Program Officer, Earth Journalism Network

Location: North America (US, Canada, Mexico, PR), parts of Central/South America (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru)

Workplace Designation: Fully Remote

Term: Term

Funding: Direct

Status: Exempt

Supervisor: Executive Director: Earth Journalism Network

Supervisory Responsibilities: Program Associate

OVERVIEW AND GENERAL FUNCTION

Since 2004, Internews' Earth Journalism Network has been working to support journalists to cover the environment more effectively, prioritizing those from low- and middle-income countries. Using a model that combines capacity and network building, EJN now has more than 35,000 members worldwide and has trained more than 17,700 journalists and supported the production of more than 16,500 media stories on a wide range of environmental topics.

Under the supervision of the Earth Journalism Network's Executive Director, the Program Officer performs high level administrative, programmatic and technical tasks across a portfolio of projects. The Program Officer manages multiple programs, including managing specific projects and overseeing grant, fellowship and training activities with local, regional and international partners by tracking deliverables, leading reports and engaging business management staff as needed. In particular, EJN's portfolio in 2026 and beyond involves several marine conservation and ocean-related report projects, and the Program Officer should preferably have some professional or educational experience with marine issues.

The Program Officer also provides operational support to other programs within the Earth Journalism Network team, formally supervises a Program Associate and other staff members as well as several consultants, informally oversees other personnel for various tasks and supports EJN's Editor and Content Officer with editorial tasks as needed.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following, with other duties upon request:

• Manage or assist in the management of a portfolio of EJN projects, including several focused on marine conservation and other ocean issues through Internews US, with the possibility to manage projects in other thematic areas;
• Provide operational support to all EJN projects carried out by Internews , as requested;
• Assist the Executive Director and other EJN Program Managers with project and operational oversight, this including financial tracking, programmatic reports, funder communications and other tasks as needed;
• Oversee contracting, subgrants, fellowships, stipends and other payments for EJN's US portfolio, and overseeing colleagues tasked with carrying out these activities, including negotiating with subrecipients, processing payment requests and hiring consultants;
• Participate in the proposal development process, including by drafting proposals, assisting with proposal budgets and liaising with funders;
• Lead, organize and participate in grant judging processes;
• Oversee EJN's AirTable database, including maintaining up-to-date information, conducting staff training, or overseeing colleagues tasked with these responsibilities, and building new functionalities as needed;
• Support EJN's Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) operations, potentially to be carried out by part-time M&E staff;
• Oversee the planning and management of logistics for events, or overseeing colleagues tasked with these responsibilities, which may include but is not limited to training workshops, visa application support, airfare and lodging requests, and liaising with team members to coordinate travel;
• Manage online subscriptions for software and digital operations;
• Assist in reviewing job applications for new EJN staff;
• Assist EJN's Senior Editor and Content Officer with editorial tasks as needed, including website management, story republication and the development of impact stories and tipsheets;
• As requested, participate in strategy and planning sessions for the department and organization as a whole;
• Provide guidance, coaching, and training to project partners, consultants, and junior staff within EJN;
• In all duties, uphold Internews' Core Values and demonstrate commitment to fostering a culture of Belonging, Dignity, and Justice.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Program Officer supervises the Program Associate, Earth Journalism Network, several short- and long-term consultants and potentially other staff handling a variety of programmatic operations. The Program Officer carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities including training employees; managing, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; addressing complaints and resolving problems.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions:

• University degree in journalism, environment, marine conservation, international affairs or other related field, or equivalent professional / lived experience in these areas.
• Minimum five years' relevant prior work experience.
• Prior project management experience.
• Native-level proficiency in English (written and spoken).
• Experience utilizing spreadsheet and data analyses software including proficiency in Microsoft Excel and AirTable (or another relational database tool).
• Strong writing skills and proven text-editing proficiency.
• Strong analytical skills; ability to define, communicate, and resolve complex problems.
• Strong interpersonal skills: diplomacy, tact, and the ability to negotiate.
• Strong time management and organizational skills; ability to effectively manage a dynamic workload and shifting priorities.
• Proven ability to operate in a multicultural and remote work environment.
• Proven ability to work both independently and as an effective team-member.
• Willingness to work and take meetings outside normal business hours, and to travel several times a year to support EJN activities, potentially both domestically and internationally.

Preferred

• Editorial and/or copy-editing experience.
• Prior experience working for an international nonprofit or in the international development sector.
• Understanding of the media landscape and ability to think out of the box on ways we can support it going forward.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS and WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met or may be encountered by an employee performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include normal color perception and close vision for use of computer terminal and reading printed and electronic materials. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to the risk of radiation from regular exposure to computer VDTs.

Expected office hours are generally Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.

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The above noted job description is not intended to describe, in detail, the multitude of tasks that may be assigned but rather to give the associate a general sense of the responsibilities and expectations of their position. As the nature of business demands change so, too, may the essential functions of this position.