Executive Director, College Media Organization

DAILY TAR HEEL

Executive Director

The Daily Tar Heel seeks its next great professional leader. The Executive Director of DTH Media Corp. develops a strategic plan and oversees the editorial and business operations of the company, working hand in hand with the organization’s student leaders to manage the day-to-day operations of the DTH while steering the organization to a sustainable future. 

The Daily Tar Heel has covered the UNC-Chapel Hill community for 131 years, training students and serving as a model for journalism excellence and independent college media sustainability. DTH Media Corp. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that has evolved from a newspaper to a modern media organization, still producing a print product but also covering news every day through its digital and social channels.

The DTH spent the last few years transforming the way it makes money, moving from dependence on print advertising revenue to a mix of print and digital advertising, public support, and revenue from its 1893 Brand Studio, a marketing services agency. The Brand Studio, like every part of the DTH, is led by and staffed by students. The Executive Director manages professional staff to help guide and support the students, but ultimately allow them to make decisions.

Our open-office environment is fast-paced and flexible, and houses The Daily Tar Heel, 1893 Brand Studio and DTH business operations. The professional staff work among talented UNC students from these entities each day and enjoy proximity to UNC’s campus and Franklin Street businesses. 

The Executive Director is asked to do many different things, including but not limited to:

• Determining Strategy: Plan for the long-term success of the DTH in a way that promotes its core mission, and communicate it to key stakeholder groups.
• Executing Operations: The Executive Director must carry out the organization’s vision and set priorities, determining a budget and managing cash flow, running the office day to day, and supervising three professional staff members. That also includes project management, shepherding news and revenue products from ideas to reality.
• Raising Money: Fundraising, including grant writing, is now the largest single piece of the DTH revenue puzzle. Fundraising has been a major growth area for the DTH in recent years, and the Executive Director needs to maintain existing campaigns while leading the next stage of development.
• Guiding Students: Mentor student journalists, ad sales reps and creative staff. Students should feel the Executive Director is their biggest fan but someone who will tell them when they fall short and who can direct them to other resources and support systems at the university.
• Building Community: Form new relationships and nurture existing ones with our alumni, important stakeholders in our community and other leaders in student media. The Executive Director plans events, attends conferences and community events, and represents DTH Media Corp. in the public sphere.
• Leading Media: The DTH is a national leader in student media, and the Executive Director provides continuity in leadership from year to year, while staying on top of industry trends and applying those lessons to the DTH.

The ideal candidate will have at least five years of experience in media or equivalent experience in a dynamic profession, including time managing people. Experience managing in a nonprofit organization is strongly preferred. Familiarity with student media, such as experience as an adviser or previous work at your college newspaper, would be helpful. Experience working with college students, either in a teaching or advising capacity, is also a plus. 

We welcome a diversity of backgrounds, so please tell us in your application how your experience can apply to this role at the DTH.

Minimum requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, business or other relevant fields, or equivalent work/professional experience
• Relevant experience managing a team with broad operational, revenue and/or fundraising responsibilities
• Proven skills in coaching, motivating and promoting teamwork
• Experience developing and executing a fundraising strategy
• Computer literacy/experience with Microsoft Word, Excel and database management programs

Qualities required

• Ability to articulate and execute the future strategy and pathways of a college media organization
• High ethical standards and desire to work with college students
• Strong leadership and listening skills
• Creative and strategic thinker with a willingness to take calculated risks
• Ability to receive and give feedback
• Ability to craft solutions quickly based on needs assessments
• Demonstrated record of success in a goal-oriented, highly accountable environment
• Excellent presentation, public speaking and interpersonal communication skills
• Ability to work well under pressure of multiple deadlines and assignments

We’re looking for a person who can get to work right away in our Franklin Street office in Chapel Hill, N.C. We will accept applications until May 30, but will begin interviewing candidates immediately. So don’t put it off. 

Salary will be commensurate with experience; there are opportunities for annual bonuses and professional growth. Medical and dental benefits, parking, six weeks of vacation during student breaks and a retirement plan are included.