Deputy Director

Organization: New Mexico Local News Fund (NMLNF)

Reports To: Executive Director

Position Type: Full-Time Contractor

Location: New Mexico (Hybrid / Flexible with occasional travel)

The Deputy Director serves as a core executive leader and operational anchor for the New Mexico Local News Fund (NMLNF). Partnering closely with the Executive Director, the Deputy Director helps implement the organization’s vision across NMLNF’s statewide programs, strategic communications, ecosystem partnerships, and internal operations.

As NMLNF expands its statewide reach—spanning initiatives like Press Forward New Mexico, the Local News Incubator, university fellowship and internship pathways, Documenters, and collaborative newsroom projects—this role will promote operational resilience and sustained strategic momentum. The Deputy Director provides day-to-day leadership for program management, communications oversight, digital infrastructure, and organizational administration, building the operational foundation necessary to fulfill NMLNF’s mission to strengthen and sustain local journalism across New Mexico.

• Program Implementation: Lead cross-functional coordination and strategic execution across NMLNF's core initiative portfolio, including Journalism + Design (J+D), the Google News Initiative (GNI) Accelerator, the Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative (SNMJC), the New Mexico News Map, the Local News Incubator, Documenters projects, and fellowship/internship programs.
• Workflow & Timeline Oversight: Establish project management standards, tracking systems, and milestone frameworks to keep complex statewide programs on schedule and within budget.
• Team Leadership & Supervision: Manage, mentor, and support program managers, communications staff, and external contractors, fostering a collaborative and high-performing team culture.
• Cross-Program Synergy: Integrate insights, content, and networks across initiatives to ensure newsroom grants, fellowship placements, training modules, and public engagement efforts reinforce one another.

• Brand & Narrative Strategy: Set high-level narrative and communications strategy to elevate NMLNF’s public presence, program visibility, and policy engagement across New Mexico.
• Digital Ecosystem Oversight: Guide the development, accessibility, and maintenance of NMLNF’s digital infrastructure, including the main organization website, the New Mexico News Map, SNMJC platforms, and project-specific web hubs.
• Communications Execution: Supervise dedicated communications staff/contractors producing newsletters, press releases, impact stories, annual reports, promotional campaigns, and social media content.
• Public Representation: Represent NMLNF alongside or on behalf of the Executive Director at regional convenings, public events, media forums, and coalition meetings.

• Ecosystem Building: Cultivate trusted, collaborative relationships with newsroom leaders, non-profit news startups, community organizations, public universities (including UNM and NMSU), and civic leaders across New Mexico.
• Equity & Regional Reach: Ensure programs and public outreach reflect and serve New Mexico’s diverse population, with targeted attention to rural, frontier, Indigenous/Pueblo, and Spanish-speaking communities.
• Convenings & Events: Oversee the planning, promotion, and operational delivery of statewide journalism summits, training workshops, webinars, and public forums.

• Fundraising
  
  Collaboration:
  
  Work closely with the Executive Director and Development Director to support institutional grant…