Full-Time Limited Term Branded Content Producer

KQED • San Francisco, CA

1d • $92,068 - $115,085 • Hybrid

About The Position

KQED is establishing a branded and sponsored content business focused on its digital properties like Snap Judgment and Spooked, encompassing various social, video, audio, and multiplatform formats. The Branded Content Producer will be instrumental in leading the creative development and execution of sold campaigns. This role involves establishing workflows, production infrastructure, and a partner network to responsibly grow this emerging business. The ideal candidate is a versatile, entrepreneurial producer with experience across the full branded content lifecycle, from concept to delivery. As the first dedicated production hire, this individual will build the operational foundation for future team members and will report to the digital video team, collaborating closely with KQED’s Sponsorship team. This is a Full-Time Limited Term Role for 3 years.

Requirements

• 5+ years producing branded, sponsored, or commercial content for digital platforms, ideally within a media company, branded content studio, or production company.
• Demonstrated ability to develop concepts quickly and communicate them clearly in decks and client conversations.
• Full-lifecycle production experience: budgeting, scheduling, crewing, on-set leadership, and post supervision.
• Experience managing client relationships during production, including setting expectations and navigating feedback.
• Working knowledge of post workflows and media management best practices.
• An existing network of freelancers and production vendors, or the ability to build one quickly.
• Experience creating scopes of work, production estimates, and change orders, with a demonstrated ability to manage scope, budget, and client expectations.
• Strong project-management skills and experience managing multiple productions with overlapping deadlines.
• Strong editorial judgment and the ability to recognize and escalate brand-safety, disclosure, rights, or sponsor-influence concerns.
• Experience working with legal agreements, talent and location releases, licensing, insurance requirements, and production rights clearances.
• Experience producing across multiple digital formats and adapting creative for different platforms and audience behaviors.
• Excellent written, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Comfort operating solo in a new function where processes are still being defined.

Nice To Haves

• Experience at a public media organization or mission-driven brand.
• Familiarity with FTC disclosure standards for sponsored and branded content.
• Short-form social video production experience (Reels, TikTok, YouTube).
• Experience working alongside unionized production environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead the creative development and execution of branded and sponsored content campaigns.
• Establish workflows, production infrastructure, and partner networks for the branded content business.
• Translate client objectives and audience insights into platform-appropriate concepts, treatments, scripts, scopes of work, deliverables, timelines, and production budgets across various formats (video, social, audio, digital, experiential).
• Turn around initial creative concepts within 48 hours of receiving an RFP.
• Participate in pre-sale conversations to present creative concepts and explain production approaches.
• Assess the creative, operational, and financial feasibility of opportunities before they are sold.
• Serve as the primary production contact for clients after a project is sold, managing communication, expectations, feedback, and approvals.
• Own multiple projects simultaneously from kickoff through closeout.
• Maintain a clear view of active and prospective projects, schedules, budgets, deliverables, dependencies, and resource needs.
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders (Sponsorship, Legal, Business Affairs, Editorial, Marketing, Audience Development, Finance, Production Operations) for input and approvals.
• Develop and manage pre-production plans, schedules, scopes of work, production budgets, staffing plans, and client expectations.
• Hire and manage freelance crews, production companies, talent, and other vendors.
• Identify opportunities to use KQED facilities and equipment, and secure external resources when needed.
• Maintain KQED’s production quality, editorial standards, and agreed-upon client deliverables during production.
• Manage project budgets throughout production and reconcile expenses at project closeout.
• Oversee post-production from paper edit through final delivery, managing editorial review, client feedback, revisions, version control, accessibility, quality control, and final approval.
• Assign and supervise freelance editors and approved internal staff.
• Ensure proper media management, documentation, and asset handling.
• Deliver final assets according to client requirements, platform specifications, accessibility standards, and KQED’s archival practices.
• Ensure projects comply with KQED’s editorial and brand standards, sponsor-category restrictions, platform requirements, union agreements, and FTC disclosure requirements.
• Maintain a clear separation between sponsor influence and KQED’s independent editorial decision-making.
• Coordinate releases, licenses, rights clearances, music permissions, insurance documentation, and other production documentation.
• Establish repeatable workflows, templates, production schedules, approval processes, and documentation for the branded-content lifecycle.
• Identify operational gaps and recommend improvements for production quality, consistency, efficiency, and scalability.
• Build and maintain a vetted, diverse roster of production companies, freelancers, and vendors.
• Partner with Audience Development and analytics teams to establish campaign tracking requirements and assess performance.
• Document project learnings and contribute to post-project reporting, case studies, and sales materials.
• Represent the branded-content production function in internal planning meetings and external partner conversations.
• Support special projects and emerging sponsored-content opportunities.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• KQED envisions a public media organization with a culture that centers on human dignity, equity, and belonging.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed