Job Openings at BBC World Service

Job Summary

• The BBC Media Action office in Nigeria is looking for a Senior Projects Manager to provide overall leadership of the management and delivery of our donor funded projects. Reporting to the Country Director, Nigeria, the Senior Projects Manager will be responsible for ensuring that our projectsare delivered on time, on budget and to high quality.
• The role requires a high degree of personal resilience and a flexible approach to implementing development projects in a challenging, resource-poor, multi-cultural context. The Nigeria office has a talented team of staff, and is a supportive and inspiring environment in which to work.

Overall Purpose of Job

• This exciting and influential role will be responsible for the overall management and delivery of a range of development projects which use the power of media to tackle issues ofgovernance, health and resilience.
• The Senior Project Manager will oversee a diverse, multidisciplinary team to ensure the agreed targets and objectives are met; and will ensure the quality and cohesion of project outputs. Maintaining relationships with donors and ensuring accurate and timely financial and narrative donor reporting will be a key part of the role, as will identifying further funding opportunities related to meeting development priorities in Nigeria and taking the lead on writing successful proposals.
• The Senior Projects Manager will be responsible for overseeing the overall delivery and budget management of projects, and for reporting on progress to the Country Director, partners and donors. Upon request of the Country Director, the Senior Project Manager will represent Media Action in country to key stakeholders and will ensure effective relationships and partnerships with a wide range of partners including broadcasters, NGOs, international development agencies and others.
• BBC Media Action works to ensure that everyone we work with remains safe during their time with us. The Senior Projects Manager will support the Country Director in ensuring that safeguarding is
• factored into project design and budgeting, staff and freelancers receive relevant safeguarding training, and relevant safeguarding due diligence is conducted with any local partner organisations that may be working with vulnerable adults or children as part of our projects.
• The role reports to the Country Director Nigeria and will work closely with other members of the Senior Management Team.

Main Duties

• Reporting to the Country Director, take responsibility for overseeing the planning and implementation of country projects and activities.
• Manage project budgets and ensure that the delivery of outputs is in accordance with budget and in line with BBC Media Action’s financial procedures and the funder’s operating guidelines.
• Manage a diverse project management team to ensure successful project implementation. Support team members to build their capacity and develop their skills.
• Ensure the design and implementation of project activities adhere to workplan and logframe commitments and remain in line with BBC editorial standards and values and BBC Media Action’s best practice. The Senior Projects Manager will support the development of media content insofar as ensuring it links to the project ‘theory of change’ and intended development outcomes.
• Lead in the development of relevant project management tools that support the effective design and implementation of project activities, to include but not limited to theory of change, logframe/results framework and workplans.
• Work collaboratively with other members of the Senior Management Team and staff in a leading role to develop/provide oversight to knowledge management processes that help to collect, organize, store and share BBC Media Action Nigeria’s information/knowledge assets in a manner that such can be readily available, accessible and effectively used for the benefit of the organization.
• Safeguarding responsibility for staff, volunteers, partners, and contributors. The role has responsibility for ensuring that all project activities comply with BBC Media Action and donor standards around safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults. The role requires detailed knowledge and expertise of safeguarding policy and best practice.
• Support the CD and other SMT members in the delivery of relevant safeguarding training to all staff, freelancers and (sub)contractors contracted directly by the office.
• Ensure that relevant safeguarding due diligence is conducted with any local partner organisations that may be working with vulnerable adults or children as part of the projects.  Where any risks are identified, ensure that projects are designed to mitigate these risks.
• Lead the reporting process, both internally to BBC Media Action and externally to partners, donor(s), and other interested parties.
• Work closely with the Research teamin the design and coordination of monitoring and evaluation activities and regular review/feedback sessions, and adjust project delivery as necessary based on research and feedback findings.
• Develop good working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders including donors, local broadcasters, relevant NGOs and CSOs, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Lead in the development of specific new business development activities, such as seeking opportunities through networking, leading the development and writing of new proposals, or working as part of a global team responding to international and sub-regional funding opportunities.
• Work with the other BBC Media Action staff in Nigeria and elsewhere to identify  training priorities linked to the needs of staff, including greater development of in-house capacity, and to ensure that training meets BBC Media Action’s high standards.
• Serve as a member of the Senior Management Team in Nigeria, with the ability to support the Country Director and deputise as Acting Country Director as needed.

Essential Skills and Experience

• Considerable experience developing and managing large-scale, donor-funded projects in a developing-country context, preferably in Africa.
• Proven ability to develop and secure new donor-funded international development projects, including ability to develop new business ideas and present these persuasively to potential partners and funders. Proven experience writing successful donor-funded proposals that incorporate project research and development, logframes, budgets, etc.
• Strong financial management skills, with proven experience managing complex medium to large budgets for donor-funded international development projects and knowledge of the reporting requirements of donors.
• Experience managing teams, preferably within a developing-country context, and developing and improving internal management systems and processes.
• Proven ability to forge strong working relations quickly and gain the trust of local partners and counterparts (such as other NGOs, donors, local media and other stakeholders).
• Confident public speaker with experience of presentations to colleagues, donors and stakeholders.
• Good judgment and decision-making skills, including the ability to adapt, react and respond to crises, and to evaluate risk.
• Experience working on own initiative and organising time effectively within a range of often conflicting deadlines and demands.
• Excellent written and spoken English.

Desirable Skills and Experience:

• Experience working in one or more of BBC Media Action’s key thematic areas in Nigeria: governance (particularlysocial/political inclusion and accountability), health (e.g. maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health including family planning, epidemic/pandemic response), childhood education, media ecosystems/media freedom, security and justice, and/or disability inclusion.
• Experience of working in both the media/communications and development sectors.
• Experience in managing a portfolio of multiple, simultaneous complex projects.
• Demonstrable editorial judgement skills and understanding of BBC editorial values, or demonstrable potential to acquire strong editorial skills in order to help make sensitive editorial judgements at a senior level.
• Knowledge of the Nigerian or West African development context.
• Experience mainstreaming disability inclusion into projects or managing projects focused on disability inclusion.

