Blue Ridge Public Radio seeks a director of audience

At Blue Ridge Public Radio, you’ll develop strategies and manage, oversee or collaborate with teams to advance activities that drive audience growth in broadcast, digital, social, and in-person. Risk will be encouraged along with mistakes.

Essential Duties:

Leadership (40%):

Set strategic priorities and performance goals for audience growth on multiple platforms.
Determine broadcast, social and digital audience growth strategies.
Conceive of and drive brand-building marketing and/or audience campaigns (podcast, broadcast, digital/platform/app initiatives) that achieve positive audience and/or revenue results;
Collaborate with the News Director to develop targeted content (news) for target audiences.
Serve on senior leadership team to set organizational trajectories.
Analyze and report on key audience metrics to inform content and audience development strategies aligned to advancing organizational goals.
Lead multiplatform content strategy including podcasts, newsletters, on-demand programming, text etc.

Management (20%):

Structure department to meet information and cultural needs of the audience.
Develop and manage content, audience and engagement budget.
Provide consistent feedback for on-air hosts and announcers.
Manage the content and engagement budget.
Recruit, retain, supervise and coach a diverse team of announcers, producers and hosts (approximately four); schedule announcements.
Work with the Development Department to build strong cases to secure funding from major donors, foundations and grant applications for
Work with business-side functions as appropriate to develop audiences.
Serve as member of Community Forum’s steering committee and assist community participants with recruitment, working groups and related activities.
Develop and manage the department budget.

Audience Development and Engagement (20%):

Drive audience engagement by hosting listening sessions and researching the information needs of those underserved by journalism; Station lead in BPR’s Community Forum (aka Community Advisory Board) to assist in this work.
Oversee strategy for on-air imaging and promotion.
Work closely with the Director of Development’s staff to execute on-air fundraising plans.
Work with team members to produce newsletters, align social distribution, and advance SEO strategy.
In collaboration with the News Director, facilitate collaborative frameworks with other media organizations in the region and state to address news deserts in our area.
Work with relevant staff to identify and build content and community-related partnerships and collaborations with other media and/or with community organizations.
Oversee and/or directly manages BPR’s participation in such collaborations.
Collaborate with NPR and other national outlets on news coverage as appropriate.

Content Development and Programming (20%):

Create and ensure an inclusive, ongoing content development process that enables innovative ideas and inspires creative people.
Lead editorial process, planning and execution, of all BPR original non-news content.
Oversee acquisition, scheduling, distribution and promotion of all music and news content–including local, regional and national–for multiple platforms and audiences.
Review all on-air copy for on-air fundraising and facilitate coordination of on-air promotions.
Work closely with Business Sponsorship Director and Department on improving application of guidelines, workflows and processes; provide final edits of all business sponsorship copy.
Negotiate external content partnerships and work with the full BPR management team to find business models to support content production.
Serve as back up host/announcer.

We’re looking for candidates with:

At least five years’ experience directing marketing or audience development in a media organization. A news background and director/C-suite-level skills or experience are helpful.
Demonstrated ability to think critically about audience data and apply insights to advance organizational strategy.
Clear understanding of intersection of broadcast and digital programming.
Experience in direct management of department, cross functional teams and/or vendor partners.
Experience in and/or passionate about a coaching approach to supervision.
Demonstrated success in leading brand-building marketing or audience campaigns (podcast, broadcast, digital/platform/app initiatives) that achieved positive audience and/or revenue results.
Experience in driving organizational change.
Experience with data collection, analysis and presentation. Experience with design-thinking approach, or related (I.e. Table Stakes) is ideal.
Understanding and experience with the audience characteristics of the many communities that make up Western North Carolina.
Demonstrated project management skills.
Superior skills at cross-team leadership and collaboration.
The highest level of professional integrity.
Experience with and commitment to the principles and work of diversity, equity and inclusion in content, staff and community partnerships.
Excellent verbal and visualization skills, especially in the presentation of complicated data.
Demonstrated ability to create and manage budgets and develop strategic plans.