Managing Editor, News

Hiring Department

KWMU FM Radio

Job Description

St. Louis Public Radio, an NPR member station, seeks a Managing Editor of News to set the newsroom’s editorial vision, standards and day-to-day direction on news coverage. This position supervises the reporting engine of the newsroom with direct management of three editors and a mandate to lead a dozen reporters to produce rigorous and impactful journalism across broadcast and digital platforms.

This position works in partnership with the Managing Editor of Audience and Product, who oversees the presentation and distribution of our reporting across STLPR’s news platforms. Together, these two managing editors co-lead a highly collaborative, ambitious and innovative newsroom of about 30 journalists.

You’ll join an award-winning team of journalists that covers communities across the bistate St. Louis region, in Rolla, Missouri, and in Quincy, Illinois. STLPR has a reputation as one of the most ambitious and innovative stations in the public radio system, earning a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence in both 2023 and 2024. STLPR is a member of both NPR’s Midwest Newsroom, which focuses on enterprise and investigative reporting, and Harvest Public Media, which reports on the food production industry, environmental topics and rural issues in the Midwest.

An ideal candidate is energized by the pace of daily news, is driven to produce ambitious and enterprising journalism and has experience leading newsrooms. Having excellent news judgment and being a clear and consistent communicator are both essential qualities for this job. They should have a record of leading investigations and planning coverage of major news events. It’s also important for this person to be skilled at coaching reporters and editors and fostering collaboration with internal and external teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Direct the daily and weekly news gathering operations for covering the bistate region and ensure that editorial standards are met in all local news reports;
• Assign and edit stories, in coordination with editors;
• Supervise and set goals for editors and their reporting teams;
• Plan special coverage and direct newsroom teams on investigations, election planning, thematic coverage series and experiments in storytelling;
• Collaborate with the Managing Editor of Audience & Product on long-term vision planning, including evaluating and iterating our editorial priorities, content strategy and audience development strategy;
• Serve as a member of the station’s senior leadership team, representing the newsroom and contributing to overall organizational strategy;
• Lead recruiting, hiring and retention efforts that aim to build and sustain a newsroom workforce that reflects the diversity of our region and aligns with STLPR’s organizational commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion;
• Develop, direct, administer and monitor newsroom budget and related functions;
• Lead collaborative journalism efforts between STLPR and external news partners;
• Oversee newsroom investigations and plan major editorial projects;
• Support the growth and development of reporters and editors of all levels by organizing editorial trainings;
• Help to build a healthy culture of feedback and critique in the newsroom;
• Champion the value of local news and public media in on-air membership drives and other fundraising efforts.

Supervision Received: The Managing Editor of News is supervised by the CEO of STLPR.

Supervision Exercised: The Managing Editor of News supervises three editors who each manage teams of four beat reporters.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. The University will not sponsor applicants for this position for employment visas.

Shift

40 hours per week

Minimum Qualifications

A Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience and at least 6 years of experience from which comparable knowledge and skills can be acquired is necessary.

Preferred Qualifications

• Eight or more years of experience working in a professional newsroom with at least four years of managing journalists;
• A strong track record of publishing rigorous and impactful short-, medium- and long-form local journalism;
• A record of success in managing news across multiple media platforms;
• Sharp organizational skills and strong attention to detail;
• Proven ability to tell stories to and for audiences from diverse communities, generations, and life experiences;
• A collaborative spirit
• Experience producing and editing news across audio and digital platforms is highly preferred;
• Knowledge of St. Louis — people and places — and important issues that impact the bi-state region;
• Experience in building positive workplace culture;
• Demonstrated success at building successful professional relationships and navigating group dynamics.
  

Anticipated Hiring Range

Pay commensurate with education and experience.
Hiring Range: $85,000 - $115,000 annual
Grade: GGS-013
University Title: Director II Broadcast Operations

Application Materials

In your application, please submit up to 3 samples of stories or projects that you have reported, edited or guided to completion. Explain your role in those stories or projects. Your application should also include a resume and cover letter outlining your qualifications and ideas for how St. Louis Public Radio’s newsroom can best serve St. Louis area residents.

If you have questions about the job, contact Brian Heffernan, Interim News Director: behffernan@stlpr.org. For questions about the application process, contact Jess Luther, STLPR chief of staff: jluther@stlpr.org.

Finalists will be asked to provide references through UMSL at a later date.

Applicants must combine all application materials into one PDF or Microsoft Word document and upload as a resume attachment to the UMSL Job site: http://umsl.jobs.

Limit document name to 50 characters. Maximum size limit is 11MB. Do not include special characters (e.g., /, &, %, etc.). For questions about the application process, please email employment@umsl.edu. If you are experiencing technical problems, please email umpshrsupport@umsystem.edu.

Benefit Eligibility

This position is eligible for University benefits. As part of your total compensation, the University offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental and vision plans, retirement, paid time off, short- and long-term disability, paid parental leave, paid caregiver leave, and educational fee discounts for all four UM System campuses. For additional information on University benefits, please visit the Faculty & Staff Benefits website at https://www.umsystem.edu/totalrewards/benefits.

Values Commitment

We value the uniqueness of every individual and strive to ensure each person’s success. Contributions from individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives promote intellectual pluralism and enable us to achieve the excellence that we seek in learning, research and engagement. This commitment makes our university a better place to work, learn and innovate.

In your application materials, please discuss your experiences and expertise that support these values and enrich our missions of teaching, research, and engagement.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of Missouri System is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Equal Opportunity is and shall be provided for all employees and applicants for employment on the basis of their demonstrated ability and competence without unlawful discrimination on the basis of their race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable state or federal law. This policy applies to all employment decisions including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, training, promotions, pay practices, benefits, disciplinary actions and terminations. For more information, visit https://www.umsystem.edu/ums/hr/eeo or call the Director of Employee and Labor Relations at 573-882-2146.

To request ADA accommodations, please email the Office of Human Resources at umslhr@umsl.edu .