Lead - Global Leadership Accelerator

Job Posting: Lead - Global Leadership Accelerator

WAN-IFRA Women in News (WIN)

Position: Global Leadership Accelerator Lead, Women in News (WIN), WAN-IFRA

Engagement length: 12 months

Engagement type: Milestone-based contract

Start Date: June 2026

Location: Global (Flexible)

Application Deadline: 01/06/2026

About the Role

WAN-IFRA Women in News is seeking a Lead, Global Leadership Accelerator to drive the design, delivery and continuous evolution of WIN’s Global Leadership Accelerator.

The ideal candidate will bring demonstrated experience developing and implementing leadership programmes specifically tailored to the realities of newsroom and self-leadership, with a deep understanding of the challenges facing journalists who operate in complex, politically sensitive and regulatory-restrictive or hostile media environments across West, East and Central-Southern Africa.

The role requires a strong programme leader with experience in leadership development, media, gender equality, coaching, training delivery and cross-cultural team coordination.

Key Responsibilities

Programme Design and Delivery

• Lead the planning, implementation and continuous improvement of the Global Leadership Accelerator.
• Ensure programme milestones are delivered on time, within scope and aligned to WIN’s strategic priorities.
• Coordinate training, coaching, mentoring and peer-learning components across regions.
• Maintain consistency and quality in training delivery while allowing for local relevance and adaptation.
• Track participant engagement, satisfaction and leadership development outcomes.

Leadership and Team Coordination

• Provide supportive management and coaching to team members, trainers, coaches and collaborators.
• Foster a culture of learning, accountability, inclusion and collaboration.
• Strengthen internal capacity to deliver and sustain the Global Leadership Accelerator.
• Work closely with regional teams to ensure coherence across participant selection, delivery, reporting and follow-up.

Participant Selection and Engagement

• Support a transparent and inclusive selection process that ensures diversity, calibre and regional balance.
• Oversee participant onboarding, engagement and retention throughout the programme cycle.
• Ensure women journalists and media leaders are supported to grow their leadership confidence, influence and organisational impact.

Monitoring, Learning and Reporting

• Establish clear milestones, indicators and reporting systems for the programme.
• Track measurable leadership and organisational impact.
• Document lessons learned, participant feedback and programme adaptations.
• Prepare high-quality updates and reports for internal teams, donors and stakeholders.

Strategic Development and Sustainability

• Contribute to the long-term evolution of the Leadership Accelerator programme.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen partnerships, visibility and sustainability of the programme.
• Ensure the Accelerator remains relevant to emerging leadership challenges in the media sector, including newsroom transformation, gender equality, safety, sustainability and digital change.

Key Performance Indicators

• Successful delivery of programme milestones on time and within scope.
• High levels of participant satisfaction and engagement.
• Quality and consistency of training and coaching delivery.
• Diversity and calibre of selected participants.
• Measurable leadership and organisational impact.
• Timely, high-quality reporting and stakeholder satisfaction.
• Strong team performance and internal capacity development.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Significant experience leading leadership development, media development, gender equality or capacity-building programmes.
• Deep experience and training in safety dynamics specifically relevant to journalists including but not exclusive to: online harassment, sexual harassment and digital safety.
• Proven experience managing multi-country or cross-regional programmes especially in complex, politically sensitive and regulatory-restrictive or hostile media environments
• Experience coordinating trainers, coaches, mentors and programme teams.
• Strong skills in programme planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting.
• Excellent communication, facilitation and stakeholder management skills.
• Fluency in English; additional languages are an asset.

Key Attributes

• At least a Master’s Degree in a related area
• Strategic thinker, with the ability to move from vision to delivery.
• Strong people manager who supports, motivates and develops others.
• Collaborative, culturally sensitive and highly organised.
• Committed to gender equality, inclusion and media freedom.
• Comfortable working across regions, time zones and diverse operating contexts.
• Reflective, adaptive and committed to continuous learning.

How to Apply

Interested applicants should send their CV and cover letter to info@womeninnews.org or upload them below by 01 June 2026. Please include Lead – Global Leadership Accelerator in the subject line. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

About WAN-IFRA Women in News

Women in News (WIN) is a global programme of WAN-IFRA (World Association of News Publishers) dedicated to strengthening gender equality in media. Through leadership development, research, and advocacy, WIN works with media organisations and journalists across Africa, the Arab Region, Southeast Asia, Europe, and beyond to strengthen women’s leadership, improve newsroom cultures, and support more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable media ecosystems.

The WIN Leadership Accelerator is a flagship programme designed to support mid- to senior-level women media professionals in advancing into leadership roles. Delivered through a combination of training, one-on-one coaching, and peer learning, the programme equips participants with the skills, networks, and confidence to lead in a rapidly evolving media landscape.

Fluency in English; additional languages are an asset.