IRIN is recruiting a seasoned interim executive to accelerate progress towards its spin-off from UN entity to independent media organization.
IRIN is the world’s first international humanitarian news service, founded nearly 20 years ago by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in response to the gap in humanitarian reporting exposed by the Rwandan genocide and its aftermath. What started as daily faxes to aid workers has turned into an award-winning humanitarian news and analysis service that delivers reporting from the frontlines of crises, reaching at least two million people annually.
IRIN is preparing to relaunch as an independent media NGO in 2015. The new entity will analyze crises for public good, with a business orientation to ensure a financially sustainable niche news operation. An independent feasibility study completed this past January concluded that IRIN is “valuable, viable and fundable” outside the UN. We have a proven cause, an esteemed team of investigative multimedia journalists specializing in the global south and crises, as well as a widely recognized and respected brand. Over the last two decades, the scale and complexity of conflicts and disasters have grown while mainstream media coverage of international news has declined: Our work has never been more important.
- Contract period: As soon as possible until 31 December 2014. Continued employment beyond 31 December will depend on success of the start-up, performance and board approval.
- Remuneration: The initial appointment will be at the UN P5 consultancy rate (depending on qualifications/ experience). All work-related travel is covered.
- Location: Flexible with up to 30% travel required.
- Deadline for application: June 12, 2014
Who we seek
An interim executive who can help us deliver an improved IRIN to an audience that includes up to 280,000 unique website visitors per month and 60,000 email subscribers in more than 190 countries. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of a highly regarded humanitarian service, and help a respected brand take on a more cutting edge, innovative place in the media marketplace.
The successful candidate will have international managerial experience, preferably in the humanitarian and/or media industries. This manager will have experience managing private, public or non-profit ventures, and will have headed business transformation processes (“change management”) with measurable, successful results. Ideally, the chosen candidate will have experience restructuring/re-launching companies.
Roles and responsibilities
- Implement recommendations from a recent external feasibility study, which requires changing IRIN’s long-time business model
- Advise on new staff composition for new organizational structure
- Form/manage key partnerships, evaluate M&A opportunities
- Introduce technological changes and “organizational mind shift” towards a focus on presentation and outreach, not just editorial content
- With support from a fundraising consultant, diversify funding base (currently exclusively bilateral government contributions through the UN); spearhead revenue generation planning; design creative income streams
- Communicate change with diverse set of stakeholders, including nearly 35 employees and a high-level advisory group
- Raise IRIN’s profile; serve as primary spokesperson and ambassador when prospecting philanthropic and private funds
- Establish high-level partnerships
- Oversee general organization transformation management, including board development, legal incorporation, and staff restructuring
Qualifications
- 12+ years of international managerial experience, or 10+ years if the candidate has an advanced university degree in business, media or non-profit management/administration
- Maintenance of an active network of high level contacts and/or strong interpersonal working relationships with persons of influence (government, corporate, foundation and philanthropists, media investors)
- Experience in attracting large funding for organizations
- Written and verbal fluency in English
Preferred skills
- Business/non-profit start-up or transformation experience, including board development and revenue generation
- Demonstrated understanding of international humanitarian and/or media industries, as well as the global south and emerging markets
- High-level proficiency in one or more other UN working languages (Arabic, French, Spanish, Mandarin)
Competencies
- Demonstrated ability to inspire, influence and motivate others; build collaboration and cooperation within and across teams and guide delivery under pressure
- Ability to work remotely as part of a multinational team dispersed across three continents
- Excellent facilitation and communication skills in English
- Aptitude in multi-tasking, setting priorities and delegating
Working arrangements
The interim executive will report to IRIN’s officer-in-charge. (S)he will be supported by a short-term branding consultancy, a business development/fundraising consultant, two IRIN full-time staff members and an assistant. In addition, there is extensive documentation, research and findings from months of outreach, stakeholder consultations and donor mapping.
Who we are
Our expert reporters highlight neglected crises in more than 70 countries, giving a voice to the most vulnerable, influencing policy-makers and critically examining what has now become an $18-billion-a-year aid industry.
According to a 2008 survey by the global marketing research company ACNielsen, IRIN is the premier online humanitarian news source for people who describe themselves as having a "strong impact on humanitarian issues". The survey found that when it comes to keeping abreast of humanitarian news and issues, IRIN was preferred to its closest rival, BBC Online, by a ratio of 4 to 1.
IRIN’s work is regularly cited and reproduced in academic journals and local and international media outlets, from the BBC to the Lancet. Some 5,000 websites link to ours.
Our products
Our senior editors, backed by more than 70 freelance correspondents, deliver daily humanitarian news and reportage in English, French and Arabic through a website, a free email subscription service and media syndication. In 2013, our five bureaus (East Africa, West Africa, Southern Africa, Middle East and Asia) published nearly 1,500 news articles and analyses, produced nine in-depth multimedia specials, and uploaded nearly 1,300 photos, some which contributed to a 4,000-strong high-quality photo gallery, all available at no cost to the public.
How to apply:
For more details and/or to apply, please send the following to phuong@irinnews.org
- Cover letter that briefly addresses how you fit our specific criteria, and how you can successfully guide IRIN through this transition. We will not consider applications that do not directly address these questions.
- CV/PHP
- Three examples of similar projects (a few lines’ description on each undertaking and project duration) and three references total.
