Position Summary:

The Gulf States Newsroom is a partnership among WWNO in New Orleans and WRKF in Baton Rouge, WBHM in Birmingham, Alabama, Mississippi Public Broadcasting in Jackson, and NPR. It's one of several regional hubs that are part of NPR's Collaborative Journalism Network, an initiative designed to better connect NPR with local member stations to tell the story of the whole country from everywhere in the country.

To develop the editorial vision for the Hub, to include daily news coverage, feature stories and enterprise journalism for radio and digital. To partner with station editors and NPR to articulate the goals and desired outcomes for the Gulf States Newsroom, pivoting and redesigning plans as necessary. To perform hands-on radio and digital editing of regional stories by hub and station reporters. To enforce deadlines. To distribute content and ensure processes are inclusive and that desired outcomes are broadly shared. To serve as central point of contact for editorial leaders at the stations and at NPR. To run weekly planning meetings with editors and regional team. To check in regularly with editors at the three managing stations, the NPR editor assigned to the Hub and smaller stations around the state.

To implement a communication process for everything from daily logistics to long-term planning, using phone calls, conference calls and interactive collaboration tools such as Slack. To ensure that that station priorities are communicated to NPR and vice versa. To resolve conflicts with focus on audience needs rather than internal wants. To recruit, to hire, to onboard and to train regional beat reporters and editors refining job descriptions, duties, salary, etc according to the needs of the hub. To develop systems and templates for hiring and onboarding that benefit stations and the wider industry.

Please submit a cover letter, resume, and two links to stories you reported or edited, along with a few sentences explaining the backstory of the piece and your role.

Core Responsibilities

Leadership & Vision

● Determine the direction of beats and team roles in collaboration with the partner stations and newsrooms

● Manage a team of nine (6 reporters, 2 editors and 1 producer) across three states

● Work to maintain a positive team culture among a remote team

● Set expectations and workflow for team members

Editorial

● Work with the deputy managing editor and digital editor on coverage planning

● Maintain current platforms for content and develop new initiatives

● Develop and implement systems for organization of content and distribution

● Serve as the central point of contact for editorial leaders at the stations and at NPR, and often as a connector and facilitator of collaboration

● Continue to expand community engagement and social media efforts

● Provide hands-on editing of radio or digital stories as needed

Business

● Work with the business manager to set budget priorities and spending expectations

● Work stakeholders on hiring new positions as needed

● Work with development director to share newsroom vision with funders

Salary Range: $63,875 - $90,000

Bachelor's degree in Journalism, Communications or a related field and five (5) years of related experience required. Work experience may NOT substitute for education requirement.

Preferred:

• Management experience
• Excellent communication skills

UAB is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution dedicated to providing equal opportunities and equal access to all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, sex (including pregnancy), genetic information, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and veteran’s status. As required by Title IX, UAB prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates. Individuals may report concerns or questions to UAB’s Assistant Vice President and Senior Title IX Coordinator. The Title IX notice of nondiscrimination is located at uab.edu/titleix.