[Now Closed] We’re Hiring: Grants Officer

London, Greater London (On-site)

£34,000 – £40,000 per year

Full-time

Permanent

About Media Defence

Media Defence is a charity that helps journalists defend their rights. We support independent media, journalists and bloggers who are under legal threat by making sure that lawyers are available to defend them. We engage in strategic litigation to improve the regulatory environment for media freedom, make grants to organisations in various countries to run media defence programmes, support individual journalists facing legal action by covering their lawyers’ fees, and build the capacity of the lawyers and organisations we work with on issues of media law. Media Defence was set up in 2008 and has established itself as a leader in the field.

Role Summary

The Grants Officer plays a key role at Media Defence, administering the grants that Media Defence makes to partner organisations, helping assess grant applications, and helping with communications via social media and through other channels.

As Grants Officer, you will also manage and administer Media Defence’s financial grants and non-financial support to journalists facing legal action and identify new potential grantees.

You will be flexible and creative, have exceptional communication skills and a good understanding of the realities faced by lawyers and journalists operating in various regions of the world, including under repressive regimes.

Main Responsibilities

Grants Management:

• Manage Media Defence’s grant support work.
• Manage Media Defence’s block grant and individual emergency defence grant application processes, including assessment of  applications and project proposals, proposal development, preparation of final recommendation for approval by Board and others.
• Manage grant award process, including contracting, setting of KPIs and reporting requirements
• Monitoring of awarded grants, including tracking developments in litigation, assessment of partner/grantee reports and grant compliance; financial oversight of grants and grant budgets; provision of additional support as may be required by grantees.
• Ensure smooth running of Media Defence’s grant making and administration of Media Defence’s grants database.
• Act as lead contact in relationships with grantees throughout the process.

Other:

• Undertake and support partner / grant assessment /evaluations and country mapping visits as may be required.
• Support the work of the Development cluster by providing material for news stories and accurate information for knowledge management.
• Assist Media Defence’s team members in ensuring data related to Media Defence’s block and individual grants is provided in a timely manner for use in grant/case reporting, communications material, funding applications and reports.
• Support the Finance and Operations Director with periodic review and update of grantee terms and conditions.
• Monitor the situation of press freedom with outreach to individuals and organisations where appropriate.
• Act as one of the primary conduits between Media Defence and networks of NGOs in the sector.
• Represent Media Defence at external events and meetings.
• Identify and carry out any other duties which fall within the scope, spirit and purpose of the post as requested.

Person Specification

Essential:

• Experience of working for a ‘not for profit’ and in a human rights environment.
• Strong proven project management skills and experience of delivering successful projects.
• Proven experience of grant making administration and the process of grant making.
• Ability to analyse and synthesise complex information quickly and effectively.
• Competent IT user including Microsoft Office Packages, internet and email.
• Ability to work creatively and flexibly in a small team, supporting other colleagues, and with a strong commitment to learning and improvement.
• Excellent written and spoken English, good editorial skills and the ability to communicate with diverse communities.
• Experience of working with, and relating to, a diverse range of people and a pleasant, diplomatic manner and disposition in interacting with colleagues at all levels, as well as with partners.
• Proven track record of an organised and methodical approach to work, combining numerical accuracy with attention to detail and ability to meet deadlines.
• Experience with databases.

Desirable

• • Good working knowledge (spoken and written) of Arabic, French, Russian or Spanish would be an advantage.
  • Experience working in the media law sector.
  • Legal training or experience of working hands on in a legal environment and the management of legal documentation.

Benefits

• Pension: Contributory pension scheme (employer matched contribution up to max. 8%).
• Annual leave: 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Week off for Christmas and New Year.
• Opportunity to carry over five days into the following annual leave year.
• Days’ start/finish time is flexible.
• Third Friday of the month off.
• On joining Media Defence, all employees are automatically able to access professional support through our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) provided by Health Assured Limited and through a digital health app, Peppy.
• We offer an enhanced maternity and paternity leave package.
• We provide a range of training and development tools to offer support our employees to improve or develop skills and knowledge for the benefit of both the individual and the organisation.

How to apply

To apply please send a cover letter and CV referencing ‘Grants Officer Application’ to recruitment@mediadefence.org.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and successful applicants will be invited for an interview.

Equality and diversity are fundamental to our mission. We are committed to the recruitment and retention of individuals from diverse backgrounds who reflect the diverse communities in which we operate.

Click here to view the full job description.