Africa Media Initiative (AMI) is looking for an Executive Director who
will be responsible to the Board for the strategic development,
finances and management of AMI. Annual salary of this job is c. =A360k
GBP and Interviews will be taking place in London on Thursday 11th
December with a view to offering the role by 19th December 2008.
For more information on Africa Careers and for online application
forms please visit http://2ajobguide.com/africa_jobs.aspx (Africa Jobs
in the UK).
Executive Director, Africa Media Initiative
Ref 594689
Region Multi-Region
Contract Type Attachment/Fixed Term
Job Category Business Support & Management
Closing date for applications 2 December 2008
JOB DESCRIPTION
AFRICA MEDIA INITIATIVE
Job Title: Executive Director
Reports to: AMI Chair of the Board of Directors
Location: No specific location - The location of the role is flexible
depending on the current location of the candidate and it is expected
that the successful candidate will have the option to work from home
in the first instance with frequent travel and contact with external
parties
Duration: 9 months (with possibility of renewal)
Grade 10D (to be confirmed)
Annual Salary: c. =A360k GBP
Interviews will be taking place in London on Thursday 11th December
with a view to offering the role by 19th December 2008.
The Africa Media Initiative (AMI) has been created to foster a
vibrant, sustainable independent media that supports Africa=92s progress
towards an information society, strengthens critical and pluralistic
voices on the continent and produces and distributes high-quality
African content. Working with critical stakeholders from governments,
media and civil society, an African Foundation and investment arm will
be established to strengthen independent, pluralistic media across
Africa which promotes free flows of information and boosts democratic
development. AMI will mobilise funds for and manage a five year US
$135m programme in three interlinked areas =96 improving media freedom,
strengthening professional standards, and increasing public and
private investment in the media in Africa. The BBC World Service Trust
has acted as the secretariat to a steering committee which has
developed AMI to date. A 12 month grant from the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation is enabling the recruitment of a new board and an
incorporation process to establish AMI as a legal entity. The
Executive Director will work with the Trust, contracted specialised
legal and finance support to ensure that incorporation and funding for
AMI=92s ambitious programme is secured.
Overall Purpose of the Job
The Executive Director will be responsible to the Board for the
strategic development, finances and management of AMI.
The postholder will need to work establish excellent working
relationships with the multinational board and a wide range of senior
figures within the donor community and within the media world in
Africa.
Main Duties:
1. Legal incorporation: AMI will recruit specialised firm to establish
the legal personality of the Initiative and establish policies and
procedures for the Initiative to operate.
a. Supervise the work of the agency, establishing Terms of Reference
and milestones for the legal incorporation of the initiative.
b. Ensuring that correct procedures for registration of AMI have been
followed.
c. Ensure that employment, health and safety and organisational risk
are followed in the countries in which AMI operates, and that AMI
complies with all relevant laws
d. Report to the Board on progress
2. Raising and Managing Funds: With members of the Board, develop a
strategy to mobilise resources to support AMI, and to make best use of
resources available to maximise impact.
a. Support board members in marketing the current and planned
programme activities in ways which are attractive to institutional and
other donors (locally, and internationally), drawing up major donor
proposals and contracts, and ensuring timely reporting back to all
types of donors
b. Convene donor=92s and investor meetings and forum to secure pledges
to allow for the launch of AMI.
c. Establish a professional Finance function, ensuring the efficient
and proper use of funds and assets, drawing up, securing and
monitoring implementation of AMI policies and processes for financial
control and reporting, and taking prompt action to tackle variances
and control gap.
3. Organisational Development Strategy
a. With the specialised contractor and with the approval of the Board,
develop an
organisational business plan for year one with the definition of staff
and board
structures, accountabilities and responsibilities
4. Programme Development, Management and Delivery: To strategically
develop and manage the AMI=92s portfolio of programme and investment
activities. This will include:
a. Ensuring that processes are established for grant-making and
investment in the three main programme areas of AMI, improving media
freedom, strengthening professional standards, and increasing public
and private investment in the media in Africa
b. Establish advisory panels and experts to identify priority areas
for support in the three programme priority areas.
c. Review grants and investment portfolios to ensure that there is a
coherence to grants and investments and they fit programme priorities.
