KSDK (5 On Your Side), TEGNA’s NBC affiliate in St. Louis, is looking for a digital news leader and innovator to lead audience experience and direct production of local news content across digital, mobile, app, OTT, and social media platforms.

The Director of Digital Content works with other newsroom leaders to oversee daily news editorial decisions while also setting strategic goals for the newsroom. The Director of Digital will lead the charge to dominate breaking news coverage, owning the big story. At KSDK, digital takes equal stage with broadcast so the candidate should be a champion for digital and help collaborate with other journalists in the room. This includes managing breaking news coverage, special project content, franchise support and directing digital strategy for KSDK.com as well as our app, social media, SEO, OTT/streaming, push alerts, voice platforms, newsletter and more. This person will play a key role in charting the station’s digital content and growth strategy.

The ideal candidate will have prior success in growing video plays through OTT and YouTube, they must be innovative and be able to cultivate fresh and unique ideas to grow all our digital platforms.

We’re looking for an exceptional people-focused leader with experience training teams to grow digital audiences on multiple platforms while focusing on creating quality, impactful and informative news content. You’ll use your exceptional journalism ethics while serving as a member of the station’s management team and leading a digital team to create engaging and compelling local news content that serves all the communities we cover. Analyzing data and disseminating information to the entire newsroom is also an imperative part of the role.

You must be a team player dedicated to continuous improvement, keeping staff engaged and performing at a superior level. You must love to lead and provide feedback to a team hungry to win. We’re looking for a resilient leader who is open to new ideas and not afraid to frequently say “why not?” or “yes.”

Responsibilities: 

• Manage the digital content team in both news and programming and lead digital strategy to grow multi-platform content, audience and engagement
• Be the voice of innovation in the newsroom and inspire others to follow your lead
• Lead our content teams to develop workflows that deliver our content 24/7 across current and future platforms with storytelling that is optimized for each screen
• Analyze and actively use data and metrics to inform editorial and strategic decisions and to create accountability for results
• Actively partner with the news director and marketing director as One Content Team to lead a cohesive cross-platform strategy
• Oversee all station efforts on social media including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and other emerging platforms.
• Lead the content team in identifying new content types and innovative technologies that help us reach and serve new audiences
• Create unique, engaging, and shareable content
• Teach, coach, and mentor our content teams in best practices for writing and producing content for digital and social platforms
• Skillfully use social media and digital tools to research, discover and distribute content
• Collaborate with content leaders across TEGNA to maximize the sharing of our content and leverage innovation and best practices among stations
• Hold newsroom employees accountable to KSDK/TEGNA ethical and editorial standards

Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, or equivalent experience in the field
• At least five years of breaking news content experience, including at least one year formally or informally leading other digital journalists
• Solid journalistic judgment and a news philosophy that emphasizes accurate, fair, and unique local content, along with community engagement
• A commitment to valuing diversity, equity and inclusion and experience contributing to an inclusive workplace
• A deep understanding of SEO best practices for articles, images, and video
• Ability to calmly handle live, breaking news situations and the ability to deal with the rapid pace of news
• Knowledge of Content Management Systems and news production systems along with social newsgathering tools
• An eye for detail and strong journalism writing skills
• Experience analyzing audience data and identifying behavioral trends. Google Analytics experience a major bonus
• Passion and vision for emerging media
• Strong organizational, leadership, and communication skills
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• Familiarity with the St. Louis area a plus

#JM1