Lie Detectors International Programme Director

Lie Detectors International Programme Director – apply by 28 November 2021  

About Lie Detectors 

Lie Detectors (https://lie-detectors.org) is an independent and award-winning news literacy organisation in Europe that addresses disinformation and its risks to democracy by empowering young people and their teachers to sort fact from fiction online and understand how professional journalism works. 

Our international teams use our training formats and logistical protocols to train and connect a pool of more than 200 journalist volunteers with a growing number of teachers and more than 1,000 classrooms per year. Since the pandemic we offer classroom workshops via video-conferencing and, where possible, in person. We are currently active in five countries (DE, BE, AT, LUX, CH) and three languages (EN, FR, DE) and are launching in new countries in 2022. Demand is intensifying among teachers and policymakers and our organisation is increasing its scale and reach. Our work regularly informs data and education policy deliberations at national and international level. 

To get to know us and our work better see coverage in the Financial Times, BBC, Spiegel Online, German broadcaster ZDF, the European Business Summit as well as our Covid-adapted work. 

Are you our ideal candidate? 

We are looking for an International Programme Director to oversee our country programmes’ operations, ensuring the consistent delivery of Lie Detectors sessions, helping diverse teams fulfil their goals and applying efficient problem-solving where needed. As our ideal candidate, you will relish working with project management disciplines such as DARCI, in a high-performing and logistics-focused setting. You will bring a structured approach to complex tasks and to the management of diverse remote teams. You thrive on creating efficiencies. You may have a critical eye for opportunities for development – for instance as we commission and test our journalist-led teacher-training work. You have a track record in managing highly motivated teams and helping them identify best practice and solve challenges.  

At Lie Detectors, you will be part of the senior management team alongside the Operations Director and Communications Director. You will report directly to the Executive Director. 

You will play a pivotal part in ensuring Lie Detectors’ consistent growth, efficiency and effectiveness, learning and evaluation. As you become increasingly familiar with our processes and grassroots work, you will help inform Lie Detectors’ communications and advocacy, both at European and at country level.  

 

Additional core responsibilities:  

  • Translating Lie Detectors’ strategic plans into short- and long-term goals at the level of country programmes 
  • Planning and managing cross-country projects from start to finish, as well as setting project management standards across country teams 
  • Ensuring adherence to logistical operating procedures 
  • Where relevant managing and mentoring our country leads to ensure effective and high-quality programme delivery to children and teachers 
  • Identifying, flagging and prioritising opportunities on a country and cross-country level  
  • Identifying best practice and encouraging its application across country programmes
    (e.g. ensuring top-quality training for our volunteer journalists) 
  • Managing evaluation of our training and materials 
  • Supervise and guide the creation of programmatic/country-level budgets as part of the organisation’s annual EUR 2 million budget 
  • Ensuring adherence to existing Standard Operating Procedures and drive the improvement of those processes & workflows to support the work across country programmes 
  • Supervise and help guide the creation of new partnerships to advance our work as well as helping country teams to establish national/regional partnerships in line with Lie Detectors priorities 
  • Supporting in the production of financial and other reports and proposals 

 

What we are looking for   

  • A dynamic leader with proven skills in managing and motivating diverse teams  
  • Highly-developed sense of judgment and strategic decision-making under pressure  
  • Proven ability to achieve set goals and meet deadlines through delegating and structured approach 
  • Strong know-how and experience in strategy development and strategy management 
  • Extensive experience in operational planning and project management combined with thorough understanding of project/programme management techniques and methods. Formal training on project management (Prince2 or similar) preferred 
  • Proven ability to embed systems and workflows and complete the transition from start-up to  systems and processes working at scale 
  • Solid knowledge of methods for impact and quality measurement and evaluation 
  • Outstanding motivational and communication skills and an ability to lead effective negotiations 
  • Some exposure to international media or educational landscapes preferred 
  • Awareness of and affinity for news literacy and digital rights policy is a plus 
  • Excellent oral and written English – fluency in French and/or German is preferred 
  • Ability and willingness to travel if needed 

 

What we offer 

  • A unique opportunity to advance and accelerate a award-winning organisation that works in partnership with journalists and educators to combat digital disinformation internationally 
  • An interesting and autonomous job with lots of opportunities to have an impact 
  • You’d be joining a well-meshed and brilliant team – we’re proud to say that a recent external health-check found our team to have remarkably high levels of trust, respect and motivation 
  • A full-time permanent position with an attractive salary 

 

Location

This position is based in Lie Detectors’ Brussels headquarters, where we work in a hybrid home/office work format, and includes travel to the other offices of Lie Detectors. We are open to applications from candidates based in other capitals such as London, the Hague or Berlin. 

 

Your application 

If this sounds like an exciting and suitable next challenge for you, send us your CV and a cover letter in English outlining how your past experience equips you for the role by COB Sunday 28 November to jobs@lie-detectors.org. Should you see this posting after this deadline, feel free to contact us to check whether applying still makes sense. 

Lie Detectors is committed to building an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and everyone is encouraged to apply. Lie Detectors is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, disability, national origin, age or any other status protected by applicable law. 

We are working with an external consultancy to fill this position. The consultant will have access to documents that you submit during the recruitment process and may contact individual candidates on behalf of Lie Detectors.