Consultant in Organizational Capacity Assessment

Background:

Internews is an international nonprofit with 30 offices around the world. At Internews, we believe everyone deserves trustworthy news and information to make informed decisions about their lives and hold power to account. We train journalists and digital rights activists, tackle disinformation, and offer business expertise to help media outlets become financially sustainable.

In Lebanon, Internews is implementing Advancing Diverse Voices in Lebanon, a 2-years project (2021-2022) funded by the Embassy of Netherlands in partnership with Maharat Foundation. Under this project, Internews is committed to build the capacity of eight independent media initiatives through organizing tailored hands-on capacity development. In order to ensure the support’s relevancy to the initiatives’ needs and priorities, Internews is looking for a consultant to conduct organizational capacity assessments for selected outlets. 

Thematic Focus of the Organizational Capacity Assessment (OCA):

The OCA shall guide the planned capacity development support for a number of independent media outlets and should focus on three thematic and organizational cross-cutting indexes :

1. Institutional Index, including:

• Institutional profile ( organization’s background, type of platform(s), audience profile and reach, sectoral expertise, and nature of content, etc.).
• Governance and Management (l egal structure, mission, and vision, s taffing and existing HR policies, or ganizational structure, etc.).  
• Financial management (processes, systems, policies, documentation, and reporting, etc.)
• Business and financial sustainability ( business planning, income diversity and fundraising, business development capacity, marketing, etc.).

2. Information and knowledge index, including :

• Collaboration and Networks ( communal, national, and regional).
• Editorial capacity (e ditorial accuracy, balance, objectivity, clarity, language, inclusivity, policies, etc.).
• Content production and audience reach (r egularity and timeliness of publication, use of multimedia and production standards, audiences targeting and engagement strategies, etc.).

3. Technology and digital security index, including :

• IT & media equipment (types of software and hardware used).
• IT Proficiency in media delivery (staff capacity).
• IT Support (level of available technical support).
• Digital security planning and policies.
• Data security and data user management.

The aformentioned indexes and their subcomponents have been identified based on the findings and recommendations of the Media and Information lanscape assessment conducted in 2021.

Tasks

• Develop an external organizational capacity assessment (OCA) tool that covers the institutional, information and knowlegde, and technology and digital security indexes, and their subcomponents. The tool should include a scoring system.
• Simplify the OCA, rendering it into a simple, clear and easy to use self- assessment tool (to be used by outlets themselves for self-assessment). Similarly to the external OCA, the self-assessment should also include a scoring system.
• Collect data about and from a number of alternative media outlets to be identified by the projects team, potentially up to eight of them, using various research methods (desk review, meeting, observations, key informant interviews, group discussions, etc.).
• Compile, organize and compare data gathered (external and self-assessments).
• Analyse data and submit a final comprehensive needs assessment report.
• Share and discuss the findings with Internews and media outlets via an interactive presentation.
• Develop a capacity development plan’s framework.
• Work closely with the identified alternative media outlets to develop organizational development plans based on the findings of the assessment, the needs, and the operational context. capacity development plans would be developed in a participatory approach, ensuring media outlets’ validation and local ownership of plans.
• Submit a final report including each outlet’s needs and the relevant capacity development plans produced, alongside over-arching recommendations. 
• Using the same OCA tool developed under this assignment, conduct a remote assessment for media outlets to measure achieved progress after the support. 

Deliverables and reporting requirements

1. 1. One external organizational capacity assessment (OCA) tool.
   2. One self-assessment tool (based on the external OCA tool.
   3. One inception report (maximum 15 pages, including methodology, work plan, time-plan, one external and one self-assessment tools).
   4. One mid-assignment report (includes outlets and over-arching needs, a capacity development planning template, and planned approach for the capacity development planning).
   5. Eight debriefing and validation sessions with each outlet, including discussing moving forward with the capacity development planning.
   6. One capacity development plan template.
   7. Eight tailored -capacity development plans, confirmed and validated by each outlet.
   8. One final report (format can be discussed; must include overall findings and observations, final capacity development plans, common needs, recommendations).

Required qualifications

• Substantial experience in media development and organizational capacity assessments.
• In-depth understanding of the media landscape in Lebanon, in particular the operating context and environment of alternative media outlets.
• Solid research and methodology development experience.
• Willingness to visit identified alternative media outlets across Lebanon (when plausible) and collect on-site observations.
• Fluency in Arabic and English, both written and spoken.
• Strong facilitation skills and the ability to lead a group through a set process.
• University degree or equivalent of relevance for the assignment.

Budget and duration:

The total duration of the consultancy is 35 days, starting from contract signature date. The consultant is kindly asked to include in his/her time planning 2 days to remotely conduct the OCA after the provision of the support (to be planned for in October 2022).

Consultant fees shall be specified as fees per day including VAT.

Contracted consultant cannot further subcontract the assignment without consulting with Internews first. In cases where the tender includes a team of consultants, their division of work shall be presented.

Ethics and Risk

Applicants should express the necessary practices they would adopt to ensure there is no harm done to any of the stakeholders involved in this research process. Any restrictions due to COVID-19 measures will be strictly followed and respected.

All the documents produced are highly sensitive and confidential. It is strictly prohibited to share any documents or information without written authorization from Internews.

Assignment Management

The Lebanon Project Manager, Internews MENA Regional Impact and Learning Manager and Senior Program Officer will be overseeing this assignment.