Country Manager - Georgia

Job Title: Country Manager - Georgia - Artemis Alliance (Countering and Tackling Gender Disinformation Project)

Location: Tbilisi, Georgia

Hours: Full time

Application deadline: 08 December 2023 (the role may be closed earlier if we find a suitable applicant)

ABOUT IWPR:

The Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR) is an international non-profit organisation founded in 1991, with charitable status in the US, UK and the Netherlands. We give voice to people at the frontlines of conflict, crisis and transition to help them drive change and build more stable, just and inclusive societies.

Drawing on three decades of experience in some of the world’s most challenging environments, we support media, civil society, democracy and governance, gender, and youth-focused projects in over 30 countries – promoting reliable information and responsible public debate and removing barriers to freedom of expression.

THE PROJECT:

Artemis Alliance (Countering and Tackling Gendered Disinformation)

In recent years, there has been a sharp increase in false and malicious narratives that deliberately target people based on their gender and other identities and seek to manipulate sensitive topics to divide and polarise communities. Women, the LGBTQIA+, and other marginalised communities bear the brunt of these narratives. A range of tactics are used, but the aims of those spreading lies and mistruths are always the same: to further their personal, geopolitical, and economic agendas, silence critics and opponents, interfere in and undermine democratic processes, and reverse steps towards equality. Unfortunately, well-worn techniques (e.g. the use of troll farms) are being supplemented by new technologies; for example, deepfake videos and images showing targets in manipulated, when not totally fabricated, sexualised scenarios.

The Artemis Alliance is a new network of civil society organisations, activists, journalists, investigators and researchers across Poland, Georgia, and Armenia. The Alliance – supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) – will work together to combat lies and mistruths and generate new knowledge about how and why disinformation narratives are being deployed to wear down targets and exacerbate social tensions in the three countries.

The Artemis Alliance members will receive technical and financial support via an expert consortium, including Zinc Network, the Institute for War & Peace Reporting, Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation and International Alert. The consortium will help them to realise new research and interventions in three areas:

• Pre-empting & Responding: Equipping members with the knowledge and tools needed to anticipate and counter information attacks swiftly and effectively.
• Exposing Malicious Actors & Tactics: By shedding light on those engaging in disinformation campaigns, the Artemis Alliance aims to dismantle their harmful influence and safeguard vulnerable communities.
• Encouraging Fact-Based Conversations: Supporting healthy, fact-based dialogues about sensitive topics within communities, promoting understanding and mitigating the harmful effects of false narratives

THE ROLE:

The Artemis Alliance Project seeks a Country Manager (CM) for Georgia. The CM will be the in-country lead for the Project, ensuring regular engagement with all stakeholders, including the donor, consortium partners, and coordinating and providing oversight of the activities of the consortium and local Civil Society (CSO) partners.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Manage, monitor and coordinate the grant funded work of local CSO partners;
• As the in-country Point of Contact (PoC) with the client, ensure proactive and responsive engagement;
• Draft Monthly Progress Reports on grant funded activities;
• Develop and maintain robust relationships with key project stakeholders in country – CSOs, academics, Think Tanks, independent media, tech companies;
• Collate and analyse performance monitoring data on CSO grant funded activities and ensure timely submission to the Project MREL manager;
• Review grant applications and support grantees deliver activities/pilots;
• Coordinate the Call for Proposal cycles (three per year);
• Identify issues and risks associated with project implementation in a timely manner;
• Facilitate close collaboration and teamwork, including mentorship and development of local partners and staff;
• Ensure all aspects of implementation are conflict and gender sensitive.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

Sharing our enthusiasm for measurable impact and data-driven insight, you are an experienced project manager and communicator who is passionate about issues related to women’s empowerment and promoting information integrity.  Naturally, you have a high degree of rigour and experience of working with local CSO actors, attention to detail and the soft skills to successfully manage and coordinate the activities of local CSO partners. You also have:

• Extensive networks among CSOs and other actors working to promote women’s empowerment in Georgia;
• Experience of mainstreaming gender and conflict sensitivity across all aspects of project delivery;
• Experience of donor project management processes, tools and reporting standards;
• Experience of grant funded activities and the level of management oversight required;
• Knowledge of the challenges and opportunities relating to women’s empowerment and an understanding of gendered disinformation and its impact on women’s participation in the public sphere;
• A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as international relations, organisational development, communications, media, political science, or digital media and communications. Master’s degree preferred;
• A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible work experience of working with local CSO actors, particularly those focused on women’s rights and/or focused on promoting the rights of minorities and other marginalised groups;
• Outstanding written and verbal communications skills in English, including report writing. Fluency in English.

TRAVEL: In Georgia and probably in other countries of project implementation.

Principals only. No calls please. Only those who have been considered for an interview will be contacted.

IWPR is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, veteran status or pregnancy and maternity.

IWPR will never ask for payment for recruitment.