Collaborations Project Manager

Job Description

Collaborations are core to the Institute for Nonprofit News’ (INN) mission and the work of its more than 450 member organizations in North America. They grow the impact and reach of journalism and drive sustainability for participating news organizations.

We’re looking to add a Collaborations Project Manager to our team to aid in the development and execution of specific high-impact, investigative/explanatory reporting series and to harness those series to drive the sustainability of nonprofit news organizations; someone who understands the challenges newsrooms in rural and underserved communities face and are passionate about enabling journalism that wouldn’t happen otherwise. The project manager will also get to work on new collaborative projects that leverage SMS or email to increase the audience of nonprofit news organizations and drive new revenue opportunities.

This is a grant-funded, yearlong position through December 2025 with the possibility to renew. The project manager will manage various series and products to ensure they stay on track and meet all agreed upon goals. This is not a job for an editor who wants to be in the weeds on specific storylines — it’s about managing the big picture and associated tasks.

Reporting to INN’s director of collaborations and rural initiatives, the project manager will work to sharpen editorial ideas for proposals and projects for collaborations, prioritizing audience insights and community needs throughout the process. The project manager will work closely with INN’s members throughout the process and look for ways to help them advance their work. 

The project manager will:

• Work with INN members to execute strong, specific projects that are the signature elements of INN’s Rural News Network.
• Ensure collaborations achieve INN and newsrooms’ stated goals and meet all deadlines laid out in the series plan.
• Provide leadership and guidance to INN members around their collaborative stories, working closely with editorial leads to ensure high-quality, impactful reporting.
• Manage process for MOUs between newsrooms, INN and any third parties.
• Help identify and negotiate with outside media partners to extend the impact and distribution of collaborative projects.
• Ensure projects meet all agreed upon deliverables.
• Collect examples of impact via surveys and prepare post-project impact reports.
• Collaborate with the Network Product Manager on broadening the reach of collaborations and stories through INN products 
• Collaborate with the Network Product Manager on the launch of a rural news sponsorship network pilot project, with a focus on driving newsroom participation, and understanding and collecting their feedback.
• Help manage and update RuralNewsNetwork.org.
• Contribute to RNN Bulletin and other standing communications.
• Keep in regular touch with INN members to develop a deep understanding of the nonprofit news ecosystem.
• Share lessons on collaboration best practices with the field through reports, webinars and presentations. 

The ideal candidate for this position will be highly organized with news and journalism from a nonprofit news or other public service news organization, particularly in working on grant–funded projects and complicated initiatives with many stakeholders. They will be skilled at driving change through influence and respect, rather than authority.

Key goals for this position include:

• Successfully managing high-impact reporting projects, involving multiple INN members and supported by external funding.
• Contributing to the development and launch of shared editorial products that support the growth and sustainability of INN members.
• Becoming an expert in assigned topics or geographies, to include developing a deep understanding of the INN members active in those areas.
• Working with other INN staff to ensure INN's collaborative efforts are promoted and integrated where possible and appropriate.

Qualifications:

• Experience working within or with newsrooms to deliver meaningful public service journalism. 
• Commitment to and experience with creating equitable and inclusive news teams and generating journalism that is equitable and reflects and engages the communities it serves. 
• Demonstrated project management skills, including content creation, meeting deadlines, and tracking impact. 
• Experience working with projects receiving restricted funding and managing individual projects to specific budgets. 
• Experience working with diverse communities and sources and driving work that advances goals of diversity, equity and inclusion. 
• High level of technical proficiency in digital publishing and community engagement tools, and a desire to experiment with new ideas or initiatives

You’ll wow us if you can show one or more of the following skills: 

• Tracking and presenting impact that goes beyond simple metrics to drive meaningful change. 
• Proven ability to engage multiple stakeholders from different organizations to reach a common goal. 
• Driving innovations in product, engagement, distribution and/or audience growth and loyalty. 
• Genuine passion for and curiosity about rural communities.

Even if you don’t tick every box on the job description, consider where you’re interested in growing your skills and what unique value you would bring to this role. If you’re still not sure if you should apply, ask people you trust. They’ll probably tell you you’re great and should go for it. Please use your brief cover letter to tell us how your own strengths and experiences would make you successful in this role.

INN has operated as a remote team since 2016, and this will be a remote position.  The salary range for this position is $85,000 to $95,000; generous equipment, vacation, retirement, and learning benefits. Some limited travel, including an annual all-staff retreat, is expected for this position.

We value diversity, work collaboratively, across departments and do everything we can to give back to the journalism and nonprofit communities. INN is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re actively seeking to increase diversity in our operation and across the field of journalism. We encourage applications from communities traditionally underrepresented in news media. Our values. 

TO APPLY: Please submit a resume and cover letter using this form. All applications must be submitted using this form; emailed applications will not be considered. Application review will begin Nov. 22, but applications will still be accepted until Dec. 2.

Powered by Journalismnext