Job Title: Journalist Assistance Manager
Department: Emergencies
Office Location: New York or Remote for outside the tri-state area
Reports to Title: Journalist Assistance Program Coordinator
Job Band: Management I
FLSA Status: Exempt
Union Represented: Yes
How to Apply:
Please submit a cover letter, resume, and three professional references.
Application Deadline:
July 26, 2024
Organization Overview:
Founded in 1981, the Committee to Protect Journalists (“CPJ”) is an independent, non-profit organization defending journalists worldwide without regard to their political ideology. Through its work to safeguard journalists, CPJ protects the rights of all people to have access to diverse and independent sources of information. For nearly four decades, CPJ has helped win the early release of imprisoned journalists, secure convictions in journalist murders, and enable positive legal reform in countries where the climate for free expression has deteriorated. Learn more about CPJ’s fight to defend freedom of the press here: http://cpj.org/
At CPJ, we are dedicated to upholding values of equity and free expression in both our internal operations and external endeavors. As an organization headquartered in the United States, we aspire to build a diverse workplace and foster an inclusive and welcoming environment. As an international organization, we strive for our people to be representative of the global community on which we report and to equip them with the opportunities and resources they need to learn and succeed.
Job Summary:
CPJ’s Journalist Assistance Manager plays a key role in the functioning of CPJ’s Emergencies Team and the organization’s overall approach to assisting journalists worldwide.
Managed by the Journalist Assistance Program Coordinator, the Journalist Assistance Manager will serve as the team’s point of contact for CPJ’s Regional Programs and will steer and guide regional individual casework for the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions. The Journalist Assistance Manager will also play a vital role in the organization’s ability to respond to emerging trends in journalist safety globally.
If the successful candidate is based in the U.S., this position will be part of a collective bargaining unit represented by the Writers Guild of America, East.
Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities:
Steering financial assistance casework for the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) program regions. This work includes:
- Coordinate and monitor discussions with CPJ’s regional programs to track cases of journalists at risk and coordinate CPJ’s response.
- Verifying requests’ eligibility; checking documentation; and managing case prioritization with the oversight of the Journalist Assistance Program Coordinator.
- Guiding CPJ’s Regional Programs on the most appropriate steps from a protection and assistance angle; providing input where appropriate on emergency responses to cases; sharing information on additional protection and assistance options.
- Drafting and shepherding to completion of emergency financial grant requests for approval by the Emergencies Director or Deputy Director.
- Supporting the grant delivery process.
- Communicating when necessary with journalists requesting assistance, language permitting.
Reporting on CPJ’s assistance activities. This includes:
- Compiling statistics and co-writing internal reports, analyses, or key takeaways on the Emergencies Team’s support to journalists.
- Supporting the operations and knowledge management for the Emergencies Department by working with program teams to improve record-keeping and the sharing and handling of assistance data.
Coordinating with partners in the journalist assistance field and strengthening contacts with other relevant protection stakeholders:
- Active participation and representation in the Journalists in Distress (JiD) Network;
- Supporting relationship-building efforts by acting as a focal point between CPJ and external organizations for information sharing on assistance-related aspects of journalist cases.
- Mapping and expanding CPJ’s contacts among relevant local organizations in priority countries, as well as those able to enhance or complement CPJ’s emergency response efforts (mainly in the fields of exile, immigration, humanitarian response, and psychosocial support).
- Representing CPJ’s Emergencies team in assistance-focused meetings and events.
Tracking emerging assistance needs among journalists in distress/ at risk, identifying appropriate protection opportunities, and building relevant assistance resources:
- Contributing to CPJ’s broader understanding of developing safety challenges facing journalists. Compile memos and analyses when necessary.
- Tracking and sharing opportunities for journalists at risk in need of relocation.
- Playing an active role in helping to frame the public-facing information around CPJ’s assistance work.
- Supporting the development and strengthening of knowledge management and M&E efforts related to the department’s assistance work.
