KUOW seeks a chief content officer

The Chief Content Officer (CCO) will provide leadership and vision for all programming, podcasting, and journalism at KUOW. Reporting to the President & General Manager, Caryn Mathes, the CCO’s role is to ultimately enhance design and integrity of content, expand offerings and their impact, and provide overall editorial leadership and direction, to increase consumption of and loyalty to KUOW content. The CCO leads a talented team of 62 professionals, and directly oversees four positions: Director of Audience, News Director, Director of New Content & Innovation, and Director of Community Engagement. The CCO leads inter-division engagement to position KUOW’s content for greatest success in discoverability, appeal, habituation, and financial support.

As the highest-ranking content creation officer at KUOW, the CCO will be a courageous thought leader and visionary storyteller. They will embody an unwavering commitment to racial equity, diversity, and social justice, and incorporate best practices across all platforms to ensure KUOW is a trusted source of information. The CCO works closely with the President & General Manager, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, and Chief Digital Officer and other division professionals, and has responsibility for providing vision and assisting leadership in making strategic as well as opportunistic decisions presented by present and emerging market conditions and trends. In collaboration with leadership, they will approach industry-wide challenges with fresh perspective, innovative thinking, and comfort in disruption.

Major Objectives:

Within the first 12 to 18 months, the Chief Content Officer will achieve the following major objectives:

Establish strong, trusting relationships through capable leadership with the President & General Manager, leadership team, and staff.

Promote an integrated culture of innovation, support, and empowerment across the content division, inspiring greater collaboration, connectivity, and transparency. Assess and identify gaps division-wide and explore the potential for a more effective team structure to ensure stronger integration.

Through visionary leadership, develop a strategic plan to build capacity and digital audience, generate revenue, and enhance outreach and impact of KUOW’s service.

Empower and motivate Content leadership and teams to strive for highest quality and output of trusted original production, programming, and coverage.

Responsibilities:

The Chief Content Officer will have the following primary responsibilities:

Lead, mentor, and inspire the work of a high-performing team to meet or exceed all goals, ensuring strategies are aligned with KUOW’s high-level strategic priorities.

Develop and implement a comprehensive strategic work plan for the Content division that provides vision and cohesion among Programming, Newsroom, Local Content, Community Engagement, and RadioActive units, with clearly defined revenue goals with performance metrics, instilling a sense of accountability and openness to feedback.

Partner with the leadership team and Content division directors to establish integrated audience and revenue growth goals across the organization.

Oversee and direct more than 26,000 hours annually of broadcast content (three channels), while charting a bold path forward to strategically expand digital content offerings on existing and emerging platforms with an aim of attracting new audiences and deepening engagement with existing audiences.

Design standards and procedures to acquire, coach, evaluate, and hold accountable high-quality content-making and content delivery talent. Define, instruct, and model excellence through both qualitative and quantitative measures.

Serve as KUOW’s representative in collective bargaining (SAG-AFTRA), assisting UW Labor Relations.

Collaborate with the Digital division in pursuit of optimal discoverability of KUOW’s content and high-quality digital user experience; maintain close connection with Research unit to ensure data-informed content effectiveness and staff performance.

Collaborate with the Marketing Division to align editorial priorities toward the goal of audience development, growth of service, and delivering value to consumers; maintain close connection with Philanthropy and Membership units to assist in conversion of consumers into financial supporters.

Provide operational support, creative assistance, and personal participation to grow revenue, including grant writing and high-level solicitation. Provide input for on-air fundraising as “special programming”.

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate will bring most of the following qualifications and skill sets:

A passionate commitment to the mission, vision, and values of KUOW and a deep connection to journalism grounded in truth made available for a wide range of constituencies.

At least five to seven years of senior-level journalism experience in a modern media environment and significant expertise guiding strategy and leading large teams. Experience with public media, digital content and programming, navigating a hybrid university/community radio licensee and union environment, and the opportunities and challenges of issues facing a disrupted and dis-intermediated media environment would be an advantage; also familiarity with the Puget Sound Region market and/or previous track record of quickly acclimating to a market.

A confident, relational manager with an ability to develop, inspire, mentor, and unite large, diverse teams, while championing an unwavering commitment to KUOW and UW’s commitment of promoting a diverse, inclusive, and equitable work environment.

Demonstrated track record of leading organizations through change with excellent judgement; implementing both a creative and analytical approach to recommendations, negotiating, and decision making. Persuasive and passionate communicator with outstanding interpersonal skills, skilled at minimizing conflict.

Ability to bring ideas to diversify audience appeals, possessing knowledge of interactive media, publishing, and other electronic information and emerging communication technologies.

Strong tactical expertise in journalism development, possessing knowledge of how to effectively present content to current core audience and emerging new audience, on-air, online, and on-demand, including podcast offerings.

Constantly have finger on the pulse, modeling, leading, and supporting, an integrated feedback approach to KUOW content making, integrating community input into KUOW’s editorial strategy.

Ability to navigate crisis management and collaborate on crisis communications process, both internally and externally.

Understanding and appreciation of regulatory, governance, and rights management regulations in the electronic media industry; also “firewall” issues relevant to a news organization and professional journalists.

A bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in telecommunications or related industry is required. An advanced degree would be an advantage.

Salary: $91,728 to $276,036

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