Director of Corps and Newsroom Excellence (Remote)

About Us:

The GroundTruth Project, home to Report for America and our sister organization, Report for the World, is an award-winning nonprofit organization at the forefront of empowering a new generation of journalists and newsrooms to report on the stories that matter most. We are committed to shedding light on underreported issues, driving meaningful conversations, and inspiring action through impactful storytelling. With a global reach and a dedication to innovation, we provide resources, mentorship, and opportunities to amplify voices that deserve to be heard.

Report for America has placed nearly 700 reporters in every corner of the US, making us a leader in revitalizing local news. We believe in the power of journalism to inform, engage, create change and safeguard democracy. Our collaborative, mission-driven team values integrity, creativity, and a shared commitment to uncovering the truth. Joining us means being part of a dynamic organization that is shaping the future of journalism and making a tangible impact around the world. If you're passionate about meaningful storytelling and making a difference, we'd love for you to be part of our journey.

The Opportunity:

The Director of Corps and Newsroom Excellence is a key leadership position within the organization. S/he is charged with making sure the organization is excellently supporting corps members and newsrooms, and surfacing important insights to share with the greater industry and profession for continued improvement.

S/he is forward thinking, anticipating the type of newsrooms that RFA should be investing in, and the types of training, experiences and networking corps members need to be future leaders of the profession. S/he should be passionate about local news, curious about ways to further support a changing industry and innovative in matching a new generation of news leaders to the needs of a rapidly moving news ecosystem. At the same time s/he is detail oriented, responsible for creating clear policies and procedures for the corps and newsrooms as they relate to RFA, and managing a staff of five regional managers based throughout the country. S/he reports to the Executive Director.

What you'll do

• Work with other senior leaders of Report for America to set strategy around opportunities, direction and goals of the program in the service of strengthening local journalism in the U.S.
• Lead and oversee the Corps Excellence team and function. That includes: hiring and managing the regional managers; promoting forward thinking about the future of local journalism and RFA's ongoing role; and establishing the policies, goals and guidelines for the team's work.
• Ensure that the RFA experience is excellent for Corps members. To that end, work with the Impact and Evaluation manager and the leadership team to define what success looks like for Corps members, and meet those goals.
  • Develop and revise policies and procedures for corps members and newsrooms.
  • Use findings from impact and evaluation reports to fine-tune corps experience and recruitment.
• Ensure that the Corps experience is excellent for RFA news organizations. To that end, work with the Impact and Evaluation manager, the Local News Sustainability team and the leadership team to define what success looks like, and meet those goals.
  • Work with media outlets to ensure understanding and compliance with Report for America program values, mission and procedures
• Engage in media opportunities to represent Report for America.
• Work with Report for America colleagues to build opportunities for staff, corps members, funders and partners, such as participating in panel discussions about local news, media trust and other activities.
• Promote diversity within the program and among newsrooms
• Coordinate and assist other staff with various events, projects, activities and fundraising throughout the year as needed

What you'll bring:

• Bachelor's degree preferred
• A minimum of 10 years of experience as a journalist
• A love of local journalism
• A passion for experimenting and iterating to support the next generation of journalists and newsrooms
• Experience effectively leading editorial teams
• Excellent problem solver who can also help others to navigate solving problems
• Excellent attention to detail and project management skills
• Media experience and a lively and clear communication style
• Ability to lead and thrive in a collaborative nonprofit environment, working effectively with diverse stakeholders.

Salary : $100,000 - $105,000