Deadline extended! Job opportunity at APC: Protecting freedom of information, expression and association online in Asia

Publisher: APC    

Join the APC Communications and Information Policy Programme (CIPP) to coordinate APC’s policy advocacy and capacity building and activities in the project “Networking for freedom online and offline: protecting freedom of information, expression and association on the internet in India, Malaysia and Pakistan”.

About the project: As its title illustrates, the overall goal of this initiative is to protect and promote respect for human rights on the internet, particularly the right to information, the right to freedom of expression, the right to freedom of association and the right to freedom of assembly, in three countries. It is being implemented with project partners – BytesForAll Pakistan (B4A), Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (PKKS EMPOWER), Malaysia, and Digital Empower Foundation (DEF) in India. The project coordinator will be responsible for overall project coordination working closely with these three organisations.

The specific objectives of the project are to:

  1. Build awareness and knowledge among the project’s target groups of internet freedoms as an enabler of human rights and democratisation.

  2. Provide human rights defenders (our primary target group) with knowledge, tools, networks and support to respond to internet related human rights violations and to communicate more safely and securely online and

  3. Leverage strategic linkages between national, regional and global advocacy for human rights on the internet through making use of opportunities presented by the Internet Governance Forum and the UN’s Human Rights Council, among others.

We expect the project will to lead to:

  • Improved recognition and protection of human rights on the internet by the public, civil society organisations, government, the judiciary and human rights bodies in the three countries.

  • Improved understanding, skills and strategies (including institutional policies) among human rights defenders and civil society organisations of how restrictions on freedom of expression and freedom of association on the internet operate.

  • Improved capacities among local rights groups in countries to advocate on issues of human rights and the internet over the longer term, including the formation and/or strengthening of multi-stakeholder networks to advocate for internet freedoms.

Main purpose of job: The project coordinator will be responsible for the coordination of the overall implementation of this new project building on APC’s ongoing work in the region. This includes all aspects of project oversight and coordination in capacity building, leading policy advocacy strategy, production of training materials, organisation of national consultations and participation in UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) processes, participation in regional and global processes, campaign and advocacy support to national teams, partnership management, supervision of project staff, budget management, report writing and monitoring and evaluation. The project coordinator will also contribute to strengthen the relationship between APC and its members in the region and be CIPP’s main liaison for our policy work.

Start date: 1 April 2014

Deadline for applications: 24 February 2014

Tasks and responsibilities: The project coordinator will report to the APC policy programme manager and be responsible for the following tasks and responsibilities:

  • Coordinate overall implementation of the project
  • Coordinate the project’s research outputs
  • Develop and coordinate APC’s regional rights advocacy strategies working closely with APC’s Human Rights specialist
  • Oversee production of training materials and implementation of training strategies and activities for national human rights institutions, human rights defenders and civil society organisations from target countries
  • Facilitate national consultations, regional capacity building and stakeholder participation in the second cycle of the Universal Periodic Review
  • Run and present workshops related to human rights on the internet at the regional and global Internet Governance Forum.
  • Develop online resource platforms and communication spaces for the project
  • Oversee production of media and communications outputs in collaboration with the APC communications and media team
  • Establish and maintain positive relationships with project partners, convene project meetings, and establish processes for project meetings and collaboration.
  • Represent the APC, work with members in the region and build strategic partnerships in the field within and outside the region. This may include frequent international travel to participate on specific events and meetings.
  • Supervise project staff (includes management and supervision of contracts with partners and sub-contractors)
  • Budget management
  • Establish an agreed monitoring and evaluation framework for the actions
  • Oversee project financial management, including financial and narrative reporting among project partners
  • Produce and submit reports and project outputs in line with the project reporting guidelines and timelines.

Background and experience (Revised 11 February):

  • An academic, research or advocacy background in ICT/internet policy in a human rights and/or development context OR in human rights in a development context

  • Knowledge of human rights mechanisms or processes (preferably but not essentially related to internet policy and regulation)

  • At least three years experience in project management including campaign coordination, reporting, and people and budget management

  • Enthusiasm for networking and be an inclusive network builder

  • Ability to plan and think strategically

  • Experience and background in civil society networking

  • Knowledge of and contacts with human rights organisations, human rights defenders, democracy activists and internet rights activists is an advantage

Other requirements:

  • Experience in working in Pakistan, India and/or Malaysia and/or the Asia region

  • Excellent English writing and oral communication skills, including public speaking experience

  • Good writing skills and experience in writing reports

  • Able to work in a team and under pressure

  • Able to work independently and to manage people mainly via online communications

  • Willing to travel frequently

  • Competent computer and internet skills and experience in working in an online environment

The following will provide candidates with further advantage:
Ability to communicate in Hindi, Urdu or Bahasa Malaysia is a distinct advantage

Remuneration and duration of contract:
This is a full time contract for an initial twelve-month period (renewable depending on performance and availability of funding). Remuneration is based on APC’s salary scale for the position for project coordinator
. Short-listed candidates will receive specific information on the salary range on request.

Location:
The incumbent must live and work in the region and must have excellent internet access. APC provides an equipment allowance but require staff to use their own computers. APC is a truly virtual organisation and does not have a physical headquarters. We do our work online. For this position we particularly encourage candidates from the global South.

How to apply:
Please send a CV and a covering letter in English that illustrates your interest in the position. You should include the following information:

  • Your experience with human rights and/or internet rights

  • Your ICT policy experience

  • Your experience in advocacy and capacity building

  • Your experience in networking and partnership building

  • Your experience in coordinating campaigns targeting diverse constituencies

  • Your experience in working in Pakistan, India and/or Malaysia and or the Asia region

  • Your experience or expectations around building the capacity of activists for whom sometimes the subject area will be relatively new

  • Your experience around building interaction between human rights actors and actors involved in the access and use of internet for social justice

  • Your background in project management and team coordination, specifically in an international and/or online context

  • Your computer skills

  • Where you live

  • Languages you speak and write

  • Other information you think might be of importance to our assessment of your application

  • Three references: names, relationship, contact details; at least one of these should be related to project or campaign that you have managed.

Please send this information via email with ‘Networking for freedom online and offline project coordinator’ in the subject line to: jobs@apc.org by 24 February 2014 0900 UTC. Please note only short-listed candidates will be contacted.



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