Local Consultant to Provide Business Viability Course for Non Majority Media Outlets (SSA)

Background:

Background

Non-majority media in Kosovo still struggle to be financially sustainable and mostly rely on short-term projects and external financial assistance to remain operational. The 2020 Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RwB)  showed, among other things, that “many minority media are on the verge of extinction, surviving mostly on foreign donations”. Consequently, a substantial portion of their programmes has been funded by international donors and various other organizations while the number of staff is usually kept at a minimum required for their regular functioning. Their financial unsustainability mostly derives from the lack of adequate market space for outlets operating in Serbian language and other non-majority languages that makes them dependable on donations to maintain their existence. As a result, the non-majority media still face many challenges in their attempts to become self-sustainable and competitive in Kosovo advertising market. 

To strengthen their marketing knowledge and advance their advertising skills, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo (the OSCE) will facilitate an on-the-job training for non-majority media that will focus on developing more effective marketing and branding strategies, as well as increasing their advertising capacities. The individual on-the-job sessions should assist small and independent media outlets to improve their strategic marketing and branding skills by advancing their social media presence, defining their target customers, building a marketing plan around them and finding creative solution for tackling existing challenges. The sessions should also focus on identifying innovative approaches that would serve to expand their production resources through the utilization of existing tools, equipment, and knowledge. Special attention should be paid to the social media marketing’s aspect that could help the targeted media to promote their services in a more productive way, increase website traffic, improve communication with their key audience and achieve their marketing goals. Each session should be tailored-made to fit particular needs of selected media outlets and address the issues that could potentially hinder their effective performance. 

To carry out the activity, the OSCE Mission seeks to hire a local consultant with an extensive experience in the field of marketing, especially related to media affairs, to work individually with each of the selected non-majority media outlets and provide them with expertise and advice on development of strategic marketing plans and other relevant topics. During the process, the consultant should provide an external feedback on marketing and branding challenges of the media outlets, bring new perspectives on marketing strategies and potential customers, and facilitate new ideas for their further development.

After the completion of the envisaged training process and in cooperation with the consultant, each of the media outlets should create an outline of their strategic marketing plans that would help them identify potential ways forward and expand their marketing techniques. Due to the practical nature of the activity and if the epidemiological situation allows, the hands-on training and brainstorming sessions are foreseen to be conducted in-person, within the premises of the beneficiaries. Alternatively, the online modality of the implementation of the mentoring process could be considered at a later stage, upon an agreement with potential beneficiaries. 
 

Objective of Assignment: 

The OSCE requires the services of a local consultant with a broad experience and knowledge in the field of strategic marketing, with a special focus on media affairs, who will deliver separate on-the-job training sessions to at least five non-majority media outlets in Mitrovicë/Mitrovica region selected through an e-mail for expression of interest, and provide them with expertise and advice related to the development of strategic marketing plans and other relevant topics. The consultant will be also supporting selected non-majority media outlets to develop outlines of their strategic marketing plans based on the skills and knowledge they acquired during the individual training sessions. Therefore, the overall objective of the consultancy is to increase the strategic marketing skills of non-majority media outlets and provide them with practical tools that would help them boost their financial performance and expand their advertising market. 

Duration of Assignment:T

The selected consultant will be engaged for the period of thirty (30) working days

Tasks and Responsibilities:
Under the overall supervision and in co-ordination with the Project Manager, the consultant will:

1. As a part of his/her engagement, the local consultant will be expected to complete the following tasks:
    
   a)    carry out individual consultations with selected non-majority media outlets to understand and assess their marketing needs based on their operations and business profiles; 
   b)    prepare outlines of individual on-the-job training sessions for each of the selected non-majority media based on their specific needs and previous consultations, and submit them to the OSCE Activity Manager for review;
   c)    deliver fifteen (15) individual on-the-job training sessions on strategic marketing to selected non-majority media outlets and provide them with practical advice and tools for enhancing their marketing and production opportunities;
   d)    conduct individual brainstorming sessions with each of the selected media outlets and assist them in developing outlines of their strategic marketing plans based on the knowledge and skills acquired during the individual training sessions;
   e)    draft and submit a final report, not less than four pages long, that should consist of the following elements: existing marketing needs of the selected media outlets, summary of the individual training sessions, assessment of the progress achieved and recommendations for potential follow-up activities. 

Deliverables:

In a close communication and coordination with the OSCE Activity Manager, the local consultant is expected to:

a)    prepare and submit, via e-mail, outlines of the individual on-the-job training sessions on strategic marketing and media production, to the Activity Manager, at least three (3) working days prior to their implementation with each of the selected media outlet;
b)    deliver fifteen (15) individual on-the-job training sessions to the selected media outlets within the timeframe and in a modality previously agreed with the Activity Manager; 
c)    provide drafts of  foreseen strategic marketing plans along with her/his comments and written feedback on the content created by the media outlets;;
d)    draft and submit the final  report containing the elements mentioned within the tasks. 

Necessary Qualifications:

•    University’s degree in journalism, marketing, business administration, advertising or similar fields;
•    At least five years of relevant working experience in the field of strategic marketing and media-related advertising;
•    Professional knowledge of strategic marketing principles and best practices, with a particular focus on media affairs;
•    Professional knowledge of data analysis and market research;
•    Relevant experience in delivering strategic marketing training to media outlets and institutions;
•    Desirable knowledge of media landscape and advertising market in Kosovo; 
•    Professional knowledge of Serbian and solid command of English language;
•    Computer literacy and skills needed for conducting the training sessions and preparing outlines of the strategic marketing plans;
•    Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills.
 

Remuneration Package:

Remuneration will depend on the qualifications and experience of individual experts as well as the detailed work plan to be
agreed upon and will be based on the current OSCE consultancy rates.

In order to apply for this position you must complete the OSCE's online application form, found under https://jobs.osce.org/. Applicants are encouraged to use the online recruitment and only fully completed OSCE applications will be accepted. However, if you have technical difficulties with the system you may use the offline application form found under https://jobs.osce.org/resources/document/offline-application-form and forward the completed form quoting the vacancy number by e-mail to: consultancy.omik@osce.org. In line with your qualifications please indicate preference to one or more field of expertise listed above (while using the online application the field of expertise preference can be indicated in the cover letter part). Kindly note that applications received after the deadline, submitted in different formats than the OSCE Application Form or in other languages than the English language would not be considered. The OSCE is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all
national, religious,ethnic and social backgrounds to apply.

Please be aware that the OSCE does not request payment at any stage of the application and review process.