FOX54, the TEGNA-owned FOX affiliate in Huntsville, Alabama is seeking an innovative, passionate news director with experience leading teams and growing talent. 

At FOX54, we have our eyes firmly fixed on the future, always looking for new ways to engage, educate and inform our audiences. We are looking for a leader who embraces creative storytelling and investigative journalism as key components of newscasts, as well as digital, streaming and social platforms. 

The News Director oversees all content operations and is a leader in the strategic vision for station growth. The ideal candidate has excellent news judgment and strong management skills to own the big story each day. 

Most importantly, this News Director should be a motivator who fosters an inspiring and inclusive culture. 

FOX54 and TEGNA are re-imagining local news in the digital age – thinking big and being bold to deliver content to our audience on multiple platforms. The ideal News Director can deliver impactful journalism and develop a digital-first road map in line with the strategic vision of our company. 

Responsibilities:

• Strategically lead, inspire and manage the news department.
• Oversee on-air and digital news content.
• Work closely with the news team to produce high-quality, relevant, local content that sets the station apart from competitors.
• Prioritize collaboration between television and digital content teams, along with marketing, to create original programming and breaking news coverage for all platforms.
• Foster, encourage and reward out-of-the-box thinking that leads to differentiation and success.
• Emphasize the importance of solid research to build credibility.
• Use consumer analytics to determine content.
• Skillfully use social media and digital tools to research, discover and distribute content.
• Lead a culture that owns enterprise reporting and breaking news across all content platforms. 
• Inspire and coach superior, unique and engaging storytelling.
• Interact daily with all department heads in a mutual effort to achieve station goals and extend our brand.
• Perform other duties, as assigned, to drive and fulfill the mission while abiding by the values of this organization.

 Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree and news leadership experience.
• 5 years of content experience, including generation of original content, and 2-3 years managing other journalists.
• Successful innovative leadership, along with staff and product development skills. 
• Top notch communication skills are an absolute must.
• Solid journalistic judgement and a news philosophy that emphasizes accurate, fair and unique local content, along with community engagement. 
• Understanding of the tenets of professional journalism.
• Skills in producing engaging, content-driven newscasts and digital content.
• Strong social media skills, including an active news hound presence on Twitter and Facebook. 
• Organizational skills and the ability to work under time pressure deadlines.
• Ability to calmly handle live, breaking news situations and changing events.