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Director, Programming & Independent Productions - RMPBS, RMPBS+

Denver, CO

Rocky Mountain Public Media, Inc. (RMPM) is the parent company of Rocky Mountain PBS, KUVO Jazz, and The Drop. Over a million Coloradans turn to Rocky Mountain PBS, KUVO Jazz, and The Drop to discover provocative and inspiring local, national, and international programming; find diverse viewpoints; score front row center seats to world-class performances; and experience lifelong learning opportunities every month.

Director, Programming & Independent Productions - RMPBS, RMPBS+ leads the strategic development, curation, and execution of content across local linear 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 programming or production execution.

Rocky Mountain Public Media is centered around a "friendship business model" - organizing content, revenue, and relationships around depth and reciprocity with our friends, investing in relationships rather than transactions. The Director plays a central role in shaping content and partnerships that deepen those relationships.

This role reports to the Chief Experience Officer.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Programming Strategy
  • 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.
• Independent Production Partnerships
  • Lead the creative process for independent 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 independent 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.
• Content Acquisition & Curation
  • 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.
• Team Management
  • 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.
• Budgeting and Operations
  • 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.
• Cross-Departmental Collaboration
  • 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.

Qualifications of Position

Education and Experience: 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.

Production Experience: Hands-on experience in field production or the development and production of original content, with fluency in production workflows, budgets, and timelines. This experience is essential for effectively liaising with local producers and creative partners, guiding storytelling and production values, and helping projects move from concept to completion.

Editorial Judgment: Strong editorial skills, journalistic integrity, and an understanding of public broadcasting values, ethics, and FCC broadcast regulations.

Leadership: Proven ability to build and lead creative teams, develop talent, manage tight deadlines, and troubleshoot broadcast and scheduling issues.

Audience Analytics: 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.

EEO Statement

Rocky Mountain Public Media embraces diversity and equal opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. As such, Rocky Mountain Public Media does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-qualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.