Position: Senior Project Manager
No. of requirements: 1
Division: BBC Media Action
Reports to: Country Director
Band: D
Location-based: Kathmandu with possible travel to field locations
Contract: 1 Year Fixed-term contract with potential scope of extension
Organisation structure: The Senior Project Manager will report to the Country Director.

Job responsibilities and accountability

Context

BBC Media Action uses media and communication to reach millions of people through creative communication and trusted media, helping people have their say, understand their rights, responsibilities, and take action to transform their own lives.​​​ We work across a range of thematic areas including health, governance and rights, resilience and humanitarian response and we partner with civil society, local media and governments to deliver our work. We have been working in Nepal since 2007 addressing a range of development issues including climate change adaptation, governance, health and humanitarian response.

 BBC Media Action Nepal is seeking potential applicants for the position of “Senior Project Manager”. The ideal candidate will be responsible for ensuring that ongoing projects deliver on time, on budget and to high quality. The Senior Project Manager will manage project staff, and coordinate with the research, finance and production teams. 

“The role may involve working with groups of vulnerable children 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.”

Job Purpose

The postholder will also be responsible for financial and narrative reporting internally and to donors. He or she will play a significant role in developing new business for the Nepal office, both extensions of existing projects and new projects in governance, or resilience, through developing ideas and partnerships, writing proposals and developing budgets. The role involves building and maintaining relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including donors, INGO and civil society partners, broadcast and other media partners. The post is based in Kathmandu and will require some travel within Nepal.

In anticipation of growth in our project portfolio over the coming months, we are seeking a proactive Senior Project Manager to ensure solid delivery of existing commitments, to lead the inception phase of new projects and to secure new business for the country office.

Main Duties

• Ensure that the BBC Media Action projects in Nepal are delivered on time, on budget, to high standards and according to donor commitments in consultation with the editorial team, the research team and finance.
• Support the creative development, editorial direction and production management of multimedia outputs, working closely with production staff to ensure they are produced in an integrated and coherent manner, ensuring high editorial and production standards and the most efficient use of resources.
• Ensure that the specific development objectives of the projects, as defined in project design and theory of change and informed by research findings, are fully reflected in the broadcast outputs.
• Develop and manage effective relationships with donors, stakeholders and partners, as well as with advisors and other staff in BBC Media Action headquarters and the wider BBC.
• Work alongside other members of the in-country senior management team to define and drive forward approaches in key, cross-cutting areas, including gender, youth and digital.
• Contribute to the development of new business for BBC Media Action in Nepal through building relationships with donors and other stakeholders, as well as developing and writing proposals.
• Develop, manage and forecast project budgets, and complete timely financial and narrative reporting for internal and donor use.
• Understand and comply with the Safeguarding policy and the staff Code of Conduct.
• Build capacity and support staff and partner development, working with the CD and other SMT members to deliver relevant training to staff, freelancers and partners.
• Factor security, safety, compliance and safeguarding issues into project design and include costs within budgets.

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Considerable experience (at developing and managing complex projects, ideally in the development sector).
• Considerable experience of working in the development or media sectors, preferably both.
• Demonstrable understanding and commitment to international development, including the use of media for developmental goals.
• Significant experience in the effective management of diverse teams, including personnel development and capability management.
• Strong financial management skills, including experience in managing large budgets and knowledge of the reporting requirements of funders.
• Proven ability to develop and secure new business, including the ability to develop new business ideas, and present these persuasively to potential partners and funders, and write successful proposals.
• Confident public speaker with experience of presentations to colleagues, donors and stakeholders.
• Excellent interpersonal, negotiating and diplomatic skills.
• Specialist experience working in one of BBC Media Action's key thematic areas: Resilience (particularly climate adaptation or disaster preparedness and economic development,) and Governance (particularly social and political inclusion, accountability or freedom of expression).
• Excellent verbal and written English skills.

Desirable Skills and Experience

• Knowledge of the media sector and a broad understanding of the traditional and new technologies in a broadcast and digital media environment including information disorder.
• Experience in managing a portfolio of multiple simultaneously complex projects.
• Experience working with research aimed at informing program action by building rigorous, high-quality evidence.