Senior Podcast Producer, The Indicator Planet Money

Job Description

OVERVIEW

Across our organization, we're building a workplace where collaboration is essential, diverse voices are heard, and inclusion is the key to our success.

SUMMARY

The Indicator is one of the biggest daily podcasts around, reaching more than a million people each week through podcasts and radio and we're expanding our staff to be more ambitious in our coverage of the economy right now. There's a lot to cover.

We are looking for a Senior Producer with an interest/experience in editing to help us shape the next phase of this show's growth. The successful candidate will be an essential, leadership member of the team with considerable impact on the coverage and culture of the show. The Indicator entails working collaboratively in a small, tight-knit team that moves fast. Everyone is expected to pitch stories for the host(s) execute. The Senior Producer is the lead producer of a small team of talented staff. As such, we expect this person to demonstrate leadership, decisiveness, as well as kindness and mentorship with junior staff. All producers are expected to pitch stories, book guests, conduct interviews, gather tape, assist in field reporting, plan logistics of projects, collaborations, trips and generally whatever needs doing as well as mix episodes on very tight deadlines. Candidates should not apply if they do not want to be mixing audio on a regular basis or if they aren't excited by close collaboration.

Please read on for details.

RESPONSIBILITIES
• Coordinate daily production duties among junior producers, offering guidance and mentorship.
• Work closely with the host and editor to set the show's coverage agenda.
• Edit episodes occasionally and generally be the backup show editor.
• Independently edit, cut, mix and produce episodes from raw materials gathered by host/reporters, with only minimal guidance.
• Find stories and original angles on tight deadlines, even just a few hours, and be able to turn them into episodes as needed.
• Push the team to be more ambitious in all areas.
• Mentor and otherwise contribute to the development of junior staff.
• Provides feedback to supervisor for evaluations.
• Coordinate coverage choices with editor and others at NPR.

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION: We don't care about formal education, but we would like to hear about your knowledge level and enthusiasm with the subject matter we cover.

REQUIRED SKILLS
• Experience in a news environment or working experience in the field of economics, finance or business.
• Experience in podcasting and/or radio broadcasting.
• Experience coordinating execution of larger packages, projects and initiatives.
• Experience assisting or leading in planning of breaking and long-term coverage.
• Ability to give feedback in a constructive, professional, productive manner.
• Demonstrated consistent expertise in editing and mixing audio.
• Demonstrated expertise in field production.
• Ability to edit audio decisively, on deadline, ideally in Pro Tools.
• Strong storytelling sensibilities, an ability to identify anecdotes that can bring a larger idea or research finding to life, able to restructure a story to enhance clarity and flow.
• Experience and demonstrated commitment to fact checking.
• Demonstrated ability to work quickly and efficiently under deadline pressure.
• Ability to handle more than one assignment at a time; ability to prioritize, anticipate and communicate effectively.
• A strong track record of working well with others, maintaining professionalism, kindness, care, even under deadline pressure.
• Ability and willingness to work varied shifts.
• Proven ability to consistently work well with others, demonstrating, at all times, respect for the diverse constituencies at NPR and within the public radio system.
• Ability and willingness to relocate. In the future, NPR may choose to transfer employees to other geographic locations. Severance provisions of the AFTRA collective bargaining agreement will apply should you choose not to accept a transfer.

PREFERRED SKILLS
• An economics background.
• A practiced instinct for social media.
• Interest in mentoring junior staff.
• Ambition and interest in improving all ways The Indicator reaches the audience, including our web and social media presence and new ways we have yet to attempt.
• Digital media skills, including proficiency in social media as a news gathering technique

HOW TO APPLY

All applications must include a resume and cover letter to be considered.
• It's OK to be casual and conversational in your cover letter, that's how we are on the show, that's how we are with each other. Overall, your application should answer the question: how will hiring you change The Indicator for the better.
• Please tell us what you think we should stop doing, and what you think we should start doing, or do more of, and how you would help us do that.
• Please choose a recent episode you might have approached differently and tell us how you would have improved it. Be concise, and brutally honest. We appreciate that. And please do it as you might if you were on the team giving feedback to a colleague. I.e. constructively with kindness, empathy and precision.
• If you've done it, tell us about your experience coordinating or leading a team of producers or staffers. If you haven't done it yet, tell us why you're ready and how you'd approach it.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-d88z26-18-191-135-224-42 in your application.