(m/w/d)

Join Our Team as Group Operations and Programmes Manager

We are recruiting a Group Operations and Programmes Manager to oversee Thomson’s impactful projects, ensuring they operate efficiently, meet compliance and funder standards, and deliver meaningful results.

Based in Berlin / London in a hybrid capacity, you’ll play a key role in managing our Programmes across the Thomson group, fostering collaboration, optimising workflows, and working alongside key stakeholders to build international media networks and forge alliances that seek to promote media freedoms in practical ways that benefit news makers every day.

We are looking for someone with:

✅ Extensive programme management experience in the media development sector.

✅ A strong understanding of the journalism/media industries.

✅ Proven expertise in budget management, reporting, and team leadership.

Location: Berlin | London | Remote hybrid

Deadline for applications: 5 January 2025

Thomson Media, a German-registered non-profit (gGmbH) based in Berlin, is part of the Thomson Group, including the Thomson Foundation, the world's oldest media development organization.

Thomson has been promoting journalistic integrity, supporting independent and trusted journalism globally for over 60 years. Operating in over 100 countries, Thomson works in regions facing media restrictions, post-conflict transition, and polarisation to foster free information flow and robust public debate. Thomson builds international media networks, engages diverse audiences, shares industry knowledge, and forms alliances to advance and defend media freedoms worldwide.

Tasks

The Group Operations and Programmes Manager is responsible for comprehensive supervision and coordination of Thomson’s programming and operations. This role ensures all active projects operate within budget, meet compliance and funders’ standards, and achieve impactful outcomes in collaboration with key stakeholders and local teams. It also monitor organisational workflows, practices and the overall group operational efficiency.

Your responsibilities and main duties will include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Lead the design, implementation, and optimisation of project management systems,
ensuring alignment with organisational and goals.
• Responsible for providing line management, training and feedback to project
managers/coordinators, and other project team members, setting clear expectations,
monitoring performance and taking overall responsibility for handling issues and
troubleshooting any problems.
• Oversee implementation and evaluate project resources and their deployment, ensuring
project timelines and quality standards are met, while maximising efficiency and impact.
• Oversee and negotiate project budgets with accountability for spending objectives, tracking
performance against financial targets, and ensuring optimal resource allocation (staff,
contractors, equipment).
• Support the finance management team with the preparation of projects financial reports and
project audits; ensure adherence to the funder’s financial reporting calendars and deadlines.
• Maintain and upgrade efficient operational frameworks and workflows, including logistics,
payment approval, resource allocation, and data archiving for internal and external
reporting.
• Provide guidance on backstopping, project management, compliance and procurement
procedures, with support from administrative teams for implementation.
• Assist in developing project proposals with resources planning and allocation, budget
preparation and financial projections.
• Coordinate knowledge-sharing across projects, ensuring that best practices and successful
strategies are documented and accessible to stakeholders.
• Foster a collaborative environment by working with finance, administrative, and project
support teams to maintain up-to-date project documentation and facilitate smooth project
transitions.
• Participate in organisational meetings, oversee project-specific metrics, and ensure team
compliance with project requirements, operational protocols, and performance indicators.
• Perform other tasks as assigned by senior management, ensuring flexibility and
responsiveness to emerging organizational needs.

Requirements

• Extensive programme management experience working with multiple institutional donors, ideally in the media development sector, including experience setting up new teams, running activities, end-to-end accountability for reporting to donors, recruitment, monitoring and evaluation, impact assessment.
• Strong problem-solving abilities and a proactive approach to resolving challenges Strong understanding of the journalism/media industries would be highly beneficial
• Excellent organisational and team management skills to control their own workload and that of others
• Ability to communicate coordinate and collaborate closely and effectively with multiple stakeholders in person and remotely, across cultures and timezones.
• Financial acumen and numeracy, experience in budget development and financial
management.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to multitask and prioritize effectively.
• Experience of managing a team
• An eye for detail while not missing the bigger picture.
• Proficient in using office software such as Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint,
Outlook) and collaboration tools.
• Ability to handle sensitive information with confidentiality and discretion.
• Fluency in English is required, German or other languages an asset.
• Self-starter and flexible, “can do” attitude

Please notice, that only candidates with a valid permit to work in Germany can be taken into consideration.