Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Application Deadline: 18th June 2025
Are you a visionary leader with a passion for investigative journalism, governance advocacy, and programmatic excellence? Do you thrive in high-level stakeholder engagement, strategic programme oversight, and impact-driven execution? The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) is seeking an Associate Director, Programmes to lead and shape its programme portfolio, ensuring sustainability, innovation, and thought leadership.
About the Role
Reporting to the Executive Director/CEO, the Associate Director, Programmes will provide strategic leadership, policy influence, and programmatic oversight across WSCIJ’s initiatives. These initiatives span across Investigative and collaborative journalism covering media development, inclusivity and accountability, Democracy and the Civic Space, and Gender related social equity. This role is instrumental in ensuring alignment between organisational vision, donor engagement, governance advocacy, and programme sustainability. Additionally, the Associate Director will supervise Senior Managers, Programme Managers, Programme Officers, Programme Operations Associates, and Programme Assistants, fostering a high-impact leadership culture.
Key Responsibilities
- Strategic Programme Leadership & Innovation – Define and execute WSCIJ’s programme strategy, ensuring alignment with investigative journalism and social justice priorities.
- High-Level Stakeholder Engagement – Cultivate relationships with funders, policymakers, media institutions, and civil society leaders to amplify programme influence.
- Fundraising & Donor Engagement – Lead high-impact funding strategies, securing major grants and long-term donor partnerships.
- Policy Leadership & Programme Advocacy – Drive strategic policy engagement, ensuring WSCIJ’s programmes influence governance frameworks.
- Strategic Communications Oversight – Guide programme storytelling, donor engagement communications, and advocacy-driven messaging.
- Cross-Departmental Programme Integration – Oversee seamless collaboration with communications, branding, research, and operations teams.
- Compliance & Ethical Governance – Ensure programme execution adheres to legal, ethical, and regulatory standards.
- Organisational Growth & Sustainability – Identify strategic opportunities to position WSCIJ at the forefront of investigative journalism and advocacy.
Key Competencies for Success
- Strategic Programme Leadership & Innovation – Ability to design and implement sustainable, high-impact programme frameworks.
- Stakeholder Engagement & Thought Leadership – Capacity to cultivate influential relationships across media, governance, and civil society sectors.
- Fundraising & Resource Mobilisation – Proven track record in securing donor funding, managing grants, and developing sustainability strategies.
- Policy Influence & Advocacy Positioning – Strong experience in shaping governance, media ethics, and investigative journalism policy dialogues.
- Strategic Communication & Brand Oversight – Expertise in developing programmatic storytelling frameworks, donor messaging, and advocacy narratives.
- Cross-Sector Collaboration & Organisational Leadership – Ability to align programme execution with communications, research, and organisational strategy.
- Compliance & Ethical Governance – Commitment to programme transparency, regulatory adherence, and ethical journalism practices.
Who We Are Looking For
Ideal candidates should have:
- Master’s degree
- 12+ years of leadership experience in programme management, governance advocacy, civil society, democracy, or journalism.
- Proven expertise in fundraising, donor engagement, and grant management.
- Strong stakeholder engagement experience, with demonstrated impact in advocacy-driven initiatives.
- Executive leadership background with high-level team mentorship, programme oversight, and strategic planning.
- Advanced proficiency in policy influence, programme sustainability, and strategic communications.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including high-level reporting and advocacy messaging.
Why Join Us?
✔ Lead transformative programmes that shape investigative journalism and governance advocacy.
✔ Collaborate with a network of media professionals, funders, policymakers, and civil society leaders.
✔ Drive the strategic direction of a mission-driven organisation committed to transparency and accountability.
Apply Now!
If you have the leadership, vision, and expertise to elevate WSCIJ’s programme impact, send your Cover letter and CV as one document (PDF or Doc format) to career@wscij.org with the subject line: Associate Director, Programmes Application – [Your Name].
