Director of Digital Content
Application instructions for this and all current OPB employment opportunities are available at OPB's careers page.
About OPB
OPB is a leader in public media, serving diverse communities of the Northwest with fact-based, in-depth news and information about politics, the environment, science, arts, history, and cultures, business, education and more. Powered by the generous support of members, OPB seeks out a variety of voices in our communities and lifts up authentic stories of the people, places, events and issues of the region, providing context and a deeper understanding. OPB’s independent journalism and programs are available at opb.org, on OPB Radio and OPB TV. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.
The Opportunity
OPB is hiring a Director of Digital Content! We're searching for a journalist with a strong editorial focus and a digital-first mindset to lead and work closely with our robust team of 7, consisting of a deputy digital editor and 6 digital producers.
In this pivotal role, you will manage and support OPB's Digital Content team to ensure that our presentation on digital platforms upholds our mission, vision and values. You will also be the driving force behind our editorial presence on social media and our social media product approach. As the director of digital content, you’ll ensure that the editorial role of the team is carefully defined, and expectations are clear. Thinking critically about the OPB brand, our commitment to inclusivity and staying abreast of platforms; including knowing how to effectively use them to inform and engage our audience will be critical in this role. Using this as a framework will guide your collaboration with other content teams within OPB to determine what should go on which platform.
You'll be at the inception of relevant projects, and you’ll use your expertise in digital content presentation and strong news judgment to guide us in determining priorities in the digital content space. The work you do will directly impact how our audience experiences OPB on digital platforms.
At OPB our mission is to connect people across Oregon and the Pacific Northwest through the power of a shared story and doing this within the digital sphere is becoming increasingly important. As the Director of Digital Content your work in integrating new efforts in video and digital space will support that growth! If you're passionate about shaping the digital future of journalism, we want to hear from you!
Position Details
The Director of Digital Content ensures that OPB’s editorial content is distributed in a timely and effective manner on appropriate digital platforms. This person is responsible for ensuring that OPB’s digital presentation reflects OPB’s commitment to cover a diverse range of people and perspectives in the communities within our coverage area. This position leads Digital Content’s daily operations and support staff and workflows to ensure that OPB’s digital content meets our standards for accuracy, writing quality, adherence to OPB and AP style guidance and ethical handling of headlines, photos, data visualizations and other journalistic elements unique to digital platforms. For content developed by non-editorial teams, the Director, Digital Content, will serve as a partner, providing editorial perspectives and coordination. The Director collaborates with editorial leaders in the News/Talk/Podcasts, Science & Environment, Arts & Culture and Visuals units to create effective digital presentations of OPB producers’ work and to coordinate content publishing strategies across units. This position also ensures that journalism content shared in OPB’s social media channels consistently reflects the organization’s mission, vision, and values as they relate to public service journalism. This person serves as the Digital Content department’s primary liaison with key departments at OPB, including Development and Programming & Audience Engagement, contributing to strategic and tactical efforts to build and retain audiences across digital platforms. They also share and interpret data about the use and impact of OPB’s digital content in partnership with OPB’s audience intelligence staff.
Responsibilities
60% - Supervision of daily editorial digital content output and producer team
Lead and supervise a team of digital content producers in a way that upholds OPB’s mission, vision, and values
Set and maintain high editorial standards for all elements of OPB’s digital journalism output in conjunction with newsroom leadership
Manage schedules to ensure staff are available for timely updates of OPB.org and social media channels
Support the growth and development of direct reports offering coaching, recognition, and feedback to optimize performance and employee engagement
Write, edit, copy edit, and post stories as needed that reflect OPB’s commitment to cover a diverse range of people and perspectives in the communities within our coverage area. Serve as primary editorial lead for homepage story placement
Keep team informed and aligned with department and organizations strategies
Work with Chief Content Officer to develop annual department budget and monitor expenses
25% - Coordinate with editorial leaders to ensure effective digital distribution of OPB content:
.
Ensure OPB.org, social media channels and other digital distribution platforms offer users the most engaging and timely information available and reflect the communities represented throughout our region
Communicate with digital producers, content editors and on-air staff about breaking news and story priorities to guarantee that our journalism is displayed in the most impactful way
Collaborate with peers across content units, including News/Talk/Podcasts, Science & Environment, Arts & Culture and Visuals to suggest, plan for and ensure a variety of stories are strategically shared across our digital platforms
Stay current on development of new features for OPB’s content management system and incorporate best practices into daily workflow
Manage vendor relationships for online tools used by digital content teams and coordinate training for use of those tools by OPB staff
10% - Engage with leaders from other departments, including Development and Programming & Audience Engagement, and peers in digital content across public media
Director, Digital Content will serve as a partner, providing coordination and editorial perspectives on copy and other factors
Participate in or designate participants from Digital Content to join product teams involving projects spanning multiple departments
Serve as primary Digital Content liaison to Programming & Audience Engagement and Development departments for coordination of efforts to build and retain digital audiences
Participate in development and assessment of strategies involving digital content, including email newsletters, social media, mobile apps, and other platforms
Collaborate with Director of Platform and Product to prioritize and execute efforts to expand the reach and functionality of Arc and other digital platforms
Collaborate with Programming & Audience Engagement, and Development teams on major digital initiatives, dividing up social media strategies according to the distinct roles each team occupies, timing story launches to meet both content, audience development and messaging/outreach needs
Represent OPB in meetings of the MAC digital leads group
5% - Other duties, as assigned
Working Conditions:
Most work can be done in an office or remotely using a computer. Work schedule will be determined by OPB business needs, primarily Monday through Friday during business hours.
Supervises:
This position plans, assigns and approves work; responds to grievances, disciplines and rewards; recommends hiring; hires; recommends salary adjustments; prepares and signs performance reviews their direct reports; and leads project teams.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education, training and experience that provides the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities for this position
Five years of experience in professional digital journalism
Two years supervisory experience managing individuals or teams responsible for digital content production
Demonstrated commitment to journalistic integrity and evidence of using strong editorial judgment in a journalistic setting
Demonstrated ability to balance urgency and depth in story selection and website presentation
Keen sense of how to improve people’s work and support them to do their best
Strong organizational and time management skills, including the ability to manage multiple projects concurrently
Ability to incorporate broad strategic goals into daily operations
Experience creating content for social media that meets organizational strategic needs
Experience in producing coverage reflecting a diverse range of people and perspectives in the content
Enthusiasm for the mission, vision, and values of OPB
Preferred Qualifications
Bilingual in English and another language, preferably one spoken in communities in the Pacific Northwest (for example, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese and Russian)
Familiarity with Arc XP content management system
A voracious news consumer with knowledge of major stories and issues in the Northwest
Additional Information
This position reports to Senior VP of Content and is benefits eligible
The probable hiring range for this exempt position is between $78,000-$88,000 annually, depending on qualifications.
For the safety of our employees, the contractors/vendors we work with, and the public we serve, OPB has a mandatory COVID vaccination policy, and all employees are required to show proof of vaccination.
How to Apply
For application instructions, please visit OPB's careers page You will be asked to create an account, upload your cover letter and resume and answer a few position related questions. Once you click “submit” you cannot make changes to your application.
Your application materials are due by 8:59 PM Pacific Time on April 12, 2024
OPB is an Equal Opportunity Employer.