Assistant Program Director, The Current

Minnesota Public Radio
St. Paul, MN

Compensation

60,790

Your Role:

The Assistant Program Director is a member of The Current’s programming team and supports day-to-day and specialty programming by scheduling music logs, developing production elements, and supporting the work of on-air hosts.  This role manages, coaches, and supports direct reports with regular feedback, goals, and training in alignment with The Current and APMG’s values.

Alongside The Current’s leadership team, the Assistant Program Director serves as a liaison with marketing, sales, and promotions to support our promotional strategy by writing, managing, and scheduling on air promotional messages, executing the on-air deliverables of promotional agreements, and participating in events.

The ideal candidate works in collaboration with the programming team to craft, coordinate, and schedule compelling music discovery content for The Current’s audience. The APD is a music scheduler and play-to-air system super user.

Minimum Compensation: $60,790 annually. Exact salary determined by experience and education related to the role, organizational compensation structure and internal equity.

Application Deadline: December 19, 2022

Position Responsibility:

  • Assist the programming team with scheduling and managing daily and weekly music and program logs.
  • Manages The Current’s promo inventory and strategy including: drafting on-air promo scripts, coordinating, editing and production process with programming, airstaff and production team, and scheduling of on-air promos and liners.
  • Works with the marketing, traffic, and underwriting teams to communicate program changes, create sponsorship packages, plan and execute on-air promotions and giveaways, and fulfill on-air promotions and underwriting messages.
  • Oversees The Current’s emergency planning and contingency programming, including bi-annual solar outages.
  • Helps create and execute special programming and on-air events for The Current.
  • Works across departments to support company-wide activity with underwriting, membership, events, and national programs.
  • Organizes, maintains, and is a super user of the MusicMaster database and integration with the play-to-air system.
  • Coordinates and attends promotional activity and events on behalf of The Current which includes remote broadcasts and live recordings.
  • Monitors and executes the scheduling of playlists, clocks, and programing for The Current and The Current’s streams.
  • Establishes and implements standard operating procedures and coordinates staff trainings.
  • Assists in managing grant funded projects, administers contracts, and tracks completion of broadcast rights agreements.
  • Participates in the promotion of Minnesota Public Radio, including public appearances and on-air fundraising activities. 
  • Other duties as assigned.

Required Education and Experience:

  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
  • Minimum four years radio production or broadcast experience required.
  • Experience with automation systems and music scheduling software such as Music Master.

Required Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:

  • Must be a team player, inquisitive, detail oriented, and self-disciplined.
  • In depth knowledge of the music heard on The Current and a strong sense of the musical direction the sound the station seeks to create and maintain.
  • Must be self-motivated and a self-starter.
  • Ability to coordinate and manage large projects – influencing others to fulfill the need of the project.
  • Must maintain a high degree of confidentiality in an information-rich environment.
  • Excellent organizational skills and the ability to prioritize and work under pressure.
  • Knowledge of digital editing software like ProTools.
  • Leadership and personnel skills and ability to inspire and lead.
  • Able to relate to strong air talents and able to work within a growing and innovative organization.
  • Knowledge of Live Events as potential for audience engagement and service.
  • Significant experience using Microsoft Office - Word, Excel, Outlook and other PC-based software
  • Familiarity with media trends, audience research, and music programming software.
  • Comprehensive understanding of the art and craft of radio, especially music radio programming and its needs.
  • Detailed knowledge of MusicMaster scheduling software and database.
  • Able to work effectively and collaboratively with The Current’s team and other MPR staff.
  • Ability to communicate clearly, both verbally and in writing.
  • Passion for local public service and community involvement.
  • Ability to embody and reflect the values of MPR.

Preferred Skills and Experience:

  • Experience supervising and managing people.
  • Project management experience preferred.
  • Work direction experience preferred - demonstrated an ability to foster high standards and an ability to coach, inspire and lead. 

Reporting To This Position:

  • Host / Producer of The Local Show
  • Part Time Host
  • On-Call Hosts (2)

Physical Demands and Working Conditions:

  • Must be able to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
  • Ability to manage some work outside of standard office hours as needed.
  • Physical Demands: 
    • Required to move about in an office environment and sit for extended periods of time
    • Required to move about in the community
    • Frequent use of hands for data entry/keystrokes and simple grasping
  • Working Conditions: 
    • Moderate noise level

 

Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. 

We are committed to hiring a breadth of diverse professionals and encourage members of diverse groups to apply.