Project Director - Consultant role

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About CIR

The Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) is an independent organisation dedicated to exposing human rights violations and threats to democracy. We achieve this through open source research, digital investigations, capacity-building with local partners, and collaboration with media to amplify our impact.

CIR was born out of a determination to expose those spreading harm - online and offline - around the world, particularly in areas of violent conflict, such as Ukraine, Sudan and Myanmar. Our projects are at the forefront of efforts to investigate and document human rights abuses, war crimes, harms targeting women and minorities, and influence operations. We work closely with multilateral and national justice accountability bodies.

Role details:

Contract Type: Contractor

Contract length: The position is a consultancy role for 12 months. We need someone to start on 1st April 2025.

Hours needed for this role: Full-time, 37 hours per week

Location: This role could be based in London or remotely. You need to be able to work on UK/EA time zone, which includes primary UK hours of 10.00 -12.00 GMT and 14.00-15.30 GMT each working day.

Salary: £350 - £425 per day, depending on experience

Closing date for this role: Sunday 9th March 2025 at 23:55pm.

About the Project

Because of project sensitivity, only limited information can be released about the detail of this project at this stage of recruitment and further information will be provided to those shortlisted for interview. This project sits within our human rights strand of CIR and seeks to counter disinformation across a number of focus countries through a project team of globally-based experts and a supply chain of specialist partners.

About the Role

In this role, you will:
Lead deep-dive investigations into conflict-related events, uncovering critical insights.
Design and deliver immersive, multi-week OSINT training programs-both in-person and online.
Provide high-impact security briefings informed by real-time intelligence and deep regional knowledge.
Engage with the human rights and security landscape of East Africa, applying a conflict-sensitive and gender-aware approach.

We're looking for someone who thrives in fast-paced environments, stays ahead of emerging threats, and is passionate about using OSINT to drive meaningful change.

Key responsibilities

• Defines and or oversees the strategic impact a project aims to achieve, and the nature and scale of the outputs and outcomes needed to do so, aligning with CIR values and donor goals.
• Responsible for ensuring the research and training methodologies and techniques selected for the project fit the project's unique information, political and security context and are thus effective and efficient. This includes the production of OSINT training packages for in-person and online delivery to a diverse range of stakeholders, including civil society and government institutions.

• Builds a strong relationship with senior donors, ensuring they have full confidence in the quality and impact of CIR's work, and in the responsiveness of CIR to donor priorities.

• Provides strategic direction to the project manager on how the project's resources should be allocated to activities to maximise outcomes, impact and value for money, and to meet commercial targets if relevant.

• Oversees design of MEL framework by MEL specialist, project manager and senior technical staff including Theory of Change, Results Framework and mechanisms for collecting and synthesising data.
• Develop and inspire a cohesive and complimentary team dynamic where members support and assist each other across components, contributing to the overall success and impact of the project.
• Utilise your extensive experience as a trainer to develop, guide and lead project approach to working with civil-society, government institutions and an array of stakeholders working within the human rights promotion sphere.
• Ensures the project's risk management process draws on the diverse knowledge and insights of the team, to generate information required by CIR's standard risk register, and to comply with donor reporting schedules.

Requirements

Qualifications and Competencies

• An OSINT specialist with experience in overseeing OSINT training methodologies.
• You will also have expertise in train-the-trainer/training-of-trainer (ToT) capacity-strengthening approaches, and experience in delivering remote training and mentorship.
• You will be able and willing to travel to East Africa for approximately 6-8 weeks per UK financial year. This will likely be in trips of no more than 2 weeks at a time.
• Alongside your willingness to travel, you will also be a seasoned leader for a diverse team in often fluid environments. The Project Director will have experience applying adaptive management, and in establishing a working culture within the project team where all team members are confident in highlighting risks and proposing actions to mitigate those risks.
• Strong networking / stakeholder relationship building and management experience, including with a range of stakeholders, including government departments.
• Experience working in conflict settings, ideally in the Africa/East Africa. With an understanding of conflict and gender sensitivity.
• Experience of overseeing projects in complex conflict settings, and skilled at adaptive programme risk management.

• Up-to-date knowledge of human rights and security issues in East Africa.

Working Arrangements:

The role will be full-time and can either be office based, hybrid or remote with the opportunity to work from CIR's offices in London, if desired.

CIR encourages flexible working and is happy to agree a working pattern to suit the successful applicant. We generally expect staff to be available between the core hours of 10.00 -12.00 GMT and 14.00-15.30 GMT each working day.

Recruitment Process

To apply, please submit a CV and cover letter, and answer the application form questions.

For this role there will be a technical task, followed but a first-round interview. Candidates who advance to the final stages will also have an informal second-round interview with representatives from CIR's strategic or senior management team.

CIR encourages applicants from under-represented communities.

CIR is an equal opportunities employer. If you require adjustments or additional support to complete this process, please let us know in your application.