Program Officer at Paradigm Initiative

Paradigm Initiative is a social enterprise that builds an ICT-enabled support system and advocates digital rights in order to improve livelihoods for under-served youth. Our programs include digital inclusion programs – such as the Life Skills. ICT. Financial Readiness. Entrepreneurship (LIFE) training program and Techtiary program – and a digital rights program, Magoyi. Across our offices in Nigeria (Aba, Abuja, Ajegunle, Kano, Yaba), Malawi, Cameroon, and beyond, as part of a pan-African expansion plan, we work to connect under-served youth with improved livelihoods through our digital inclusion and digital rights programs.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Position: Program Officer (Election News Fact Checking Project)
Job Location: Lagos
Project Duration: 1st May, 2018 - 30th April, 2019.

Description

• As fake news online becomes a serious menace, there is a need for lovers of free speech to combat it before haters of free speech use it as an excuse to curtail citizens’ right to free speech online. To this end, Paradigm Initiative is collaborating with Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism to leverage Dubawa, a fact-checking platform, in debunking fake news and propaganda during the coming election season, thereby ensuring only factual news thrive online and citizens are able to make informed decisions.
• Paradigm Initiative, therefore, seeks a Program Officer to manage this crucial project. The Program Officer is responsible for managing partner relationships and overseeing project implementation in its entirety.

He/she will also:

• Manage the project’s narrative reporting, budgets and financial reporting
• Manage a team of volunteers that would work with her/him on the project
• Work closely with team members to identify and develop new strategic partnerships and activities..
• Regularly identify fake news with consequence for the 2019 elections and craft well-written, research-based articles to debunk them
• Use the tools of infographics, short videos, illustrations, etc, to advance the cause of the project
• Lead the advocacy efforts against fake news during the 2019 elections
• Work with traditional and online media outfits to identify fake news and leverage their platforms to neutralize the effect of such fake news
• Organise events with high profile politicians and policymakers in attendance to address election-related fake news and propaganda
• Represent Paradigm Initiative on television shows, conferences, events to discuss the project

Requirements

• You enjoy excellent journalism; consuming it and producing it
• You are concerned about the negative impact of fake news and are ready to do something about it
• You love advocacy and have experience running a successful advocacy project, or at least being an important part of it
• You can and do regularly write, with evidence of your writing on major media platforms
• You have experience in journalism
• You have a tested ability to engage in quality research, both desk and field
• You have a good nose for identifying plain or deodorised bullshit
• You have a keen eye for details
• You have experience in managing, developing or supporting programs
• You have experience developing and managing monitoring and evaluation efforts
• You have demonstrated interpersonal skills
• You have excellent communication skills: speaking, writing, and listening.
• You have an excellent handle on digital tools and social media usage

Note: Only shortlisted candidates would be contacted for the interview session. The selected qualified candidate will resume