Terms of Reference

Job Title:  Business plan study
Type of Contract: Individual Contractors
Required number of candidate: 1
Language Required: English
Deadline for Application: April 15, 2022.
Expected Starting Date: As soon as possible
Research due date: Mid May 2022

Organizational Profile: MERSA Media Institute is a nonprofit media policy think tank. We work to help create vibrant, responsible, and independent media institutions, professional unions, and education centers through research, capacity building, and institutional support in Ethiopia.

Purpose: The media in Ethiopia are manacled horses in the open due partly to lack of professionalism. A comprehensive intervention such as tailor-made and practical journalism training will help improve the overall quality of content delivered to the public. In this regard, Mersa Media Institute (MMI) in partnership with Deutsche Welle Akademie (DWA) has been committed to building the capacity of local media houses through training with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of journalism in the country. To this end, preparation works have been underway to deliver practical journalism trainings anchored at Mersa Media Institute. The hands-on trainings will be delivered to journalists, students and other actors interested in journalistic content production. Thus, the purpose of this consultancy is to explore and analyze the needs for practical journalism training, technology of media production, overall feasibility, and regulatory framework considerations for Mersa Media Institute, a training provider in the media sector.

Major duties and responsibilities

Research approach 

• Through the employment of qualitative research approach, conduct interviews with key individuals in the sector including but not limited to media managers (owners), senior editors, and Individual and organizational training providers to gather relevant data for the study. 
• Conduct desktop research to capture an overall experience of the local training providers on media and journalism.

The research should address

• The demand for practical journalism training and whether individual journalists and media outlets will be able to cover the cost of trainings. 
• The skill needs in the media market, what is out there and what falls short, in light of the current media convergence.
• Training topics and formats that would be of interest for the local media houses and journalists. 
• How the training provider should be set up and its sustainability in terms of finance, human resource, technology, and competition in the light of the context of the media industry in Ethiopia.
• Potential for synergy between the training provider (MMI) and the existing media houses in the country. 
• Regulatory frameworks for media development organizations like MMI to engage in such a venture.
• Incentive mechanisms for participants’ upon completion of trainings.

The consultant should work in close communication with Mersa Media Institute throughout the conduction of the research and incorporate relevant feedback to improve the quality of the study.

Deliverables 

• Inception document (3-5pager including introduction, objectives, research questions, methodology, the timeline of the study, and as annex, list of interviewees);
• Annotated outline of the business plan study; 
• Draft write-up of the study that includes key findings and recommendations based on the data and critical insights or observations in the sector.
• Final version of study and presentation of key findings of the study to MMI and DWA
• Check-ins with Mersa Media Institute as required 

Experience and required qualifications

• MA /P.h.D/ in Journalism and communications, Communications, Media Studies, and related fields with experience in the media sector.
• The consultant should have a high degree of analytical and problem-solving skills as well as extensive research skills in the media sector.
• An extensive knowledge of the Ethiopian media sector is required.
• A minimum of five years of research experience in one or all of the following areas: – market research, audience studies, media content, media technology, media institutions, systems etc.
• The consultant should have a good knowledge of qualitative research approach in the areas of journalism, communication, media production, etc
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in both English and Amharic languages.
• All rounded knowledge about the media landscape in Ethiopia.

How to apply? Qualified applicants, please send your resume, price quotation, and previous work sample to mersamultimedia@gmail.com or tsionmolla@outlook.com

MERSA Media Institute is an equal opportunity employer. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type and afford equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.