Propose and Implement assistance projects in the ECA and MENA regions:
- Compiling project narratives and budgets to submit for the approval of the Emergencies Director.
- Reviewing partners’ financial reports and evaluation documents; reporting on initiatives.
- Performing all other duties as assigned.
Education/Qualifications & Work Experience:
- 5+ years working in journalist assistance, humanitarian intervention, and human rights/protection casework.
- Experience analyzing complex information in the context of grant-making.
- International experience and expertise in East Central Asia and/or Middle East and North Africa region.
- Strong writing skills in English.
- Strong attention to detail, highly organized.
- Comfortable operating under time constraints and under pressure.
- Written and oral fluency in at least one Arabic or Eastern Central Asia language in addition to English is preferred.
Additional Qualifications, Characteristics, and Competencies Include:
- An excellent communicator.
- Comfortable working with Google Suite and Salesforce. Creative approach to capturing or visualizing data in new and engaging ways.
- Excellent judgment, with a keen understanding that discretion and confidentiality are an essential part of the work.
- Possessing the ability to handle sensitive and challenging material.
- Ability to maintain high standards of work independently.
- A people-focused and empathetic nature.
- Commitment to press freedom.
- Comfort working with colleagues across different time zones and from various nationalities and backgrounds.
Physical Requirements:
The physical demands described here represent those that an employee must meet to perform the essential functions of this classification successfully and are reflective of work in a typical office setting. Absent undue hardship, reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.
- Remain in a stationary position for prolonged periods.
- Occasionally move about in the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc. (this applies to employees who work in the NYC office).
- Operate a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as copy machine, and printer.
- Communicate information and ideas so others will understand. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations.
- Observe details at close range.
- Carry objects weighing up to 20 pounds.
- Work in an office setting where the noise level is usually moderate (this applies to employees who work in the NYC office).
- Travel requirements 0-10% (outside of regular travel to the office).
- Available to assist in emergency situations outside of regular working hours.
Vaccination Requirement:
Employees who work in the NYC office must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 unless they qualify for reasonable accommodation for medical or religious reasons. Accordingly, new employees must submit proof of vaccination before the commencement of employment unless a reasonable accommodation is granted.
Location:
We promote a flexible working environment for work-life balance, with opportunities for hybrid and flexible work schedules. Our NYC office, located in Midtown Manhattan, was designed to be a place where we can work effectively and collaboratively, bringing energy, inspiration, commitment, and deep learning to our mission. The NYC office is working on a hybrid schedule of two days in-office (Wednesday and one other day of the employee’s/manager’s choosing), with the option of working three days remotely, subject to adjustment based on business needs.
International candidates will be considered, although candidates located in time zones between U.S. Eastern Standard Time (EST) and UTC +2 are preferred.
Benefits:
- Health Care Plans (100% employer-sponsored medical, dental, and vision plans for employee coverage)
- Health Reimbursement Account (employer-funded HRA of $5,000 annually)
- 401(k) Retirement Plan (employer contribution of 4%. Additional employer dollar-for-dollar match of elective employee contribution up to 3%)
- Life Insurance and AD&D Plans (100% employer-sponsored with the option to elect additional voluntary plans)
- Paid Time Off (vacation, sick, and 13 paid holidays)
- Short Term & Long Term Disability (employer-sponsored with the option to elect additional voluntary plans)
- Employee Assistance Program
- Pre-Tax Flexible Spending Accounts (medical, dependent care, and commuter expenses)
- Voluntary benefits plans (accident, hospitalization, critical Illness, pet, and legal insurance)
- Flexible Work Schedules
Remuneration:
The salary and benefits listed for this position apply to candidates residing in the U.S. For candidates outside the U.S., remuneration and benefits packages will vary based on location and align with the compensation range for this position in the candidate's country of residence.
Equal Employment Opportunity:CPJ provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), political affiliation, military service, or other non-merit-based factors.