Chief of Staff to the Editor-in-Chief, Documentary Unit
About The Position
The GBH Documentary Unit, home to FRONTLINE, NOVA, and American Experience, is seeking a versatile, highly organized collaborator to support the Unit’s executive producer and help the organization operate more effectively. The Chief of Staff serves as a strategic partner to the Editor in Chief, turning ideas and conversations into action and acting as a reliable point of contact and follow-through for senior leaders and partners. The role calls for excellent writing and communication skills, strong judgment, resourcefulness, and a well-informed perspective on current affairs. The position leads high-priority initiatives and special projects, develops systems and operating cadences, supports organizational planning and prioritization, coordinates work across teams, and maintains accountability for decisions and commitments. It also prepares leadership for significant engagements, drafts executive communications, supports fundraising and external partnerships, and helps establish and operate the Documentary Fund and its advisory board. This is a hybrid staff position based at One Guest Street in Boston, Massachusetts. GBH’s current hybrid approach requires onsite work at least two days each week, every Tuesday and Wednesday; additional onsite days may be welcomed or requested by a manager.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree.
- At least six years of applicable and related experience, including project management; experience in media is preferred.
- Solid experience working and partnering with executive and senior leadership, and with development/fundraising, to develop and refine processes and systems.
- A track record of working effectively across teams, collaborating, building partnerships, and driving and facilitating efforts through completion.
- Excellent writing and communication skills.
- Strong judgment; proactive, dependable, and resourceful approach to work.
- Ability to create order and design systems and processes to manage complexity.
- Ability to interact appropriately, discreetly, and effectively with leadership, funders, and stakeholders, including in high-profile situations.
- Strong interest in and affinity for documentary film, journalism, and public media.
- Well-informed and well-versed in current affairs.
Nice To Haves
- Project management experience in media.
- Interest in and affinity for documentary film, journalism, and public media.
Responsibilities
- Serve as a strategic partner to the Editor in Chief, anticipate leadership needs, and translate priorities and ideas into action across the Documentary Unit.
- Lead and manage high-priority projects and strategic initiatives from concept through execution; track milestones, risks, dependencies, and accountability.
- Build and refine systems, processes, and operating cadences for planning, decision-making, communication, and accountability.
- Attend and participate in meetings, capture decisions and action items, track commitments, assign ownership where appropriate, and help remove roadblocks.
- Support organizational planning and prioritization by developing tools and processes to track priorities, monitor progress, and align work with goals and available resources.
- Coordinate across Documentary Unit teams and internal and external stakeholders to improve efficiency, reduce bottlenecks, and communicate decisions clearly.
- Manage the Unit’s operating rhythm, including leadership meetings, planning sessions, progress reviews, and project updates.
- Prepare briefing materials, talking points, background research, and presentations for leadership’s internal and external meetings, donor engagements, public appearances, interviews, and meetings with documentary subjects and partners.
- Draft executive communications, including emails, memos, proposals, meeting summaries, and presentations.
- Support fundraising for the Documentary Unit and its emerging documentary fund by preparing materials, assisting donor cultivation, coordinating follow-up and stewardship, and helping manage external relationships.
- Support development, launch, and ongoing operations of the Documentary Fund and its advisory board, including meeting coordination, materials, follow-up, and communications with board members and funders.
- Assess workflows and cross-functional collaboration and recommend and implement improvements to efficiency, transparency, communication, and organizational effectiveness.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
