Call for Consultant on the following programme:
Supporting Greater Media Independence in the Western Balkans
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. We do this by making a positive contribution to the UK and the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust.
We work with over 100 countries across the world in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Each year we reach over 20 million people face-to-face and more than 500 million people online, via broadcasts and publications. Founded in 1934, we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body.
Further information can be found at www.britishcouncil.org
The British Council in the Western Balkans is part of the Wider Europe region of fifteen countries which borders the Middle East to the south, Asia to the east and EU Europe to the west. The region’s population is currently around 335 million, with the majority living in an urban environment.
In the Western Balkans we create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. We have more than 75 years of experience in the Western Balkans and six offices across the region. We work with local, UK and international partners. We design and implement programmes, deliver donor funded contracts, offer advice and consultancy to governments, deliver training programmes, administer international exams, advise UK companies on market opportunities and provide information about the UK.
The Western Balkan countries have some of the highest rates of youth unemployment in the world, over 50 per cent in some countries. This is largely due to young people leaving formal education without skills required by employers and the related economies, while in some sectors including ICT, vacancies go unfilled. This environment represents a potential risk to stability and security through increased economic instability, increased risks of conflict and radicalisation.
To help ensure a secure and prosperous future for the people of the Western Balkans, we work with governments, international organisations, businesses and other partners on institutional reform and capacity building. We enable professionals and young people to gain international skills and qualifications that will help them prosper and build a better future. Our key area of focus is on vocational education, entrepreneurship and core skills, with English as a key skill which supports this objective. We work in visual arts, film and music to build trust and understanding between people in the UK and the Western Balkans. Through our digital platforms, over 2 million people each year discover more about UK culture and education.
Background /Objectives/Scope of work /Specification
The consultancy is based in Podgorica and will support business delivery of the ‘Supporting Greater Media Independence in the Western Balkans, which is being delivered across the six countries of the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia).
The aim of this CSSF funded media programme is to strengthen the editorial independence of the media, enabling them to provide citizens more effectively with a more diverse range of content, thus encouraging open, informed and active discussion amongst target audiences in the six Western Balkans countries.
The main beneficiaries of this media independence programme are media outlets and those
working within the media sphere, but the programme will also increase citizens’ engagement with a
wider range of media, potentially resulting in increased levels of trust in those media that
demonstrate more balanced editorial policies.
This project will last for 2.5 years and will operate across the six Western Balkan countries.
Elements of the project, such as clusters across national borders, may operate region-wide. All
interventions will need to be tailored to meet the operating requirements of individual countries.
Overview
The British Council is seeking a consultant to work with us on the “Supporting Greater Media Independence in the Western Balkans” project. The consultancy will be based in Podgorica and will be working closely with the project teams across the Western Balkans countries
The duration of consultancy is until March 2022.
The key objectives:
- To lead the grant management at country level
- To enable the British Council to develop strong and productive relationships through maintaining relationship with Team Leader, other consultants, as well as clients, beneficiaries and partners
Scope of work:
Consultant’s work will be focused on the following:
- Managing the implementation of the media grants at the country level in compliance with the British Council’s and relevant donors’ regulations, and reporting thereupon
- Contributing to the development of Request for Applications (RFAs) and other grant-making or solicitation documentation, assisting applicants during the application process, and facilitating the evaluation and selection process.
- Under the supervision of the Team Leader and Programme Manager, compiling, editing, and reviewing grant agreements; coordinating modifications of any agreements or projects (i.e. extensions, indicator changes, budget realignments), if necessary.
- Conducting on-site visits to grantees, and desk audits in order to monitor the grant’s progress and its compliance.
- Maintaining sub-grant agreements and reporting files, preparing projections, documentation, etc.
- Contributing to preparing the internal financial reports in the British Council system, as well as the external financial reports for the donor (FCO).
- Ensure relevant due diligence is conducted for all identified grantees
- Monitoring the compliance and financial management of grants projects.
- Assisting with internal audits, client audits and the expenditure verification audit.
- Procuring and contracting the programme’s sub-contractors at a country level if relevant
- Managing the risks related to the sub-contractors at a country level.
- Supporting an adaptive approach to ensure that feedback, learning and recommendations are applied to the project’s design and delivery.
Reports to: Team Leader
Place of delivery: Western Balkans Expertise
The consultant must possess the relevant expertise through knowledge and experience gained to deliver the required services, including:
- Minimum 4 years’ relevant experience of managing/coordinating grants schemes
- Sound financial management experience.
- Experience of projects management including monitoring and evaluations
- Excellent interpersonal and organisational skills and ability to work as part of a professional team
- Experience of working with a diverse and dispersed team.
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in finance or business administration or relevant field or equivalent experience in area relevant to the job.
- Fluency in English (level C1), both written and spoken.
- Fluency in Montenegrin language.
Evaluation Criteria
The award criterion for this Call for Consultants is relevant experience and interview
The CV evaluation will be fair and transparent. Only the shortlisted CVs will be evaluated, based on the following matrix:
Points/Requirement
4/Degree level qualification or higher in finance or business administration or equivalent experience in specialist area relevant to the job.
6/Minimum 4 years’ relevant experience of managing and delivering complex donor funded programmes which have a grant management component
4/Sound experience of financial planning and management
4/Experience of working in dispersed teams
2/Fluent written and spoken English and language relevant to the WB countries (minimum C1)
