At Report for the World, we believe the future of journalism lives in the majority world-where the stakes are highest, the stories are boldest, and the need for truth is greatest.

Our mission is to shift power to independent newsrooms through embedded talent, hands-on learning, and decentralized networks. We do not prescribe solutions; we amplify the vision, wisdom, and impact of local newsrooms, building resilience rooted in their contexts and accountable to their communities.

Report for the World is a program of The GroundTruth Project, an award-winning nonprofit that is home to Report for America and Report for the World. Together, these initiatives have placed more than 700 reporters in every corner of the U.S. and in 25 countries globally, revitalizing local news and strengthening independent journalism. Being part of this global movement means joining a team committed to innovation, accountability, and stewardship-building resilient local journalism ecosystems that serve underserved communities around the world.

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What you'll do

We are looking for a Director of Programs & Operations who can partner with the Report for the World's (RFW) leadership to shape and translate our bold vision into tangible outcomes. This role is accountable for the design, delivery, and impact of our global programs-differentiating us by ensuring our support to newsrooms is strategically innovative and operationally excellent.

It combines leadership with operational rigor: guiding program implementation, accurate financial management, and cross-regional collaboration in service of building the systems, partnerships, and capabilities that empower entrepreneurial newsrooms to reimagine effective local journalism.

You will:

Lead impact, results, and growth

• Partner with the Executive Director and senior leadership to co-create multi-year strategies, ensuring programs are aligned with organizational goals and global opportunities.
• Translate the RFW strategy into operational reality, including actionable work plans, clear objectives, timelines, and key performance indicators (KPIs) aligned with the strategy.
• Co-lead sustainable growth by cultivating regional partnerships and funders, shaping proposals with Development, and delivering donor reporting on impact and return on mission.
• Enable strong cross-functional partnerships with HR, Finance, IT, and sister programs to leverage shared systems, ensure efficiencies of scale, and stretch the impact of our resources.

Build regional strength

Provide coaching and guidance to our globally distributed team of Regional Managers in Africa, South Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and other regions to:

• Ensure consistent, high-quality program delivery for our partners and program participants.
• Center local expertise and context in programmatic design, decision-making, and implementation.
• Work with regional managers to counsel and advise participants, facilitate newsroom partnerships, and resolve challenges.
• Ensure the team has the information and decision support they need to deliver impact.
• Foster a culture of trust and collaboration across the global team, ensuring the team feels connected, supported, and empowered to thrive in a distributed environment.

Strengthen the Newsroom Experience

• Define and maintain what program success looks like for program participants - both newsrooms and journalists - in collaboration with the RFW Leadership.
• Facilitate cross-regional collaboration and help newsrooms learn from one another through shared investigations, workshops, and networks.
• Ensure participants receive world-class support, training, mentoring, and professional development opportunities.
• Create opportunities for journalists and newsrooms to engage with partners, funders, and institutions (e.g., panels, workshops, collaborations with academic/media nonprofits).

Drive Operations and Systems

• Strengthen the operational backbone to support program growth and resilience, ensuring Report for the World can scale sustainably.
• Partner with the IT team to enable and manage workflows and systems - including newsroom onboarding, journalist support systems, newsroom and journalist partnership life-cycle management - to ensure smooth, consistent, and effective program delivery.
• Full accountability of program operations, including budgeting, invoicing, policies, and procedures; ensure accuracy, compliance, and efficiency.
• Continuously strengthen our selection and support processes to ensure fairness, transparency, data protection, and compliance across all regions.

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What You Bring

We don't expect one person to tick every box, but we are looking for someone exceptional who brings many of the following:

• Proven experience leading programs across borders, ideally in journalism, media, or social impact.
• Demonstrated success managing distributed teams across time zones.
• Strong operational skills (overseeing budgeting, program deliverables, and reports), with the ability to design systems, policies, and procedures that serve people first.
• Ability to balance strategy and detail: from shaping a global roadmap to resolving on-the-ground challenges.
• Deep cultural competence, with the ability to hold space across contexts, languages, and regions.
• Excellent communication skills to inspire colleagues, partners, and funders.
• Multilingual skills or lived experience in regions where we work are a strong plus.

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Equal Opportunity Employer

The GroundTruth Project welcomes applications from individuals of all backgrounds and strongly values diverse lived experiences. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace and providing reasonable accommodations in accordance with applicable law.