Senior Media Advisor

International Republican Institute • Washington, DC

5d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Media Advisor serves as Key Personnel on a global project and provides specialized strategic and technical advisory services across all program objectives. The global project will strengthen the resilience of independent media outlets to foreign state propaganda and coercive influence by expanding access to credible content, building the business sustainability of independent outlets, and delivering targeted technical assistance and training across multiple regions and languages. The Senior Media Advisor provides subject matter expertise on media resilience, editorial independence, content distribution, and media sustainability to help ensure that program interventions align with project objectives and respond to evolving media ecosystem needs. In this capacity, the Senior Media Advisor advises on program design and implementation across all objectives; develops recommendations for independent content partnerships and wire service relationships; provides technical guidance on a media resilience portal and associated content delivery system; supports media outlet recruitment and engagement strategies; and advises on technical assistance related to business sustainability, revenue diversification, monitoring, learning, and adaptive management. The Senior Media Advisor also provides technical input to IRI’s coordination with the donor, project partners, content providers, consultants, and participating media organizations, and represents the technical quality of the program to donors, partners, and the broader media development community. This position is located in Washington, DC. The Senior Media Advisor is expected to work in-office at least three days per week. This position is contingent upon award of funding.

Requirements

• Undergraduate degree in journalism, communications, media studies, international relations, political science, or a related field.
• Minimum ten years of relevant professional experience in independent media, journalism, or international media development, including significant experience in a senior advisory, editorial leadership, or technical leadership role.
• Demonstrated expertise in media resilience, editorial independence, content distribution, and media business sustainability, with a track record of advising independent media outlets or media support organizations.
• Substantive knowledge of foreign state propaganda, information manipulation, and coercive influence directed at independent media, and of practical countermeasures available to media outlets.
• Experience with content syndication, wire services, or content-sharing partnerships, including familiarity with licensing, attribution, and editorial standards.
• Working knowledge of digital content delivery platforms and media technology, sufficient to provide informed technical guidance on platform design, functionality, and user experience.
• Demonstrated experience advising on media business models, revenue diversification, and audience development.
• Familiarity with monitoring, evaluation, and learning practices and with adaptive management of international development programs.
• Proven knowledge of U.S. Government donor requirements, regulations, and reporting for international programs.
• Strong written and oral communications and presentation skills in English, as demonstrated by prior publications, trainings, or participation in relevant panels and conferences.
• Strong ability to initiate, foster, and maintain relationships with contacts and stakeholders in a diverse and multicultural environment, with sensitivity, respect, discretion, tact, and professionalism.
• Experience identifying complex problems and developing creative solutions; ability to exercise sound judgment on sensitive editorial, security, and partner matters.
• Ability to work independently and as a member of a team to coordinate and lead the efforts of other professionals to effectively meet Institutional needs.
• Ability to work well under pressure and adapt to shifting priorities across multiple time zones.
• Experienced user of Microsoft Office.
• Experience living, working, or traveling internationally; willingness to travel internationally, including to remote and sometimes challenging environments.

Nice To Haves

• Graduate degree preferred.
• Familiarity with the appropriate use and limitations of AI-assisted tools in editorial and platform contexts preferred.
• Proficiency in an additional language relevant to the program’s target regions preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and technical advisory services across all global objectives, advising the project team on program design, implementation approaches, sequencing of activities, and course corrections over the life of the program.
• Serve as the program’s principal subject matter expert on media resilience, editorial independence, content distribution, and media business sustainability, ensuring technical soundness and appropriateness to each media market served.
• Advise on the development and refinement of program tools, methodologies, curricula, and technical assistance packages, ensuring they reflect current evidence and good practice in independent media development.
• Assess evolving threats to independent media, including foreign state propaganda, information manipulation, and coercive influence, and recommend adjustments to program interventions in response.
• Provide technical review of program deliverables, including work plans, assessments, training materials, and donor reports, to ensure alignment with project objectives and donor expectations.
• Develop recommendations for independent content partnerships, including identification, vetting, and prioritization of prospective content providers and syndication partners.
• Advise on the structure, terms, and technical parameters of wire service relationships and other content-sharing arrangements, including licensing considerations, attribution standards, editorial safeguards, and language coverage.
• Advise on editorial standards, verification practices, and content quality criteria applied to material made available to participating media outlets.
• Recommend approaches to content localization, translation, and adaptation that preserve editorial integrity while meeting the needs of outlets across regions and languages.
• Provide technical guidance on the design, functionality, and continued development of a media resilience portal and its associated content delivery system, from the perspective of end-user media outlets.
• Advise on platform features, user workflows, content tagging and search, access controls, and reporting functions to ensure the Portal is usable, secure, and responsive to the operational realities of independent outlets.
• Advise on the appropriate use, oversight, and limitations of automated and AI-assisted platform processes, including criteria applied to automated determinations and the standards governing human review of disputed or questionable determinations.
• Coordinate with technical service providers and developers to translate media-sector requirements into platform specifications and to review proposed changes prior to deployment.
• Support the development of media outlet recruitment, vetting, and engagement strategies, including eligibility criteria, outreach approaches, and prioritization across target regions and languages.
• Advise on onboarding approaches and engagement pathways that drive meaningful uptake of program resources and services by participating outlets.
• Draw on sector relationships and networks to identify prospective participating outlets, partners, trainers, and consultants, and to build the program’s credibility within the independent media community.
• Advise on the design and delivery of technical assistance related to media business sustainability, including revenue diversification, audience development, digital monetization, cost management, and organizational resilience.
• Recommend approaches for tailoring technical assistance to outlets of differing size, market conditions, operating environments, and levels of organizational maturity.
• Provide technical guidance on the selection, scoping, and oversight of consultants, trainers, and service providers delivering technical assistance under the program.
• Advise on the program’s monitoring, evaluation, and learning framework, including indicators, data collection approaches, and learning questions relevant to media resilience and sustainability.
• Support adaptive management by interpreting monitoring data, participant feedback, and ecosystem developments, and recommending adjustments to program approaches and resource allocation.
• Contribute to learning products, technical briefs, and program documentation that capture results and good practice for donors, partners, and the wider field.
• Provide technical input to IRI’s coordination with the donor and partners, including participation in donor meetings, technical consultations, and reviews as requested.
• Coordinate technically with project partners, content providers, consultants, and participating media organizations to ensure coherent, non-duplicative delivery across program components.
• Represent IRI and the global project in relevant conferences, working groups, and convenings within the media development and counter-propaganda communities.
• Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with colleagues across IRI, including Regional Divisions and technical practices, and share expertise, tools, and resources Institute-wide.
• Contribute to business development efforts as appropriate, including technical input to concept notes and proposals related to independent media and information integrity.
• Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Significant coverage of health, dental, and vision insurance costs.
• Meaningful assistance programs through an Employee Assistance Plan (EAP) and Rula (access to mental health experts).
• Retirement plan with generous employer contribution (vested after 12 months).
• Company-paid holidays, parental leave, generous vacation, sick, and personal leave days.
• Dependent Care FSA
• Annual allowance for professional development courses and seminars along with access to world-class e-learning via eCornell.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior