This is your chance to be a leader in one of the nation’s top public media newsrooms, serving nearly all of Minnesota and parts of surrounding states with 450,000 weekly listeners and a digital audience topping three million in August. Minnesota Public Radio News is seeking an experienced editorial manager to join our award-winning team, the only statewide public media network in Minnesota. We are committed to creating trusted and meaningful connections with and for curious people, through courageous journalism and authentic conversation across multiple channels that inform, include, and inspire our audiences.
Our audience trusts MPR News to provide insightful, independent, fact-based journalism that holds people and institutions accountable, and you will be the ethical compass for the newsroom, ensuring that our ethics guidelines are infused into everything we do. As the Managing Editor, you will lead and be accountable for editorial decisions on all MPR News channels. You should be a seasoned journalist with a strong editorial vision and significant leadership experience who fosters a performance-management culture that brings out the best from our talented staff. You’re a journalist who has demonstrated you understand what’s possible and increasingly expected when it comes to meeting the needs and interests of audiences on digital platforms. You’re a creative and collaborative leader who can motivate and inspire journalists to break news and provide the distinctive, memorable coverage our curious audience expects across channels.
Along with the MPR News Executive Editor, Program Director and management team, you will champion the development of a vision and effective strategy to strengthen the newsroom’s community impact across the state and region, as well as enhance our professional culture to better understand and reflect the diverse communities we cover and serve.
This position is central to the success of our strategic priority to focus on local news to grow and diversify our audience through better understanding of their needs and interests. You will be a leader in shaping and executing our strategic priorities from superior content creation and curation to fully harnessing the technological tools and practices essential to innovate, grow engagement and relevance in a dynamic multichannel landscape. Staying current with media consumer trends, metrics and competitors is a must. This position requires a highly creative, collaborative, and disciplined leader who is well-versed in multichannel journalism, data journalism, existing and emerging technology and products to engage news audiences.
This position reports to the Executive Editor of MPR News and requires collaboration with the Program Director and news leadership, as well as other MPR departments including: Audience Insights, Broadcast Operations, The Current, YourClassical MPR, Communications, Community Engagement, Network Stations, Community and Government Relations, Development, Digital Products, Finance, Events, Marketing, Membership, People and Culture, Technology and Underwriting Sales.
Expected Compensation Range: $155,000 - $200,000 USD annualized. Exact rate determined by experience and education related to the role, organizational compensation structure, and internal equity.
Work Location: St. Paul, MN
Application Process: Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.
Application Deadline: Until filled.
Position Responsibility:
- In alignment with the Executive Editor and Program Director, set an editorial vision to produce distinctive, engaging and impactful journalism on all channels.
- Manage daily decision-making, collaborating with editors to plan, communicate, and execute multichannel news coverage.
- Ensure that MPR News leads the region in quality, scope, and depth of its journalism, across channels.
- Work closely with other MPR departments, including community engagment, network stations, events, marketing, communications, and audience insights, to better understand and serve our news audience across channels.
- Establish a culture of engagement and professional development, fostering innovation and inspiring creativity and collaboration across the organization.
- Align job responsibilities and staff skills to maximize effectiveness.
- Work to recruit and retain a diverse team of industry-leading journalists from varying backgrounds and skills.
- Coach and mentor staff on exceptional journalism reporting, writing, and delivery.
- Collaborate with content leaders across the APMG companies on shared Content Initiatives.
- Other duties as assigned.
Required Education and Experience:
- Bachelor’s Degree from accredited university, preferably in journalism or equivalent work experience.
- 10+ years of relevant work experience in editing, broadcast, print or online journalism.
- 5+ years of supervisory/management experience.
- Track record of hiring, developing and retaining journalists from a diverse mix of backgrounds.
- Experience/accomplishment in exceptional daily and enterprise reporting, including data journalism across multichannels.
- Commitment to growing and understanding audience behaviors.
- Knowledge of content management systems and industry technology.
- Experience in planning and managing ambitious, strategic projects in a fast-paced news environment, coordinating across teams and platforms; tracking long-term project timelines and deliverables while maintaining exceptional daily news delivery.
Required Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:
- Proven editorial judgment with a commitment to accuracy, fairness and balance.
- Commitment to the highest standard of public service journalism.
- Ability to work across a range of skills and in a flexible manner, carrying out responsibilities in accordance with MPR’s mission, values and professional standards.
- Ability to prioritize work and make resource decisions accordingly.
- Excellent coaching, communication, and teamwork skills.
- Knowledge of the law and its application to a nonprofit news service.
- Ability to interact and represent the newsroom to other divisions and to the public.
- Ability to advocate for newsroom throughout the organization and with outside groups.
- Commitment to the highest editorial standards.
- Ability to collaborate with outside organizations.
Preferred Skills and Experience:
- Demonstrated broadcast experience and success as a programmer and leader, ideally in public or non-profit media.
- Demonstrated passion and experience for multi-channel content development, delivery, audience impact, and revenue growth.
- Proven success as an inspiring, empowering leader who is committed to employee growth and development.
- Extensive personal experience as a consumer/user of digital-social-mobile media, publishing, and other electronic information and emerging communication technologies.
- Knowledge of Live Events as potential for audience engagement and service.
Reporting to This Position:
- Deputy Managing Producer, Planning
- Deputy Managing Editor, Regional & Politics
- Deputy Managing Editor, Digital
- Deputy Managing Editor, Culture and Community
- Other editors as assigned
Physical Demands and Working Conditions:
- Must be able to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
- Physical Demands:
- Required to move about in an office environment and sit for extended periods of time
- Frequent use of hands for data entry/keystrokes and simple grasping
- Working Conditions:
APMG offers a comprehensive benefits package including Medical plans with HSA and FSA options, Dental, Vision, Life and AD&D, Short-Term and Long-Term Disability, Paid Parental Leave and Paid Caregiver Leave after 1 year, Vacation (3 wks./per year, pro-rated, based on hours worked), Sick time (12 days, pro-rated, based on hours worked), Holiday Pay (10 holidays + 2 floating holidays each year), Volunteer Time (8 hours per year), Long-Term Care and Critical Illness insurance options, Employee Assistance Program, 403(b) Retirement Plan, and more.
Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.
We are committed to hiring a breadth of diverse professionals and encourage members of diverse groups to apply.
Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.
