Manager, Business Strategy & Planning

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.

Intro to Position

NPR’s Collaborative Journalism Network is leading an effort to build a new architecture for collaboration among NPR and more than 200 public media outlets around the country. We are creating regional newsrooms that enable groups of stations to share content and some staff positions; standing up teams of station beat reporters who cover the same topics and can identify trends across multiple communities; and sharing specialized skills and expertise in areas such as investigative reporting, data journalism,  podcasting, and audience analytics and engagement. We’ve added dozens of new reporting and editing positions across the country, supported by grants, partner contributions and sponsorship. 

The Collaborative Journalism Network is seeking a Manager, Business Strategy and Planning to help plan for and ensure financial sustainability for this work. The strategist will identify opportunities for new products and new revenue streams. The strategist will also help create business plans for new regional newsrooms as part of our effort to bring this model to more parts of the country. While the position is based at NPR, the strategist will also work closely with finance and development leaders at the many stations involved in these collaborations. 

This is a great opportunity for someone who is inspired by the mission of public media, enjoys working with multiple stakeholders and is a detail-oriented problem solver. If you have experience developing new business strategies, helping grow existing business models and working with mission-driven organizations, we’d like to hear from you. 

This is an NPR editorial role covered under the terms of the NPR Ethics Handbook. All editorial staff are bound by this guidance. Editorial staff are defined as staff members who play a role in shaping the journalistic or creative direction of NPR's content, including events.    

Responsibilities

• Support strategy for achieving financial sustainability of the regional newsrooms
• Analyze performance metrics to inform business strategies, including producing regular reports that summarize information and trends 
• Oversee budget performance analysis across regional newsroom budgets, identify risks and opportunities and proactively advise leadership on course corrective actions and resource allocations 
• Support development of business plans to launch new regional newsrooms, including assessing resource requirements and developing cost estimate models
• Act as a strategic business partner to regional newsrooms, guiding the identification, evaluation and prioritization of new product opportunities to diversify revenue streams and drive engagement 
• Work with colleagues in other departments to develop contracts and legal agreements for partnerships and products
• Champion an inclusive, collaborative culture. 

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.

Minimum Qualifications

• BA in business administration, finance, journalism, public media or related field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 3 or more years of experience in business strategy, finance, operations management or a related field 

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing business plans, financial models and sustainability strategies
• Strong financial acumen with the ability to interpret, manage and analyze budgets
• Experience working in or with public media, journalism, non profit organizations or mission driven entities
• Understanding of newsroom operations, editorial budgeting and/or collaborative journalism models
• Familiarity with revenue development models for non profit organizations, including grants, sponsorships and underwriting
• Experience designing and launching new products, programs, or revenue-generating initiatives
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills, written and verbal communication skills and and interpersonal skills
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams and multiple stakeholders 
• Experience with tools such as Airtable, Google sheets, Microsoft Excel and other database, financial modeling and workflow management platforms 

Education Requirements

•  Bachelor's degree or equivalent in work experience

Work Location & Requirements

• 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 3 days per week. 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-$122,500 annually 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.

#LI-Hybrid

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.

If you are a person with a disability needing assistance with the application process, please reach out to employeerelations@npr.org.

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