Corporate Communications Manager

OVERVIEW

A thriving, mission-driven multimedia organization, NPR produces award-winning news, information, and music programming in partnership with hundreds of independent public radio stations across the nation. The NPR audience values information, creativity, curiosity, and social responsibility – and our employees do too. We are innovators and leaders in diverse fields, from journalism and digital media to IT and development. Every day, our employees and member stations touch the lives of millions worldwide. 

Across our organization, we’re building a workplace where collaboration is essential, diverse voices are heard, and inclusion is the key to our success. We are committed to doing the right thing in our journalism and in every role at NPR. This means that integrity, adherence to our ethical standards, and compliance with legal obligations are fundamental responsibilities for every employee at NPR.

NPR’s Communications division advances NPR’s mission and reach with strategic, transparent, and trustworthy messaging. We extend audience awareness of NPR’s work with a focus on increasing the reach of NPR’s journalism and the diversity of its audience. We strengthen NPR’s decision-making by bringing expertise on the needs and perspectives of NPR’s staff and audience to strategic conversations. We build trust and accountability within our organization by providing staff with inclusive and equitable access to the information they need to succeed.

The Corporate Communications Supervising Manager is responsible for managing internal communications strategy, channels, and activities that support staff understanding of NPR’s goals, priorities, and brand. The Manager supervises and mentors the Corporate Communications Sr. Associate. The Manager is responsible for creating a range of materials for use in corporate communications (such as newsletters, presentations, video messages, graphics) and ensuring that NPR’s internal communications tools and resources present accurate, engaging, and audience-centric information and reflect the NPR brand, strategy, and mission. The manager is an informed source of information about current staff perceptions, attitudes, issues, and concerns as relevant to internal communications needs and strategies, and recommends communications strategies that support both the organization’s ambitions and staff needs.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manages Corporate Communications staff. 
• Motivates, coaches, and trains Corporate Communications staff in Associate and/or Sr. Associate roles, developing plans, goals, and strategies for improvement and advancement. 
• Models and incorporates DEI practices for team management and hiring.
• Implements NPR’s internal and external business strategies and priorities.
• Oversees Corporate Communications interns (when applicable).
• Documents Corporate Communications processes and creates continuity plans. Trains staff designated as backups for Corporate Communications work.
• Creates, leads, and executes communications plans and strategies that support NPR operational needs and goals. 
• Supports the Sr. Director, Communications & Audience Relations (Sr. Director) in the development and execution of communications plans for NPR Management (Executive and Leadership Team), including the launch of new projects and programs, executive-level transitions, and other news that may be highly sensitive and/or privileged and confidential. Supports the Sr. Director on drafting and executing Executive communications: speeches, correspondence, presentations, and other strategic communications from senior leadership. Supports the Sr. Director on drafting and executing communications to NPR/NPM supervisors.
• Provides support for all-staff meetings and supervisor meetings, including recommending topics and speakers; speaker coordination; on-site and remote logistics support; moderation and hosting support; preparing and editing presentation materials as needed; preparing and disseminating summaries of meeting materials (recordings and resources). 
• Responsible for the editorial oversight of NPR’s internal all-staff newsletter.
• Responsible for upholding the newsletter’s tone, style, and standards. In close partnership with the Sr. Director, the Manager also establishes the newsletter’s tone, style, and standards.  
• Responsible for establishing, maintaining, and communicating the newsletter’s front- and back-end processes. Creates efficient editorial processes (the newsletter’s submission process and editorial calendar, for example). 
• Responsible for ensuring that the staff newsletter is consistent in tone and message, and; that the newsletter is engaging and informative, accurate, timely, and amplifies NPR’s strategies.
• Strategically manages the timing of the newsletter, balancing needs related to scheduled events as well as other company announcements and executive communications.
• Plans, writes, edits, and proofreads content for the newsletter.
• Responsible for the editorial oversight of NPR’s Intranet.
• Responsible for upholding the Intranet’s tone, style, and standards. In close partnership with the Sr. Director, the Manager establishes the Intranet’s tone, style, and standards.  
• Establishes editorial strategy for the Intranet, to make the site a useful and easy to use resource for staff (content and content presentation; and partners with the Communications Project Manager and Sr. Director on the site’s infrastructure and navigation.
• Strategizes on new ways the Intranet can be utilized; i.e., what features we can use to our advantage (separate calendars, highlighting divisions, org charts; homepage layouts)
• Along with the Communications Project Manager, informs decisions made by Communications senior leadership and IT leadership regarding contracts with CMS vendors.
• Supports IT’s communications with the Intranet vendor when troubleshooting technical issues.
• Posts and oversees the posting of content and multimedia features to the Intranet; manages quality control for overall Intranet content (content maintained by Communications, as well as by others);
• Oversees and maintains the Intranet company-wide calendar to ensure it reflects relevant events and activities.
• Identifies relevant stakeholders and editors; oversees and manages a set of “content owners” on the Intranet. Included in this work is:
• Designs processes to keep track of who is a content owner, and who owns which content across the Intranet.
• Trains content owners on Intranet standards, tone, style, and CMS functionality.
• Provide editorial feedback and consultation on content presentation
• Provides troubleshooting support to people who experience issues with accessing, editing, and maintaining the Intranet; and escalates issues to IT as needed.
• Ensures that digital displays at NPR Facilities reflect timely and engaging information of use and importance for on-site staff; Oversees the posting of content to the digital displays. As needed, develops graphics for use on the platform. Manages overall communications strategy for digital displays.