Key Competencies:

• Managing relationships and teamwork: able to build and maintain effective working relationships with a range of people. Works co-operatively with others to be part of a team, as opposed to working separately or competitively. Values individual's differences and demonstrates a commitment to knowledge sharing and informal learning, for the benefit of the team.
• Strategic thinking: Able to identify a vision and create plans for implementation of that vision to meet the end goal. Evaluates situations, decisions, and issues in the short, medium and long-term.
• Leadership: Ability to inspire others to realize an identified vision.
• Analytical Thinking: Able to simplify complex problems, processes or projects into component parts, explore and evaluate them systematically. Able to identify causal relationships, and construct frameworks for problem-solving and/or development.
• Change Management: Able to understand and anticipate the need for change and to build frameworks for planning and managing the continuous process of change.
• Planning and Organization: Able to think ahead in order to establish an efficient and appropriate course of action for self and others; planning of activities taking into account all the relevant issues and factors such as deadlines, staffing and resources requirements.
• Resilience: Can maintain personal effectiveness by managing own emotions in the face of pressure, setbacks or when dealing with provocative situations. Can demonstrate an approach to work that is characterized by commitment, motivation and energy.
• Decision Making: Able to take the initiative, originate action and be responsible for the consequences of the decision made.

Safeguarding Commitment:

• BBC Media Action has zero tolerance of all forms of abuse and exploitation of vulnerable people. All staff are required to undergo safeguarding training and maintain behaviour that is consistent with BBC Media Action’s code of conduct. The role involves managing staff who have direct contact with children and adults at risk of harm. 
• The role is based in a country where poverty, police corruption and criminal impunity may be significant risk factors. Informal contact with children and vulnerable adults is likely to be frequent, including when not at work.
• The successful candidate will need to undergo enhanced DBS and/or related background checks.

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Job Purpose

• The Production Coordinator provides logistical coordination to the production team on one or more productions and/or a portfolio of content.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

• Contributes to the scheduling and budgeting of the production/content in line with divisional requirements and relevant BBC frameworks, guidelines and policies.
• Responsible for assisting the Production Manager (or equivalent) in identifying and sourcing appropriate resource and location requirements for the production at the earliest possible stage.
• Ensures compliance with BBC policies, guidelines, legislative and regulatory requirements, in order to minimise the BBC’s exposure to risk.
• Responsible for ensuring all necessary rights are acquired and recorded for the complete delivery of the production/content, escalating any issues at the earliest stage.
• Ensures the production/content delivers demonstrable value for money through effective and efficient coordination of people and resources. This may involve supporting JPM/PM on liaising with external providers, and having delegated responsibility for cost decisions within their budgetary remit as agreed with PM.
• Applies specialist skills to productions, e.g. live gallery skills and script supervision, where appropriate.
• Responsible for preparing (or contributing to the preparation of), managing, setting and monitoring of production budgets (or elements of), and for forecasting and reporting, where required.
• May also assess the financial viability of content ideas that may arise during productions.
• Adhere to the processes for fully and accurately capturing and managing metadata in line with BBC guidelines and policies, and ensuring Archives have the necessary information to manage media assets.
• Supports in identifying the training needs of less experienced colleagues on the production.
• Maintains a safe and healthy working environment at all times, escalating any issues or areas of concern.
• Proactively looks for ways of improving efficiencies within a production environment, promotes diversity and advocates for new ways of working and/or for adopting new production related technologies.
• Supports other internal departments with the implementation of their strategies (e.g. HR, Workplace, Procurement, Finance, etc.)
• Responsible for liaising with and assisting the Production Manager and Asset Management teams about asset requirements and joiner, mover and leaver activities both in the office and on location.
• Providing administrative support to the production teams, as and when required, depending on team structures.
• Contributing to, and helping to implement, practical actions to reduce environmental impact throughout production.

Knowledge, Skills, Training and Experience
Essential:

• Demonstrates interest in the BBC and the wider industry.
• Demonstrable experience of carrying out a logistical coordinating role within a production team. Knowledge of delivering a range of/elements of productions on time and on budget and coordinating deliverables  for productions, where necessary having worked on location, with crews and production teams with a strong knowledge of how productions are managed.
• Good working knowledge of end-to-end multi-platform production with an understanding of the technology used on productions.
• Where required, has the ability to use specialist skills for certain types of output (e.g. live gallery skills, script supervision).
• Able to use and advise on production systems and can adopt new technologies.
• Interpersonal  and communication skills sufficient to establish and maintain effective relations with a wide range of contacts.
• Demonstrates strong organisational and planning skills and manages conflicting demands to meet deadlines.
• Ability to use own initiative with assurance using  judgment  to escalate where necessary.
• Able to consider and propose new ways of working to improve existing processes.
• Experience of influencing and motivating others to reach desired outcomes.
• Necessary business and finance skills to prepare, manage, set and/or monitor specific production resource plans and budgets and buying/booking resources.

Job Impact
Decision Making:

• Post holder has delegated decision-making authority (from the Production Manager or equivalent) regarding the smooth day-to-day running of their production, working within
• BBC guidelines and frameworks.

Scope:

• Post holder reports to a Production Manager (or equivalent) and is responsible for the coordination of a production.
• May also take on some level of responsibility in running a production where appropriate.
• Expected to build and maintain a wide range of internal contacts from across the BBC.
• Typical external relationships will be with resource providers, contributors, artists and their agents, freelancers and public officials (e.g. local authorities).