News & Public Affairs Director

Job Title :

News & Public Affairs Director

Candidates should take the time to read all the elements of this job advert carefully Please make your application promptly.Department :

News DepartmentReports To :

Station ManagerFLSA Status :

ExemptHours :

FULL TIME, may include early mornings, evenings, weekends, or flexible hoursPositions Supervised :

Associate News Producer, Climate & Environment Reporter, volunteer news and public affairs producers, news department internsLocation :

Based in Boulder, COTravel :

Limited Regional, Frequent Local

Position SummaryThe KGNU News & Public Affairs Director is a dynamic, energetic, creative, team-oriented, and talented individual responsible for leading KGNU’s award-winning News Department.

The News Director is responsible for coordinating and guiding the editorial agenda, overall direction, and day-to-day operations of the KGNU News Department.

The News Director must excel in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented, collaborative environment.The ideal candidate is a superb journalist and experienced manager with excellent organizational skills and high journalistic standards who brings an inspiring, social, and racial equity-centered editorial vision that will address local news and information gaps with the skills to implement a strategy to achieve it.

Our newsroom prioritizes community relevance and engagement.The News Director leads KGNU’s daily local news coverage across all platforms : radio, podcast, web, social media, and multimedia.

The News Director will drive the daily reporting with a combination of energy and calm, creativity and consistency. The News Director will ensure that news coverage and public affairs programming reflect the highest standards of journalistic ethics, audio production, and public service to the KGNU audience and the communities we serve.

The News Director manages our small but mighty team of staff reporters and producers; while providing journalistic guidance, coordination, training, and management of our volunteer reporters, producers, hosts, and interns.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.Essential Duties and Responsibilities Include (but may not be limited to) : News Department Management / Leadership

Lead and Manage the overall direction of the KGNU News DepartmentSupervise and manage all news department employees, volunteers, and internsMaintain the utmost Editorial Integrity across the News Department

News & Public Affairs Programming

Uphold and lead editorial direction of KGNU News & Public Affairs ProgrammingDevelop and maintain KGNU News & Public Affairs online / digital presenceFind, develop, and recommend News Programming, including recommendations to the overall News & Public Affairs program scheduleDevelop and coordinate News Department Special Programming (Fund Drives, Election Coverage, Occasional Pre-Emptions)

Production

Uphold and ensure editorial standards of daily News & Public Affairs content productionCoordinate, Produce, and Host Morning News ProgrammingCoordinate, Develop, and Produce News, Public Affairs, Special, and Election CoverageCoordinate and Produce Fund Drive Specials for the News Department, including live on-air pitching

Support and Train Volunteers / Interns in the News Department

Train volunteers who contribute to local news & public affairs content productionMaintain an active intern program for the News Department

Develop Strategic News Partnerships and Community Engagement

Represent the KGNU News Department with integrity, respect, and the highest standardsWork with local organizations to develop relevant reporting partnershipsHost community engagement opportunities to gain insight into community information needs

The Qualifications listed below represent the required knowledge, skills, and / or abilities.Required Qualifications : Minimum 3 years of related newsroom experience (reporting, editorial, production)Minimum 3 years experience in broadcast media production (producing, hosting, reporting, editing)Extraordinary interviewing skills, with a positive, inquisitive, and personable presenceSuperb verbal and written communication skillsSuperb editorial integrity and skillsDemonstrated Excellence in digital audio editing (Audition, Soundforge, Audacity, Hindenburg )High proficiency in office suites;

excel, word, Google Docs / DriveProficiency in project management suites (Asana, Airtable, Coda, Trello, etc)Demonstrated experience developing strategies to meet local news and information needsProven history of implementing or managing online and Social Media news distribution strategiesProficiency in tracking goals & results, generating accurate reports, and recommending directionExceptional organizational skills with attention to detailAbility to efficiently carry out multiple activities and responsibilities in one jobProven track record working effectively and enthusiastically in collaboration with and managing a wide variety of people of all ages and backgrounds, both in group settings and one-to-oneAvailable to work outside of regular hours during required special news coverage cycles, fundraising campaigns, and community eventsPreferred Qualifications : Bilingual Spanish and English Fluency is an extremely valued skill for this roleDemonstrated commitment to independent mediaPrior experience working in and passion for community or public radio broadcastingExperience developing and editing multimedia, photos, graphics, or video with multimedia software (Photoshop, Premier) for digital publicationExperience publishing to podcast platforms and proven podcast distribution strategiesPrior experience publishing to WordPress and online platforms (CorePublisher, Joomla)Experience using MailChimp or similar electronic newsletter interfacesDemonstrated experience working with and coordinating volunteersPrior experience with conflict resolutionPrior experience developing training resources for media-makersKnowledge and understanding of the Colorado media landscape and local issuesRelated Experience :

On-air public broadcasting, news collection, reporting, general management (community or public media)

Hours, Compensation, and Benefits (Full Time)Full Time

including early weekday mornings, some evenings and weekends (requiring flexibility)$55,000 $63,500 Base Salary commensurate with experienceKGNU values its employees.

This position comes with comprehensive health insurance with multiple plan options and optional add-ons, and a generous and flexible PTO policy, among other station benefits.

This full-time position is based at KGNU’s Boulder, CO studios.

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE APPLYING : Please submit a

cover letter (2 pages max) , a current up-to-date

résumé , links to

three (3) audio samples

of related past on-air hosting work, links to

two (2) written samples , and contact information for

three professional references

relevant to this job opening).In your cover letter please address how the skills, experience, and qualifications that you possess :

• make you qualified for the demands of this leadership position; how you would contribute to creating a culturally inclusive environment in the role for which you are applying;
• your strategic approach to ensure KGNU fills the gaps of the local news and informational needs of the growing and diverse communities we serve;

and your vision for taking the KGNU News Department into a new era.

All Submissions should be made by

email ONLY

and directed to the

KGNU News & Public Affairs Director Search Committee.No phone calls, please.Application Deadline : Applications submitted by February 5, 2024, will be given priority for review.

Position Open Until Filled.The need is immediate.Applications will be reviewed as they arrive.Interviews will be scheduled accordingly.

An automatic confirmation will be sent to each individual who applies.

ONLY APPLICANTS INVITED TO INTERVIEW

FOR THE POSITION

WILL BE CONTACTED

BY EMAIL OR PHONE

after review of their application.

KGNU is committed to creating and supporting a culturally inclusive environment through diversity, equity, and inclusivity.

KGNU is committed to providing an Equal Employment Opportunity and environment that is free from bullying, discrimination, and / or harassment based on race, age, creed, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or pregnancy, or any other characteristic protected by state, federal, or local law. We

strongly

encourage applications from people of all genders, Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and people with disabilities.

Application Checklist : Current Resume / CVCover Letter ( 2 pages max ) addressing the questions cited aboveContact Information for three professional referencesAttach or Link to

three (3) short audio samples of past on-air hosting workAttach or Link to

two (2) written samples of your journalistic workYou must be an AIR member to view this page#J-18808-Ljbffr