Director of Strategic Partnerships/Development

USA TODAY Co. • West Palm Beach, FL

1d

About The Position

USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida is seeking a driven and creative leader for the new role of director of strategic partnerships and development. This position is focused on developing support for the newsroom's work and strengthening its operations for the future. The goal is to establish, bolster, and cultivate connections with readers, donors, other news operations, and the community to translate into financial and community support. The role aims to maintain existing support and grow new opportunities for newsrooms across Florida. This person will be the point person for building support to continue producing high-quality journalism, identifying stories and projects ripe for partnerships or financial support, and spearheading efforts to secure necessary resources. This could involve working with college journalism programs for sponsored internships, seeking foundation support for key roles or coverage areas, or identifying individual donors and other outlets to amplify reach. The successful candidate will be connected to the work and community, listening for ways to improve and make the journalism indispensable. They will understand the workings of a daily newsroom and translate that energy into meetings with community leaders, funders, and readers. This position acts as a catalyst, seeking new ways to tell stories and do journalism, taking ideas from concept to fruition with a "Let's get it done" attitude. It is central to driving journalism into new venues like galleries, story slams, neighborhoods, schools, gatherings, and workshops. This position is part of the senior leadership team and collaborates closely with other senior leaders, particularly the opinions and engagement editor.

Requirements

• Bachelor's or master’s degree in communications, journalism or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• At least 3 years of experience as a professional journalist preferred.
• Experience working with nonprofit organizations a plus.

Responsibilities

• Represent the newsroom at community events and public forums, with an eye toward developing connections with potential readers and foundations.
• Create and maintain a system for identifying potential grants, submitting applications, tracking grant expectations and received funds, and exceeding grant requirements.
• Develop a system for regular communication with contributors, including acknowledgement of gifts and year-end reports on results.
• Build a strong and active network of allies who understand the importance of community journalism and advocate for strengthening local reporting.
• Seek partnerships that enhance the ability to serve readers and the communities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director