d. Promoting learning by programmes from relevant best practice
externally with support from the relevant expert advisors,
e. Establish a programme of impact evaluation and ongoing media
research to ensure measurement of impact takes place in all programmes
and assessing performance regularly against agreed programme
objectives and indicators
5. Management and Capacity Building: To lead and develop a cross-
functional regional team (developing expertise in project management,
finance, HR, and communications) to build the capacity of AMI:
a. Building a strong team of staff, managing and guiding their
development, planning succession, and taking prompt action to address
issues of underperformance
b. Ensure new members of the team receive appropriate training in
AMI=92s approaches and standards, and their performance is managed
effectively
6. External Relations: To build AMI=92s external profile and influence
in the region. This will include:
a. Building effective working relationships with relevant decision
makers in key international organisations, civil society
organisations, business and in governments on the continent
b. Planning and personally leading activities to deliver outcomes on
top priority media development issues for the region, including media
profile where appropriate
c. Developing close links with key donors and stakeholders (AU, ADB,
NEPAD, UN, etc) with shared interests in the region, to understand
their changing interests and priorities, develop appropriate strategic
proposals, and build income from donors.
7. Board Relations
Maintain an effective relationship with members of the Board of AMI,
providing support to their activities as appropriate.
a. In the first six months, support the board in recruitment of other
board members and advisory panel members, advocacy and fundraising
b. Once incorporation is complete, keep the board informed of
strategic, financial and operational activities of the Initiative and
progress against objectives
Person Specification & Competencies
Skills, Knowledge and Experience required
=95 Considerable knowledge and experience of media and/or international
development in Africa with a proven track record in gaining results.
=95 A strong awareness of the world of international development and
preferably a good understanding of the role of communications and
media in development.
=95 Proven ability to raise funds, particularly from large institutional
donors
=95 Strong leadership and organisational skills with experience of
working with and reporting to an international board of senior
figures.
=95 Ability to manage significant budgets and to monitor income and
expenditure.
=95 Demonstrable experience of working with outside donor agencies with
a clear understanding of their priorities and motivations
=95 Proven ability to work with credibility at a senior level, to make
presentations and the ability to promote AMI amongst opinion formers
and decision makers in many countries.
=95 Proven ability to write persuasively and coherently in English and
preferably in French, to be able to target presentations for specific
audiences.
=95 Proven ability to manage staff including recruitment, appraisal and
performance issues.
=95 Ability to work to contribute significantly to strategic planning
and to take forward agreed initiatives
=95 Leading creativity =96 fosters imagination, creativity and
experimentation, takes and promotes considered risks, celebrates
creative successes and learns from failure, shows openness to
alternative ways of doing things.
Competencies:
=95 Developing talent and diversity =96 coaches others to build on
strengths and improve on weakness, gives and listens to regular,
honest feedback, grows the BBC=92s new leaders, recruits and develops
talent from a diverse range of backgrounds, connects with people from
all parts of society.
=95 Managing performance =96 sets challenging team and individual
objectives and trusts people to get on with them, shares clear
expectations about required performance levels, rewards success and
addresses performance issues quickly and fairly, treats team members
with honesty, respect and compassion.
=95 Collaborating across boundaries =96 challenges systems, processes and
people that block collaboration, connects people, ideas, processes and
issues, sets an example by sharing resources, knowledge ideas and
skills across the organisation, builds helpful, productive
relationships across the organisation.
=95 Providing direction through change =96 is open to change and responds
flexibly to new challenges, shares and communicates the BBC=92s vision
with passion and clarity, articulates a compelling case for change,
provides momentum when driving change, involves others in building
plans for change
=95 Maximising business effectiveness =96 provides the best value by
sharing our resources across the BBC, looks for value for money for
licence payers, sets realistic budgets and manages them effectively,
considers the business implications of decisions, avoids waste and
challenges under use of resources.
=95 Using external thinking =96 builds bridges with useful organisations
and innovative thinkers, keeps up to date with developments in their
field, responds to the demands of our commercial environment, relishes
feedback and responds honestly to what our audiences and customers
have to say, whether likes it or not
November 2008
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