Director, RMPBS Programming & Original Productions

Rocky Mountain Public Media•Denver, CO

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of RMPBS Programming and Original Productions leads the strategic development, curation, and execution of content across local broadcast and digital streaming platforms. They oversee program acquisitions, manage original production partnerships, align content with audience needs, and ensure broadcasts comply with FCC, educational and public media standards. This role focuses on pipeline development and long-term strategic value (including revenue potential) rather than day-to-day execution. This role reports to the Chief Experience Officer.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required.
At least 5-7 years of experience in media production and/or content management.
Experience with PBS programming strongly preferred.
Management experience required.
Hands-on experience in field production or the development and production of original content, with fluency in production workflows, budgets, and timelines.
Strong editorial skills, journalistic integrity, and an understanding of public broadcasting values, ethics, and FCC broadcast regulations.
Proven ability to build and lead creative teams, develop talent, manage tight deadlines, and troubleshoot broadcast and scheduling issues.
Proficiency in using audience measurement tools and reports (Nielsen, Google Analytics, DOMO, etc.) to inform programming decisions.
Desire to root data and decisions in a community-feedback loop to meet explicit audience needs and engage in ongoing dialogue with our friends.

Nice To Haves

Experience with PBS programming strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Set the overall broadcast and digital streaming strategy for RMPBS.
Determine schedules.
Analyze audience data, demographics, and trends to maximize viewership and digital streaming engagement.
Develop cohesive strategy to promote local and national content across social channels, newsletters, and across departments and brands when appropriate.
Synthesize and communicate critical audience data and trends, including ratings, viewership, and performance metrics, to internal stakeholders to inform programming decisions, schedule optimization, and organizational strategic planning.
Lead the creative process for local production partnerships that deliver original content to RMPBS audiences across broadcast and streaming platforms.
Work closely with producers and on-air talent to guide storytelling and production values and connect partners with tools and resources to help support the successful funding and completion of projects.
Connect local production partners with national distribution opportunities to elevate their work.
Establish governance for programming decisions.
Build external partnerships that expand audience and community impact.
Build and manage relationships with festivals, creators, and institutions to source new content and partnership opportunities.
Lead strategy on selecting and licensing local, national and international programs for RMPBS to meet audience needs.
Ensure proper legal clearances and appropriate contract negotiations.
Build and maintain relationships with distributors, producers, and content providers to expand programming opportunities.
Assess content opportunities based on audience relevance, strategic value, and platform performance.
Supervise Programming team (currently: Programming Manager, Independent Programming Specialist, Assistant Manager of Programming, Technical Programming Specialist) alongside managing relationships with key vendors and partners.
Oversee hiring, training, and performance evaluations for the Programming Department.
Lead continuous improvement across programming operations and creative direction.
Develop and manage departmental budget, allocate resources and capacity effectively.
Collaborate with RMPM's philanthropy team to develop grant programs to support independent productions.
Collaborate with Membership to design revenue‑generating fundraising schedules, balancing financial outcomes with audience experience and brand integrity.
Partner with Marketing, Journalism, Membership, Traffic, Technology and Content Teams to promote content, seed collaborative opportunities internally and externally, and ensure technical broadcast and digital streaming quality to ensure a great experience for RMPM's friends.
Identify key programming opportunities and initiatives that warrant promotional support across platforms and extend to live events.
Lead cross-functional meetings on programming strategy, promotion, local content planning, and independent productions.
Foster collaboration among departments to ensure consistency in programming priorities, branding, and audience engagement strategies.
Maintain and distribute an editorial calendar to denote key programming initiatives and integration with RMPM tentpoles.
Collaborate with Marketing to develop and implement on‑air promotions and thematic campaigns.