Managing Editor, Digital Audience Growth & Engagement

The Managing Editor, Digital Audience Growth & Engagement will be responsible for building, driving, and ensuring the execution of NPR’s digital audience strategy across NPR’s owned and operated and third party digital platforms including social media. The Managing Editor will be responsible for working across the content division in collaboration with broadcast and podcast shows, reporting desks, visuals and NPR Member stations to develop and execute on best practices for distribution of audio, text and video and visual content, breaking news, enterprise storytelling, and Member station content with a goal of growing new and existing audiences. The Managing Editor will be a thought leader in the content division focused on the implications, opportunities, and evolution of the digital landscape on key issues including but not limited to search, social, and AI for NPR and our Member stations.

NPR is working with its Member stations to knit together a unique and powerful network of local, regional, national, and international reporting. Championing and supporting collaboration with Member stations is an essential part of this position. This leader will forge new partnerships and cultivate strong relationships with stakeholders at NPR and across NPR Member stations. They will have the people skills to motivate and inspire their team to action and collaborate across a 600+ person division. The Managing Editor, Digital Audience Growth and Engagement will report directly to the Vice President and Executive Editor who also serves as the senior editorial leader for NPR.org and the NPR app.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Develop and implement a comprehensive digital growth strategy for NPR’s content teams, aligned with the organization’s strategic priorities.
Identify new market opportunities and emerging trends to stay ahead of NPR’s competitors in the digital media ecosystem.
Stay up to date with digital industry trends, budding technologies, and distribution best practices to identify opportunities and approaches for audience growth.
Develop and implement a comprehensive distribution strategy for NPR’s digital content that aligns with the organization’s strategic priorities and audience targets.
Serve as a key leader and voice for our digital audience across NPR’s content teams - working with the VP of News Programming, VP of Content, Cultural Programming, VP of Visuals and Music, and SVP of Podcast Strategy and Franchise development and their teams - to effectively bring the best of NPR’s journalism and storytelling to audiences with an emphasis on NPR’s North Star audience goals to reach younger, diverse audiences.
Develop best practices for the content division for delivering content, including audio, text, video breaking news, email, newsletters, push notifications, social strategy, and interactivity.
Partner collaboratively with all content teams, including NPR’s visuals, data visualizations and graphic teams, to champion best in class and new forms of digital journalism and story-telling.
Develop best practices for engaging our audiences and growing engagement. A vital function of this role will be to understand our audience segments across platforms and develop a strategy to engage users and tell stories with the right content for the moment across different channels.
Develop and share best practices around data with the content teams, and ensure data is front and center in decision-making and content creation.
Collaborate with the NPR Deputy Director of Digital Platforms and Curation and the NPR One team to create best in class mobile app experiences.
With the VP and Executive Editor, partner collaboratively with NPR’s Member Partnership team and Member stations to define and support audience growth strategies for the NPR network and explore future opportunities to best serve audiences seeking local and national NPR content.
Partner collaboratively with NPR’s visuals teams to engage audiences with the best in class visual audience content and experiences.
In partnership with the Digital Product team, VP Content Business Strategy and Operations, VP of Content Operations, and VP and Executive Editor, plan and execute growth strategies from new products to engagement tactics while serving as a key partner to drive the digital product roadmap from a content and audience perspective.
Collaborate with Content Production Operations team and others across NPR to ensure efficient, seamless digital production processes to support overall content creation and distribution.
Represent NPR, along with the VP and Executive Editor and SVP, Editor in Chief, at digital industry events and conferences.
Partner with the training team to develop curriculum for newsroom and Member stations on best practices for data, digital content, and engagement.
Cultivate and maintain strong partnerships with digital platforms, aggregators, and distribution channels to optimize the visibility and accessibility of NPR’s digital content.
Supervise multiple direct reports across NPR including preparing their regular performance reviews and making effective recommendations regarding any hiring, promotion, professional development, and discipline for these positions.

The above duties and responsibilities are not an exhaustive list of required responsibilities, duties and skills. Other duties may be assigned, and this job description can be modified at any time.

REQUIRED SKILLS:

Minimum 10 years of relevant managerial or professional experience in developing and executing digital editorial strategies at a journalism organization preferably at the national level.
At least 5 years newsroom management experience at the national level.
A record of multi-platform leadership with a knowledge of, and ability to lead, the myriad skills and disciplines necessary to succeed on digital platforms including: SEO, data and analytics, data, digital design and data visualization, social strategy & engagement, curation, aggregation and breaking news.
Demonstrated record of successfully developing, cultivating, and negotiating a full range of business and organizational relationships – partnership, alliances, collaborations, and vendor and client relationships.
Knowledge of the rapidly changing, competitive media environment, its strategic challenges and implications for NPR, Member stations, the public radio system, the media business, and society.
Decisive, dynamic, and authentic leadership style with high emotional intelligence, excellent communication and presentation skills and a passion for the mission of the organization.
Ability to handle multiple and complex projects simultaneously under stringent timeframes and changing priorities/conditions.
Commitment to promoting and delivering diversity in hiring and supporting a positive and inclusive culture.
Demonstrated skills in managing large projects and team building across cross-functional and highly matrixed teams.
Ability to respect input but ultimately be confident enough to take decisive action and take responsibility for said action.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Experience with or exposure to radio, audio, public radio, and NPR preferred.
Experience with audience strategies in support of audience marketing funnel and subscription, membership, or donation digital business models preferred.
Positive approach to embracing change.
Well developed interpersonal skills, ability to get along with diverse personalities.
Results oriented with the ability to balance other business considerations.

EDUCATION REQUIREMENT:

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required.

WORK LOCATION

Hybrid Permitted: This is a hybrid permitted role. Some aspects of this role include duties that are better performed at an NPR facility. The employee will be required to be onsite at the [Washington, DC / New York City / Chicago] office at least 10 days a year. The employee must also reside in an NPR supported location based on the number of onsite days they choose.

JOB TYPE

This is a full time, exempt position.

COMPENSATION

Salary Range: The U.S. based anticipated salary range for this opportunity is $180,000- $215,000 plus benefits. The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum salaries NPR expects to provide for new hires for the position across all US locations.

Benefits: NPR offers access to comprehensive benefits for employees and dependents. Regular, full-time employees scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week are eligible to enroll in NPR’s benefits options. Benefits include access to health and wellness, paid time off, and financial well-being. Plan options include medical, dental, vision, life/ accidental death and dismemberment, long-term disability, short-term disability, and voluntary retirement savings to all eligible NPR employees.

Does this sound like you? If so, we want to hear from you.
The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum salaries NPR expects to provide for new hires for the position across all US locations.
NPR Pay Range
$180,000—$215,000 USD