Senior Project Manager (Sierra Leone)

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Senior Project Manager (Sierra Leone) Administrative Services

Fixed Term - Full Time

GB

BBC Media Action

Job Closing Date: 25/05/2025

THE ROLE Job Reference:23589
Band: D
Contract type: 6 Month Attachment with potential for extension
Location: The role will be based in the BBC Media Action country office inSierra Leone.

This role may involve working with groups of vulnerable children, youth, and adults. For the successful candidate, mandatory training will be provided on BBC Media Action's safeguarding policy and staff code of conduct. BBC Media Action operates a zero-tolerance policy concerning all forms of abuse and exploitation of vulnerable people. A police background check may form part of the recruitment process.

Freelancers are eligible to apply for an internal role if they are on a Worker Contract and they have worked continuously for 6 months. If they have worked for less than 6 months continuously or have a break of 3 weeks or more between engagements, they must seek Divisional HR approval to apply for an internal role prior to submitting an application.

If they are unsure which contract they are on, they can speak to their booker or the HR BP, however if it helps - both a PAYE freelance or Modus Gross contract is considered a Worker contract and covered by the Worker terms found here.

About BBC Media Action BBC Media Action is the BBC's international development organisation, and we believe in the power of media and communication for good. We work in more than 20 countries around the world, supporting the independent media essential to democracy and development.

BBC Media Action delivers a portfolio of projects in Sierra Leone, working with our extensive network of partners to produce programmes and other content, deliver training, and conduct research. We seek to expand this portfolio of work, but also to ensure that existing projects are delivered on time, on budget, to the highest standards and in accordance with BBC editorial values as well as Media Action methodologies.

Job Introduction
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. The Senior Project Manager will oversee a team to meet agreed project targets and objectives, and to 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 helping identify further funding opportunities related to meeting development priorities in Sierra Leone and helping write successful proposals.

BBC Media Action works to ensure that everyone we work with remains safe during their time with us. The Senior Project 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.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities • 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 the project management team and lead others 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 Project 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.
• 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 collaboratively with other members of the Senior Management Team (SMT) and staff in a leading role to develop/provide oversight to knowledge management processes that help to collect, organize, store and share 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 team in 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.
• Work with the other BBC Media Action staff 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, with the ability to support the Country Director and deputise as Acting Country Director as needed.

Knowledge, Skills, Training & Experience • Considerable experience developing and managing large-scale, donor-funded projects, preferably in a developing-country context.
• Proven ability to help develop and secure new donor-funded international development projects, including the 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 impact areas-stronger democracies (governance) climate and environment and inclusive societies (rights).
• Experience of working in both the media/communications and development sectors.
• Experience in managing a portfolio of multiple, simultaneous 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.
• Experience mainstreaming disability inclusion into projects or managing projects focused on disability inclusion.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Leadership: Ability to inspire others to realize an identified vision.
4. Analytical Thinking: Able to simplify complex problems, processes or projects into component parts . click apply for full job details