Local Media Experts

Description:

NORC at the University of Chicago seeks several local media experts based in South Asia, Eastern Europe/Central Asia, or the Middle East for a proposed evaluation of media programs implemented in multiple regions and countries. Candidates should have experience in projects that contribute to improving technical and operational capacities of media institutions and strengthening the professionalism and accuracy of journalism from professional journalists, citizen journalists, and other media actors. Candidates should also have a demonstrated ability to evaluate foreign assistance projects addressing democracy and human rights issues; experience in restrictive settings and with marginalized populations is preferred. Candidates should offer language capabilities in Arabic, Urdu, or Russian, as appropriate to region, in addition to English

Role of Local Media Experts

The Local Media Experts will work with a team of US-based evaluators to conduct an evaluation of a portfolio of media sector programs implemented in multiple countries. We anticipate that the evaluation will include in-depth case studies in countries where multiple projects have been implemented. Each Local Media Expert will be involved with the data collection process in one of the following regions: South Asia, Eastern Europe/Central Asia, or the Middle East. They may be called upon to arrange meetings and site visits, translate communications, assist with data collection and analysis, and conduct follow-up work as needed. The evaluation will rely mainly on qualitative methods (interviews and possibly focus groups), along with an extensive document review and an online survey. Local Media Experts must be based in the target regions and have deep knowledge of the countries and culture, the civil society community, and foreign assistance in their region.

Local Media Expert Responsibilities

• Contribute to country-level evaluations of media sector programs using appropriate approaches and methodologies. Local Media Experts may also be called upon to contribute to the overall or regional design of the evaluation and data collection efforts.
• Lead collection of relevant documents and publications from implementing partners
• Conduct interviews (and possibly focus groups) with implementing partners and program participants
• Coordinate logistics for external team members, including identifying relevant subjects for interviews and setting up meetings
• Contribute to evaluation report as needed

Local Media Expert Qualifications

• Bachelors’ degree or higher in relevant field
• Proven subject-matter expertise (demonstrated through research or implementation experience) on issues related to media capacity building in at least one target region
• Experience designing or leading assessments, evaluations, or other studies is desirable
• Strong written and spoken English is required
• Fluency in Arabic, Urdu, or Russian is required, as appropriate to region
• Local Media Experts must be based in the target regions for this evaluation