The above duties and responsibilities are not an exhaustive list of required responsibilities, duties and skills. Other duties may be assigned, and this job description can be modified at any time.

REQUIRED SKILLS

• 5+ years of experience working in communications and public relations, or a related field.
• Excellent written communications skills and demonstrated strategic vision for multi-channel communications.
• Excellent verbal and presentation skills.
• Proficiency in basic visual design and basic familiarity with design tools (ex: Canva, Figma, Adobe CC, etc.).
• Proficiency with communications and administrative applications (ex: G-Suite, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and newsletter platforms (ex: Mailchimp, Emma, Salesforce).
• Experience using a CMS.
• Exceptional organizational and time management skills and ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously.
• Collaborative working style, experience working in small teams, and the ability to complete high-quality independent work.

PREFERRED SKILLS

• Experience managing a team.
• Knowledge of public radio, local public stations, and the public broadcasting system, and affinity for public radio’s mission and service.

EDUCATION REQUIREMENT

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.

WORK LOCATION

• Hybrid Permitted: This is a hybrid permitted role. Some aspects of this role include duties that are better performed at an NPR facility. The employee will be required to be onsite at the Washington, DC  office at least 10 days a year. The employee must also reside in an NPR supported location based on the number of onsite days they choose.

JOB TYPE

• This is a full time, exempt position.

COMPENSATION

Salary Range: The U.S. based anticipated salary range for this opportunity is $105,000 – $115,000 plus benefits. The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum salaries NPR expects to provide for new hires for the position across all US locations.

Benefits: NPR offers access to comprehensive benefits for employees and dependents. Regular, full-time employees scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week are eligible to enroll in NPR’s benefits options. Benefits include access to health and wellness, paid time off, and financial well-being. Plan options include medical, dental, vision, life/ accidental death and dismemberment, long-term disability, short-term disability, and voluntary retirement savings to all eligible NPR employees. 

Does this sound like you? If so, we want to hear from you.

NPR is an Equal Opportunity Employer. NPR is committed to being an inclusive workplace that welcomes diverse and unique perspectives, all working toward the same goal – to create a more informed public. Qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, religious belief, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, lactation, and reproductive health decisions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, transgender status, gender non-conforming status, intersex status, sexual stereotypes, nationality, citizenship status, personal appearance, marital status, family status, family responsibilities, military status, veteran status, mental and physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, genetic characteristics of yourself or a family member, political views and affiliation, unemployment status, protective order status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, or any other basis prohibited under applicable law.

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