Program Officer, Knowledge & Learning

ABOUT THE IMPACT DEPARTMENT

The Impact Department at Internews sits within the Technical Leadership Unit (TLU) and comprises three interdependent teams: Knowledge & Learning, Research, and Monitoring & Evaluation. Together they support Internews to achieve its goal of being the most effective and impactful organization in the media support sector.

They do this by developing robust theories of change at program, portfolio and global level; gathering, analyzing and reporting performance data; producing research and insight about the fast-moving information ecosystems in which we work; elevating the needs of the partners we support to aid program design, support thought leadership and influence policy; running evaluations which measure the effectiveness and impact of our work; and creating processes, products and platforms to support internal learning and drive engagement amongst staff, partners, and external stakeholders. We work across the spectrum, placing a high value on day-to-day experiential learning as well as robust research produced with academic partners.

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

The Officer, Knowledge & Learning is a key position in the Impact & Learning team with ample room for growth and professional development as you master our three key knowledge and learning platforms, develop and curate content and facilitate internal discussions and events across the organization. You will get broad exposure to our programming across different regions and technical areas — working to surface and elevate knowledge from around the organization and cross-fertilizing internal expertise to support development of guidance and methodologies which can be of benefit to wider Internews projects. The ideal candidate is passionate about learning, fastidious about organizing information, incredibly collaborative and ready for the next career challenge. The Officer will also support the Director of Knowledge and Learning to ensure that the company intranet (the HIVE) serves as a sound, user-friendly platform for knowledge retention and running key knowledge management functions to ensure knowledge and expertise are shared throughout the organization.

LOGISTICS

Internews has US offices in Arcata, CA and Washington, DC which support a hybrid workforce with staff working remotely, fully in-office or partially remote. This is a remote-based role, and candidates based anywhere in the US or UK will be considered. You must have independent work authorization in your location that does not require sponsorship from Internews.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so candidates are encouraged to apply soon. The preference is to fill this position as an internal hire within Internews.

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 socioeconomic 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.

DAY-TO-DAY TASKS

Day-to-day tasks will be undertaken under the supervision of the Director of Knowledge and Learning.

Knowledge Exchange

• Manage the Knowledge Series, a vibrant online webinar space featuring partners and thematic topics of interest to Internews and its mission, and iterate as needed and based on feedback.
• Organize the Internews Film Club (IFC) screenings and post-screening discussions in partnership with the Director of FilmAid.
• Provide facilitation for After-Action Reviews as requested and compile learnings from these review sessions.
• Provide inputs to quarterly internal Knowledge & Learning newsletters.

Intranet & Information Architecture

• Support the HIVE, Internews’ intranet, including creation, support and display of a variety of content.
• Coordinate a team of core HIVE admins and content administrators from across Internews offices and departments, ensuring they are updating content regularly.
• Work closely with the Technology Solutions team, including the HIVE Manager and Business Operations Librarian, as well as consultants, who provide the technical SharePoint support.
• Together with the Director of Knowledge & Learning, ensure taxonomies and naming conventions are consistent and following HIVE guidelines.
• Support periodic reviews of the HIVE and other knowledge management systems’ use, employing human-centered design techniques to ensure the needs of our project staff are met by our systems.
• Support the Knowledge Center on the HIVE including adding new expertise pages and methodologies, by proactively engaging with colleagues across the organization, and suggesting changes/updates to stay innovative.
• Oversee and reply to the knowledge desk ticket system, answering questions and finding resources for program teams.
• Maintain a high quality of visual design and usability for any tool or product intended to be used by Internews staff.
• Employ user-centered design strategies to accomplish the above and ensure that all solutions are designed for the end user.
• Support the delivery of regularly scheduled webinars to help staff navigate and contribute to the Knowledge Center on the HIVE.
• In all duties, demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to upholding Internews’ Core Values.

Knowledge Product Creation

• Guided by our “Pathway to Knowledge Product” process, provide guidance and support to program teams in the development of new learning products, such as methodologies, toolkits and curriculums, with the relevant technical experts within or outside Internews; lead on development of such tools as requested.
• Innovate and pilot new approaches to internal knowledge sharing and learning in collaboration with other TLU colleagues and Internews staff.
• Monitor the usage of knowledge products to determine when strategies should be adjusted for improved uptake.
• Conduct research on new thematic areas and ideas, including creating positioning papers, sourcing talent and driving both internal and external discussion and learning.
• Support proposal development on areas related to knowledge and learning.
• Create communications materials for projects as needed, such as two-pagers, presentation decks, positioning papers, etc.

QUALIFICATIONS WE’RE LOOKING FOR

• Relevant University degree or equivalent experience required
• 2-3 years of development project experience.
• Highly organized project manager with the ability to prioritize competing demands, meet deadlines, and manage and motivate team members to do the same.
• Demonstrated excellence in professional written and verbal communication skills and understanding of how to tailor one’s message for different audiences; additional languages preferred
• Experience organizing and facilitating learning events, such as webinars, surveys, internal focus groups, etc.
• Superior analytical, organizational, editing and writing skills
• Proven ability to multi-task and prioritize a shifting workload
• Proven ability to operate effectively in a multicultural environment

Preferred

Note: Candidates who do not have these preferred qualifications, but are interested and willing to learn, are encouraged to apply.

• SharePoint Administration experience a plus.
• Experience building and maintaining taxonomies and file/data collection processes a plus.
• Experience in Web design; skills in layout and design
• Experience with Adobe InDesign and other desktop publishing a plus
• Familiarity with Office 365 tools, including Outlook, Teams and Yammer
• Experience with proposal writing