Director of Data Initiatives
Location: Remote
Reports to: Managing Director
Position type: Six-month full-time contractor engagement, with the possibility of extending or transitioning to a permanent full-time employee role
Compensation: Monthly rate of $10,000-$15,000 depending on skills and experience
About Public Media Company
Founded in 2001, Public Media Company (PMC) is a unique non-profit advisory consulting firm working with public media organizations (those that provide NPR, PBS, and/or local news, music programming, and podcasts) ranging from start-ups to the largest multi-channel station owners in the country. PMC provides an array of services such as business planning, merger and acquisition consulting, virtual accounting, broadcast valuations, and financial advisory. PMC is headquartered in Boulder, CO with employees in multiple locations.
At Public Media Company we value a diverse and inclusive culture. We are committed to diversity in all areas of our work and encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, and veteran status. We strongly encourage applications from members of underrepresented groups.
About the Role
Public Media Company is looking for a data leader to help shape how PMC and the public media system use data and information. The primary focus of this role is designing and launching a new ongoing data initiative that provides local public media organizations with better insight into their own performance and sustainability, and that supports stronger, evidence-based cases for the value of local public media to funders and decision makers.
With the closure of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), public media lost its only comprehensive mechanism for collecting and sharing many sources of system-wide information, including local financial and organizational information and insights. Public Media Company is working to fill that gap and is looking for a Director of Data Initiatives to lead the work.
This is a long-term initiative, intended to provide sustained support and answers at the local, regional, and national level on an ongoing basis. The role starts as a six-month full-time contractor engagement. A decision about extending the engagement and transitioning to a permanent full-time employee role will be made before the end of the initial contract term.
Initial Priorities
The most important work in the first 6 months is designing, developing, and launching the new data initiative. By the end of the first year, we anticipate:
· A new public media data collection initiative - covering financial and operational information - designed, developed, and launched
· The technical systems and partnerships in place to support the initiative
· Strong station participation, sufficient to support meaningful insights and ensure the initiative's long-term success
· Early analysis and insights that demonstrate the initiative's value to participating stations and to others working to understand and tell the story of local public media
Other responsibilities, including helping PMC develop its broader approach to data and emerging technologies, will grow over time as the initiative takes shape.
Key Responsibilities
Data initiative
· Project manage and lead the design and launch of a new system-wide data initiative for local public media
· Work with PMC leadership, stations, funders, and other partners across the public media system and beyond to develop and establish the initiative
· Translate input from a range of stakeholders into a workable approach, and see it through from planning to launch and ongoing operation
· Evaluate and manage relationships with data vendors, contractors, and technical partners as needed
· Help PMC make decisions about how the initiative is structured, governed, and resourced over time
· Analyze and interpret data collected through the initiative to generate insights that are useful to participating stations and to others who need to understand the state of public media
Data and technology guidance
· Help PMC develop and evolve its overall approach to data and information management
· Stay current on emerging tools and technologies — including AI and large language models — and advise on where and how PMC could adopt new approaches
· Identify practical opportunities to improve how PMC collects, manages, and uses data internally, and help staff work more effectively with data and technology
Skills and Experience
· Experience designing, launching, and project managing new initiatives
· Strong data and technical skills, including the ability to make sound decisions about how data is collected and used; familiarity with data science methods is a plus
· Familiarity with AI and other emerging tools, and practical experience applying them
· Comfortable working with a wide range of organizations and people
· Self-directed, with the ability to identify what needs to happen and follow through
· Background in nonprofit, media, public media, or related fields is a plus
How to Apply
To apply, please submit a resume and cover letter by July 24, 2026. In your cover letter, please share why you're interested in this role and why you think you'd be a good fit.
Pay: $10,000.00 - $15,000.00 per month
Work Location: Remote
