London. The role is full time and you would be expected to attend TRF’s offices two or more days per week.
This is a 12-month fixed-term contract (depending on availability). The contract may be extended beyond this, conditional on further funds being secured for the Secretariat’s continued operation. We expect the 12-month term of the contract will result in tangible and meaningful outcomes, such as improvements to processes and strategy, and more engaged member countries.
Some travel is anticipated as part of this role.

As the Project Manager you will:

• Oversee and manage the MFC’s Secretariat’s work on cases of concern, looking for ways to optimize the speed, relevance and impact of MFC interventions while ensuring that they do no harm
• Improve processes on cases of concern in collaboration with government and civil society colleagues
• Build relationships with a range of MFC member countries in multiple regions, explore their needs, and develop and deliver bespoke support packages as applicable
• Identify case studies of interesting work by member countries on media freedom, and pass these on to the Secretariat’s Communications Manager for development into communications materials
• Contribute to strategic decision making on how to engage member countries and build a stronger Coalition
• Stay abreast of developments in the field of media freedom, particularly regarding media freedom cases of concern and media freedom developments within member countries
• Ensure sound record-keeping and lesson-learning from case interventions and member engagement
• Contribute to grant management, reporting, and donor relations where needed
• Work closely and collaboratively with the remainder of the Secretariat team and MFC stakeholders including the MFC co-chairs and Executive Group, Consultative Network, High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, and UNESCO
• Handle sensitive situations and information appropriately
• Represent the Secretariat at meetings and events (in-person and virtual

ABOUT THE ROLE

As the Project Manager you will:

• Oversee and manage the MFC’s Secretariat’s work on cases of concern, looking for ways to optimize the speed, relevance and impact of MFC interventions while ensuring that they do no harm
• Improve processes on cases of concern in collaboration with government and civil society colleagues
• Build relationships with a range of MFC member countries in multiple regions, explore their needs, and develop and deliver bespoke support packages as applicable
• Identify case studies of interesting work by member countries on media freedom, and pass these on to the Secretariat’s Communications Manager for development into communications materials
• Contribute to strategic decision making on how to engage member countries and build a stronger Coalition
• Stay abreast of developments in the field of media freedom, particularly regarding media freedom cases of concern and media freedom developments within member countries
• Ensure sound record-keeping and lesson-learning from case interventions and member engagement
• Contribute to grant management, reporting, and donor relations where needed
• Work closely and collaboratively with the remainder of the Secretariat team and MFC stakeholders including the MFC co-chairs and Executive Group, Consultative Network, High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, and UNESCO
• Handle sensitive situations and information appropriately
• Represent the Secretariat at meetings and events (in-person and virtual)

The MFC Secretariat plays a central role in maximising the impact of the Coalition. It does this in four areas:

• Administration and operations: engaging with and supporting members of the Coalition; delivering activities including events and briefings; coordinating responses to cases of concern (in which journalists and news organisations are facing threats to their reporting); supporting embassies to act on media freedom; organizing meetings and maintaining the MFC’s network of contacts;
• Communications: communicating the MFC’s activities and impact externally, via website, social media and mainstream media coverage; supporting public-facing events; keeping the MFC’s network informed about activities and opportunities to take action;
• Policies and strategy: ensuring policies and processes are in place to facilitate an efficient, effective and responsive coalition; supporting strategic decision making; monitoring the latest developments in the media freedom context;
• Monitoring and evaluation: tracking and understanding the MFC’s outcomes and impact, and learning lessons from this