Central Asia Consultant- Greater Internet Freedom

SUMMARY

The Consultant(s) for Central Asia provide(s) technical and administrative assistance for GIF activities under the supervision of the GIF Program Manager. The Consultant is a full-time position and will be expected to perform tasks requiring specialization in digital safety and digital rights and prior experience in organizing and conducting trainings. Depending on the responses received, the GIF program many contract with more than one consultant to fulfill the duties and responsibilities listed below.

ABOUT THE POSITION

Internews is seeking an experienced digital safety technologist and an experienced digital rights and internet freedom advocate with a background in direct support to join Internews’ Global Internet Freedom (GIF) initiative to provide mentoring, training, and ongoing support for our beneficiaries in Central Asia. The Consultant(s) will lead the in-country implementation of GIF’s Central Asia activities, which focus on supporting local beneficiaries to proactively mitigate the impact of and advocate against the most pressing digital safety and digital rights issues in the region. The Consultant is also responsible for the day-to-day management and implementation of the program on the ground, making sure the project is on track with the workplan, coordinating with local beneficiaries, organizing timely completion of high-quality deliverables, drafting regular project and activity reports, reporting success stories, and collecting additional M&E data with the support of GIF’s MEL Specialist. The Consultant reports to the GIF Program Manager and will closely coordinate with GIF’s global team consisting of Digital Safety and Digital Rights Experts, a MEL Specialist, and the remainder of the program team.

This position will specifically support a global Internet Freedom initiative funded by USAID. Based on the belief that internet freedom benefits everyone, the global internet freedom consortium has launched a 3-year initiative to enhance digital safety for civil society and media organizations, and to engage citizens in internet governance debates, and advance human rights online. By supporting localized internet freedom initiatives within a global, community-based internet freedom strategy, the Consortium will construct strong local and regional bulwarks against a rising wave of digital authoritarianism. The effort will place regional and local organizations at the forefront of the fight to preserve an open, interoperable, reliable, and secure Internet.

LOGISTICS

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all Internews’ Headquarters offices are currently closed, and staff are working remotely until at least 1 July 2021. This is a remote-first position.

Wherever possible, we work to try to find solutions for international hiring that work for both the company and the candidate. This means that some of the particulars around the offer for a role will be dependent on several factors, and that the benefits and salary structure that apply to a position will ultimately be based upon the candidate’s location and where the role is hired. We will also consider remote applicants; however, you must have work authorization in your location that does not require sponsorship from Internews. Additionally, there are locations in which Internews is not able to remote work.

OUR COMMITMENT TO FOSTERING A CULTURE OF BELONGING

We are an organization of dynamic, mission-driven individuals who are passionate about our core values and about supporting positive change in the world. We pride ourselves on our commitment to innovation and flexibility. We believe that diverse teams are strong teams and work to support an ethic of belonging, dignity and justice for all people. Our current team includes a mix of genders, parents and non-parents, and people of multiple races, nationalities, ages, sexual orientations and socio-economic backgrounds. We are an EEO employer and encourage candidates of all races, genders, ages, orientations, ethnicities and national origins to apply, and welcome those with alternative backgrounds and experiences.

Scope of Work:
General

Conduct needs assessment covering different digital capacities in GIF’s Central Asian countries to develop support and training plans;

Conduct digital rights and digital safety activities as laid out in the GIF workplan for Central Asia;

Conduct research, develop advocacy strategies, and train beneficiaries in the region on digital rights issues;

Help in selection, procurement, and support of beneficiaries;

Carry out 1-to-1 or group trainings, either remotely via video, or in-person in Central Asia, and develop tutorials, guides and other sharable resources;

Help translate materials into the local language and/or adapt for the local context;

Assist in programmatic development and project support for future programs;

Link partners/beneficiaries with the GIF team for support on issues related to digital security and/or digital rights threats in the country;

Collaborating with GIF team on documentation of processes and in extending training materials.

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)

Lead monitoring, evaluation and learning in Central Asia, and adapt program activities as necessary in coordination with the GIF MEL Specialist;

Collection and analysis of M&E data from local partners and beneficiaries;

Conduct regular monitoring of project activities to ensure project objectives are being met;

Prepare complete activity reports to supervisor on all GIF Central Asia projects in execution;

Carry out research as assigned and in support of ongoing projects and new initiatives.

Project Administration

Lead in organization, facilitation, and implementation of work plan activities in Central Asia, including trainings and various virtual/in-person events;

Manage vetting, vendor codes, and stipends for participants attending in-person trainings;

Lead in identifying and onboarding additional trainers, as needed;

Ensure program implementation complies with funder requirements and Internews’ policies and procedures.

Communication and Coordination

Identify and communicate with potential beneficiaries about their needs and potential GIF activities;

Work with the GIF team to maintain good communications, timelines and reasonable expectations on service delivery;

Participate in stakeholder and international Internet Freedom meetings and forums as requested;

Develop relationships with prospective partners and beneficiaries, while maintaining existing relationships.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

Fluency in Russian and English.

Ability to travel to the Central Asia region upon request.

Excellent knowledge of and passion for Central Asia’s freedom of expression and internet freedom (including digital safety and digital rights) landscape.

Ability to explain technical concepts in plain language for individuals and groups with different levels of digital experience and understanding.

Able to provide support remotely, working with those who may have technical difficulties.

Experience with delivering technical support over internet chat, voice or video calls, or in creating documented how-to lessons and resources.

Understanding and experience with end-to-end encryption in communications and file transmission.

Experience with using digital security tools and practices.

Strong writing skills for research and project documentation.

Ability to work with colleagues in different time zones.

Strong attention to detail, problem-solving and analytical skills.

Superior communication and presentation skills.

Ability to work well with others, meet deadlines, and respond to changes in priorities.

Proven ability to operate effectively in a multicultural environment.

Preferred

Knowledge of additional Consortium languages, including languages and dialects within the Central Asia region.

Experience in organizational security assessments (SAFETAG or other frameworks).

Experience in supporting advocacy campaigns.

Experience or interest in working with charities and NGOs, nonprofits, media, human rights and/or civil society groups.

Familiarity with US Government rules and regulations.

Experience with event planning and/or arranging logistics for project implementation abroad.

Experience with online project management tools such as Airtable, Trello/MS Planner, Miroboard, etc.

Experience with communications platforms such as Slack or MS Teams.

Experience managing complex travel arrangements.