Details

Background

Transparency International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme (TIMP) aims to contribute to the improvement of the lives of people across the MENA region by engaging, empowering and strengthening the capacities of civil society organisations, academia, policy makers and the public in addressing corruption and promoting transparency, accountability and integrity. As part of TIMP, Transparency International (TI) is seeking to work with and establish academic networks on integrity. The aim of this network is to foster indigenous research on corruption and to facilitate information sharing between researchers, activists, policy makers, and the broader population. The academic network began in Egypt in January 2013. It is expected that the academic network initiative will help engage upcoming scholars, policy makers and civil society activists in the fight against corruption, and provide a link between academia, policy makers, and anti-corruption activists.

Hosted by the American University in Cairo, a first gathering of key stakeholders took place on 21-22 January 2013 to brainstorm on the specific shape and characteristics of the network and the activities that should be undertaken. At that meeting it was decided that one of the main activities of the academic network in 2013 would be to organise a regional academic conference in Cairo at the end of the year. “Integrity Risks in the Public-Private Interface” was chosen as the thematic focus of this conference. This conference will bring together academics, students, civil society participants and policy makers working on topics related to integrity risks in the public-private interface. It is hoped that the conference will help achieve many of the goals of the academic network, including:  consolidating existing research on the conference theme; fostering new research, especially by young scholars; extending the outreach of the network; helping to connect researchers in Egypt and the MENA region with international researchers working on similar topics; and enabling knowledge exchange between researchers, civil society organisations and policy makers.

Overview of Role

We are currently seeking a consultant experienced in organising academic conferences to help organise the MENA regional academic conference in Cairo. The consultant will work with the TI secretariat and the conference advisory committee to prepare the substantive part of the conference, including coordinating the process of developing the agenda, assessing paper submissions, and putting together panels. The consultant will also coordinate the administrative planning and logistical arrangements for the conference in collaboration with the conference hosts based in Cairo. The consultant is also expected to help with the outreach and publicity of the conference.

Key tasks

Administrative coordination: The consultant will work with colleagues at the TI secretariat to put into place logistical arrangements for the conference. These include:

• Conference registration
  • Putting in place the conference registration mechanism
• Conference venue and other logistics
  • Coordinate with conference hosts in Cairo to ensure adequate facilities are available for the conference
  • Accommodation and travel arrangements for conference participants
  • Organising distribution of materials at the conference, e.g. conference packs
  • Organise conference dinners or other related social activities
• Financial planning        
  • The consultant is expected to put together an initial budget for the conference and periodically provide updates to the TI secretariat on expenses

Substantive planning: The consultant will keep an overview of the substantive planning of the conference and coordinate with the conference advisory committee to ensure that the processes run smoothly. Specifically, this includes:

• Paper and panel proposals: The consultant will work with the conference advisory committee to finalise the assessment of paper and panel proposals and notify the participants
• Develop the conference agenda: In coordination with the advisory committee, the consultant will help develop and finalise the conference agenda. This may include coordinating the process of putting together panels based on submitted paper proposals.  
• Other: The consultant will provide oversight on other substantive processes as needed
• Publicity for the conference
  • The consultant will work with the Egypt academic network editor to ensure that the conference is publicised in all appropriate academic and policy communities
  • He / she will coordinate with the Egypt academic network editor for social media outreach for the conference, for example, through blog posts, facebook and twitter
  • He / she will ensure that the conference website is kept up to date with relevant information

Knowledge, experience, and skills

• Previous experience in organising international conferences, experience with academic conferences is preferred
• Excellent financial and logistical planning skills
• Previous work experience in the MENA region, particularly in Egypt, strongly desired
• Excellent communication skills in Arabic and English
• Ability to work virtually with a diverse group of people
• Strong skills in diplomacy and consensus building
• Ability to work independently and with little supervision

How to apply

To apply for this position please send:

• Your CV
• A cover letter outlining your previous experience in organising similar events
• A proposal on how you would undertake planning the conference, what are some of the challenges that you anticipate and how you would tackle them.
• A total fee for your services
• A completed VAT form

Please send your application documents to: menaaciconsultant@transparency.org

The closing date for applications is 15 May 2013.

We thank all applicants for their interest in this position. Please note only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

To learn more about Transparency International visit our website at www.transparency.org