WKAR Sr Director of Content & Education​/Broadcasting Srvc Mgr Content Comm Eng

WKAR Senior Director of Content & Education

The Senior Director of Content and Education is a member of WKAR's senior leadership team and provides strategic and operational leadership for the organization's content portfolio. Reporting to the General Manager, the Senior Director oversees television and video production, radio and digital news, classical music programming, education, and multiplatform content development.

The position establishes content vision and editorial priorities; leads department heads and creative teams; directs annual and multiyear portfolio planning; and aligns people, budgets, workflows, partnerships, and production resources with WKAR's strategic goals. The Senior Director also leads cross-functional collaboration and organizational improvement efforts designed to strengthen innovation, accountability, information sharing, and content delivery.

Working closely with Development, Communications, Digital, Operations, university partners, and external stakeholders, the Senior Director develops content and partnerships that advance WKAR's public-service mission, expand audience reach, generate meaningful community impact, and position WKAR for continued growth across broadcast, digital, educational, and emerging platforms.

This is primarily an in-person position. Limited hybrid work arrangements are considered in consultation with the General Manager. This position has standard working hours of 8-5 p.m., with occasional evening and weekend hours as needed.

Essential functions include but are not limited to:

• Provide leadership for WKAR's television and video production, radio and digital news, classical music programming, education, and multiplatform content operations.
• Lead, supervise, coach, and develop department heads, managers, and content professionals; establish clear expectations and foster an inclusive, collaborative, creative, and accountable workplace.
• Establish WKAR's content vision, editorial priorities, audience strategy, and annual and multiyear content plans in alignment with the organization's mission, strategic goals, and community needs.
• Direct content portfolio planning and resource allocation across departments and platforms, aligning priorities with staffing capacity, production resources, schedules, budgets, and measures of success.
• Oversee the development and execution of broadcast, digital, educational, and community-focused content, ensuring projects meet established editorial, creative, ethical, accessibility, financial, and quality standards.
• Lead cross-functional planning and collaboration among Content, Education, Development, Communications, Engineering, Operations, and other teams to strengthen coordination, maximize resources, and increase audience and community impact.
• Design and improve organizational structures, workflows, decision-making processes, and information-sharing practices that support effective content development, accountability, innovation, and continuous learning.
• Use audience research, analytics, community input, and industry trends to guide content strategy, evaluate performance, expand audience reach, and identify opportunities to serve new and historically underserved audiences.
• Lead the exploration and responsible adoption of emerging platforms, formats, technologies, and production approaches that advance WKAR's multiplatform public-service mission.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with community organizations, educational institutions, civic and cultural leaders, funders, and public media partners to identify community priorities and create opportunities for content, distribution, funding and impact.
• Collaborate with Michigan State University faculty, researchers, administrators, and students to connect WKAR's work with the university's teaching, research, and public-service mission, including experiential learning opportunities.
• Represent WKAR in university, community, statewide, and national settings and serve as a senior ambassador for its content, education, and public-service work.
• Develop and manage departmental, production, project, and grant-related budgets; evaluate initiatives for strategic value, feasibility, sustainability, and resource requirements.
• Partner with Development and Communications on grants, underwriting, philanthropy, donor engagement, and other revenue-generating efforts, and oversee the execution and fulfillment of content-related funding commitments.
• Serve as a member of WKAR's…