Senior Expert, Monitoring & Evaluation, Media Freedom Programmes at WAN-IFRA: Advance Global Press Freedom Through Evidence and Learning | Apply by 1 July 2026

For experienced Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MREL) professionals seeking to make a global impact, the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) has announced an exceptional remote opportunity. The organization is recruiting a Senior Expert, Monitoring & Evaluation, Media Freedom Programmes to lead its global learning and evaluation agenda across multiple international initiatives.

This fully remote, milestone-based consultancy allows professionals from anywhere in the world to contribute to strengthening independent journalism, promoting media freedom, and improving gender equality in the news industry. Applications close on 1 July 2026.

A Leadership Role in Global Media Development

WAN-IFRA is the world’s largest international association of news publishers, representing over 3,000 publishing companies and 18,000 publications across 120 countries. For decades, the organization has championed press freedom, independent journalism, digital innovation, and sustainable media ecosystems.

As the Senior Expert for Monitoring, Results, Evaluation and Learning (MREL), you will play a strategic leadership role in ensuring that WAN-IFRA’s media freedom programmes generate measurable impact while fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

This 12-month contract begins in July 2026 and offers the flexibility to work remotely from anywhere in the world.

What You’ll Be Responsible For

The successful candidate will oversee the organization’s Monitoring, Results, Evaluation and Learning systems across several high-profile programmes, including Women in News, Brave, and Stronger Together.

Key responsibilities include:

• Designing and managing organization-wide MREL frameworks.
• Leading monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning strategies.
• Building robust results frameworks for donor-funded programmes.
• Conducting baseline, mid-term, and final evaluations.
• Managing programme data quality and reporting systems.
• Developing research methodologies and overseeing research publications.
• Supporting proposal development with evidence-based MREL expertise.
• Facilitating quarterly learning sessions and communities of practice.
• Strengthening staff capacity in monitoring and evaluation tools.
• Producing high-quality reports for donors and internal stakeholders.

The role combines strategic thinking, technical expertise, leadership, and cross-cultural collaboration across Africa, Southeast Asia, the Arab Region, and Europe.

Skills and Experience Required

WAN-IFRA is looking for a highly experienced professional with extensive expertise in monitoring and evaluation within international development or media programmes.

Ideal candidates should possess:

• Significant senior-level experience in Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning.
• Proven success designing M&E systems for multi-country projects.
• Strong qualitative and quantitative research skills.
• Experience managing donor-funded programme reporting.
• Excellent analytical and data visualization capabilities.
• Expertise with Airtable, SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, or similar platforms.
• Outstanding English communication skills.
• Additional French or Arabic language skills are advantageous.
• Experience working in Africa, Southeast Asia, or the Arab Region is highly desirable.

Professionals with backgrounds in media development, human rights, democracy, governance, or gender equality initiatives will find this opportunity particularly rewarding.

Why This Opportunity Stands Out

This position offers far more than traditional monitoring and evaluation responsibilities.

Instead, you’ll shape how an internationally respected organization measures success, captures learning, and continuously improves programmes that support journalists and independent media worldwide.

Some of the biggest advantages include:

• Fully remote work from anywhere in the world.
• Strategic leadership at the director level.
• Opportunity to influence global media freedom initiatives.
• Collaboration with international experts and regional programme teams.
• Meaningful work supporting independent journalism and press freedom.
• Exposure to large-scale donor-funded international programmes.
• Flexible milestone-based consulting arrangement.

For professionals passionate about using evidence to drive social change, few opportunities offer this level of international influence.

Supporting Independent Journalism Worldwide

Independent journalism remains one of the strongest foundations of democratic societies. However, journalists continue to face censorship, political pressure, violence, misinformation, and shrinking civic space in many parts of the world.

Organizations like WAN-IFRA work to ensure that news publishers and journalists can operate freely while strengthening sustainable media ecosystems. By improving programme monitoring and learning systems, this role directly contributes to more effective interventions that protect media freedom globally.

Every evaluation, research project, and learning initiative generated through this position has the potential to improve programmes that empower journalists, increase gender equality in newsrooms, and strengthen independent reporting.

Final Thoughts

If you’re an accomplished Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning professional looking to combine technical excellence with meaningful global impact, this role deserves serious consideration.

Working with WAN-IFRA provides a unique opportunity to influence international media development while collaborating with diverse teams across multiple continents.

With fully remote work, strategic leadership responsibilities, and the chance to strengthen evidence-based programming that supports press freedom worldwide, this position represents an outstanding career opportunity for experienced MREL specialists.

Interested candidates should prepare their application carefully and submit all required documents before the 1 July 2026 deadline. This could be your opportunity to help shape the future of independent journalism through data-driven learning and impactful evaluation.

APPLY HERE

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Disclaimer: Remote Job Opportunities (RJO) is not the organization offering this opportunity. For any inquiries, please contact the responsible organization directly. Please do not send your applications to RJO, as we are unable to process them. Due to the high volume of  emails we receive daily, we may not be able to respond to all inquiries. Thank you for your understanding.