Chief Executive Officer

Reports To: Board of Directors

The Bay Citizen (TBC) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan member-supported news organization that provides in-depth original reporting on core Bay Area issues including public policy, education, the arts and cultural affairs, health and science, the environment, and more. In collaboration with The New York Times, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and other partners, TBC’s mission is to deliver high-quality and in-depth reporting about the San Francisco Bay Area, foster civic engagement and stimulate innovation in journalism. The Bay Citizen's news can be found online at www.baycitizen.org as well as in print in The New York Times Bay Area report on Fridays and Sundays. For more information, please visit www.baycitizen.org.

 

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Board of Directors of The Bay Citizen, the CEO will provide visionary leadership to position TBC as the premier destination for best-in-class, original coverage of civic and community news in the San Francisco Bay Area. This individual will be responsible for continuing the organization’s great momentum and building upon the successes to date. The CEO will lead creative and robust fundraising and business development initiatives, spur innovation as well as thoughtfully manage operations to achieve the organization’s long-term goals and aspirations. This individual will also collaborate closely with the leadership of two highly respected organizations, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and The New York Times.

 

Responsibilities:

1. Leading and managing TBC in a manner consistent with TBC’s mission. Providing and implementing the vision and strategic plan to achieve the goals of producing quality local journalism for diverse audiences and communities, as well as achieving financial sustainability.
2. Responsible for achieving the organization’s development and fundraising targets, and ensuring that revenue sources (including individual donations, foundation support, major and planned giving, corporate support, and earned revenues) are sufficient to cover the full scope of operations.
3. Serving as TBC’s primary ambassador, actively promoting TBC’s mission value in the community and ensuring TBC’s continued expansion and growing community engagement.
4. Responsible for the strategic management of the ongoing evolution of TBC’s multi-platform content production and distribution model (both online and offline). This will require facilitating and managing existing collaborations as well as expanding the development, implementation, and execution of new strategic alliances and collaborations for content creation, distribution, innovation and monetization.
5. Maintaining the overall financial health of the organization by managing all aspects of organizational finances, including the ~$6 Million annual budget, and ensuring that sound managerial and financial disciplines are implemented.
6. Serving as the direct, primary liaison with TBC’s Board of Directors, and facilitating the Board's involvement in fundraising, policy setting, strategic planning, and financial management of the organization.
7. Fostering an environment that stimulates open communication, creativity, and imagination and engenders a team spirit.
8. Manage a team of direct reports including Editor-in-Chief, Chief Technology Officer and Vice Presidents of Development, Marketing and Membership.

Qualifications:

1. Ten plus years of experience as a media business leader in the private or non-profit sector, including P&L responsibility. Five or more years of experience managing digital initiatives (technology startup experience a plus).
2. Experience in fundraising and corporate sponsorships, with an established network that can be expanded and used to strengthen collaborations for TBC, expand its donor base, and secure additional resources for the organization.
3. Able to lead the team to develop creative and entrepreneurial ways to grow the organization’s membership base
4. Understanding and have experience with technology innovation around content delivery
5. A visionary with well-developed people management skills, strategic thinking, and a demonstrated ability to inspire followership. A proven track record fostering high standards, mentoring, communication and collaboration skills.
6. Strong interpersonal and communication skills to serve as TBC’s primary spokesperson and community liaison to build TBC’s stature in the community.
7. Relevant experience leading or operating a rapidly growing organization or start-up and accustomed to building an enterprise amidst funding, and/or technological challenges.
8. Ability to foster and encourage smart risk-taking and experimentation.
9. Must believe completely and feel passionate about TBC’s mission: not only to reinvent local journalism critical to the community and an informed democracy, but also be a national leader in the use of technology to communicate the news and engage audiences.
10. Familiar with ways that new media technology is being deployed to deliver unique and compelling content.
11. Deep understanding of and appreciation for high quality, journalistic values and editorial judgment, as well as the importance of maintaining a “firewall” between editorial and business.
12. Bachelor’s degree required; MBA/MA preferred.

Interested parties should contact:

Darcy Ahl
Ahl@bentleyfarrell.com
203 966 4419

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Please note:

Due to the high volume of interest in opportunities with The Bay Citizen, we are unable to respond personally to all inquires and/or resume submissions. We will review all resumes, and if your work experience appears to be a good match with the job requirements, you will be contacted to schedule an initial interview.

Applicants who are not contacted are encouraged to reapply for future employment opportunities for which they qualify.

The Bay Citizen is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate because of race, color, creed, religion, sex, marital status, domestic partner status, ancestry, national origin, weight, height, physical or mental handicap, pregnancy, medical condition, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship, veteran status, or age.