Job Title: KCUR - Editor, Harvest Public Media, 28425
Location: UMKC Volker Campus
Full/Part Time: Full-Time
Job ID: 38795
Hiring Department

KCUR Public Radio

Job Description

KCUR 89.3 is seeking an experienced editor to take the helm of Harvest Public Media, a collaboration of public media stations reporting on food, agriculture and rural issues throughout the Midwest.

Harvest Public Media is based at KCUR in Kansas City, Missouri. Its partners are St. Louis Public Radio, also in Missouri; Nebraska Public Media in Lincoln, Nebraska; Iowa Public Radio; KOSU in Oklahoma City; and WILL in Illinois.

We seek an editor who is passionate about diving deep into issues affecting how the world eats, the present and future of a central U.S. industry and the often overlooked or misunderstood complexities and nuances of rural life. We’re looking for someone who is eager to collaborate with talented reporters capable of producing top-notch journalism that sheds light on an important topic while telling an interesting story. Being an expert on food and farming is not required, but a willingness to learn is.

The editor is responsible for driving ambitious coverage across radio, digital, social media and other platforms, and should be comfortable working quickly on the news of the day as well as planning long-term reporting projects. The mandate is varied: one day you’ll assign a story on politics, the next you’ll work on an environment story and later that day you’ll edit a business story.

This is also an opportunity to work with two other regional collaborations based at KCUR: the Kansas News Service and NPR’s new Midwest Newsroom, which focuses on investigative reporting in Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas.

The Harvest team is more than the sum of its parts, and this job requires the ability to work cooperatively with reporters, editors, station managers and regional collaborators. The editor is responsible for growing reporters’ capacity and aspirations, and should possess a keen understanding of what makes public media journalism special but also have ambitions to help drive public media forward.

Our strong preference is for someone who will work from the Harvest headquarters in Kansas City. KCUR 89.3 is the NPR affiliate in Kansas City and is an editorially independent community service of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. See www.kcur.org/jobs for information about KCUR and Kansas City.

Characteristic Duties

Ensures the smooth production and delivery of content to partners from the Harvest Public Media team. This work includes digital stories, audio stories, and multimedia series.Generates, approves, assigns and edits stories for the radio and web with a focus on food, food production and other rural issues.Ensures an efficient approach to news gathering and reporting that produces in-depth coverage of distinction, including breaking news situations.Brings in relevant stories from partner stations or collaborates on specific edits or story assignments.Ensures that stories – audio and digital -- are filed properly by reporters, and that stations are can retrieve content efficiently.Holds conference calls with reporting team on a weekly basis and with news directors as needed.Manages regular communication channels for the team and the KCUR newsroom.Attends KCUR daily news meetings and a weekly meeting with the station’s editorial leadership to create an integrated approach to the team’s work.Edits and works with reporters in the KCUR newsroom as needed.Coordinates coverage among related partners at other public media stations and news outlets. Serves as a resource for talk shows, including identifying sources and opportunities for additional coverage, conducting two-ways and interviews, and appearing as a guest. Participates in assigned fund-raising and outreach activities, on air and off.Sends out and maintains operating agreements with stations.Organizes annual training and feedback meetings for reporters and news directors.Travels to partner stations to work with and train reporters.Manages social media accounts.Reports for radio and web as needed.Oversees the work of interns at times.Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

A Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience and at least 4 years of experience from which comparable knowledge and skills can be acquired is necessary

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in an editorial capacity in a media organization.Management experience in a public media or news organization.Experience in successfully managing content collaborations or working collaboratively within an organizationExcellent writing skills, proven news judgment and journalistic integrity.Ability to work on diverse projects simultaneously in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented environment.Experience in operating a variety of broadcast equipment including digital editing systems (e.g. Adobe Audition), field recording units and other production equipment. Demonstrated ability as a newsroom leader.Strong interpersonal, oral and written communication skills with both internal and external audiences.Ability and willingness to work a varied schedule.Enthusiasm for the role of public media in a changing journalism environment.

Full Time/Part Time

This is a full time, benefit eligible position

Salary

Salary range starts at $53,600, commensurate with education and experience.

Application Deadline

November 7, 2021

Application Instructions

Applicants must combine all application materials (cover letter, resume, and list of five references with contact information) into one PDF or Microsoft Word document and upload as a resume attachment.

Limit document name to 50 characters. Maximum size limit is 11MB. Do not include special characters (e.g., /, &, %, etc.).

If you are experiencing technical problems, please call (800) 488-5288.

Note, you must provide a description of job duties for each Work Experience entry on your application. Please carefully review the application instructions section of our Careers page prior to submitting your materials.

Comments

Statement on Diversity at KCUR

KCUR is committed to ensuring that our workforce, community advisory board, and audience reflect the diversity found in the communities we serve. Central to KCUR’s mission, vision, and values is maintaining a workplace environment that recognizes and celebrates diversity in all forms. We encouraged candidates of diverse backgrounds to apply. For more information on our policies and governance, visit https://www.kcur.org/governance.

Equal Employment Opportunity

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, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable state or federal law. This policy shall not be interpreted in such a manner as to violate the legal rights of religious organizations or the recruiting rights of military organizations associated with the Armed Forces or the Department of Homeland Security of the United States of America. For more information, call the Vice Chancellor - Human Resources at 816-235-1621.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the duties and functions of this job. If you believe you may have difficulty performing any of the duties or functions of this job, please contact the Office of Affirmative Action at (816) 235-1323.

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UMKC is the largest comprehensive, fully accredited university in the Kansas City area. Our students come from all 50 states and over 85 countries, enriching our community with diverse perspectives. With more than 125 academic areas, our students have a lot of opportunities to explore on their way to discovering and creating their perfect career. We are at the heart of a thriving urban area where the city’s life and energy influence everything that happens here. We are Kansas City’s university and we can’t wait for you to join us! Find out more about UMKC in the About UMKC section of our website.

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