POSITION OVERVIEW:
The Senior Manager, National Engagement & Education maximizes the impact of WETA National Productions by partnering with local PBS stations, PBS LearningMedia, and national organizations to deliver engagement activities and education resources tied to projects such as Ken Burns and Henry Louis Gates, Jr. films, Our American Story, and Well Beings.
Primary responsibilities include developing new engagement models and education assets, building strategic partnerships to extend reach, and collaborating with producers and internal stakeholders on proposals and reporting.
Reporting to the Senior Director, National Content Distribution & Engagement, this role serves as an ambassador for the National Strategic Engagement Team to PBS, funders, producers, national partners, and local PBS stations.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Principal Engagement Responsibilities:
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Manage station grant process including the preparation of RFPs, proposal submission forms, proposal review, grant agreement documents, grant payment requests, interim and final reporting, and ensuring that stations are provided with assets, materials, and logistical support for all projects in an effective and efficient manner.
- Facilitate creation, distribution, collection and analysis of impact measurement surveys to stations, partners, and audiences.
- Support the creation and distribution of regular e-news communication to entire PBS system, producers, partners, funders, stakeholders, and WETA staff on behalf of the National Productions department.
- Create, curate, and distribute engagement assets for national community engagement efforts including sourcing key art and marketing materials from PBS, producers, and other stakeholders, and developing community engagement and discussion guides.
- Identify, initiate, and support the development of sustainable, effective partnerships with national organizations related to specific projects to broaden the impact and reach of WETA national productions – including libraries, museums, history organizations, schools, and other civic and education-based organizations.
- Serve as primary project liaison with national engagement partner organizations, including the facilitation of direct connections with local PBS stations.
- Manage the creation, captioning, and distribution of station engagement clip reels and accompanying discussion guides.
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Manage the creation, selection, and organization of station advisory committee(s), serving as a main point of contact and organizer of meetings.
- Develop and maintain project tracking methods, and initiate status reports during and after projects.
- Develop and deliver presentations for internal and external use including for conferences, webinars, and team meetings.
- Create final impact reports for stakeholders once projects are completed.
Principal Education Responsibilities:
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Develop original education content and concepts utilizing video, audio, text, animations, and graphics which includes, but is not limited to, creation of standards-based lesson plans for use in grade school classrooms, adaptation of existing education materials from producers or partners, educator engagement resources, and professional development workshops.
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Work closely with partners, producers, project staff, and/or contract employees in the execution of premier national education content.
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Define and drive long-term education strategy and positioning for WETA’s National Productions Department and public media in general.
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Research, cultivate, support and build strategic education partnerships.
Secondary Responsibilities:
- Help build and maintain station contact lists and databases.
- Recruit and supervise team volunteers and interns.
- Support station relations with mailings and asset creation for programmers, producers, and stations.
- Assist with conference sponsorships, special projects and other duties as assigned.
CORE COMPETENCIES:
- Experience in public media is preferred.
- Knowledge of and ability to develop and manage project plans, ensuring steps in process from the planning stages to completion are met.
- Demonstrated knowledge of general office procedures.
- Demonstrated understanding and application of computer technology, using Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel and PowerPoint), and database management and content management systems.
- Experience with Canva, Photoshop, and/or other design software for graphics and asset creation.
- Excellent organizational and time management skills with careful attention to detail.
- Strong communication skills, including error-free writing and editing skills.
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively both independently and in a team environment, in an atmosphere of multiple projects, shifting priorities, and deadline pressures.
- Strong supervisory, interpersonal and diplomacy skills. Service orientation preferred.
- Ability to take direction from more than one manager.
- Initiative and flexibility, with an interest in performing a wide range of duties.
- Willing and able to travel domestically for annual public media meetings and station events.
- Proactive approach to problem-solving and strong collaboration skills
- Ability to work with a variety of workstyles and personalities.
- Must be well organized and capable of multi-tasking
EDUCATION:
- College degree, preferably in Education, media arts, communications or other relevant field, or equivalent work experience.
- Minimum 7+ years of progressively responsible experience in media or education institution.
- Or equivalent combination of education and experience.
LOCATION:
WETA and NewsHour Productions are Washington, DC established media and news organizations. We are a largely local workforce based out of the Campbell Place office in Arlington, VA. WETA and NewsHour Productions value employee flexibility when possible. Most positions based in our Arlington, VA office will be onsite or hybrid, depending upon the role.
COMPANY OVERVIEW:
WETA, the flagship public media station in the nation’s capital, produces and distributes content that informs, inspires, and enriches lives.
As the second-largest producing station for the public media system, WETA creates programming to explore history, arts, and culture, partnering with acclaimed filmmakers such as Ken Burns and Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. National WETA productions include The American Revolution and Finding Your Roots, among many others. WETA is also home to PBS News, the primary daily, breaking, and special news producer for PBS. Its broadcast productions include PBS News Hour, Washington Week with The Atlantic, Horizons from PBS News, and Compass Points from PBS News, as well as specials, documentaries, and a robust footprint across digital platforms.
Locally, WETA serves audiences across Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland, through television, radio, and digital platforms. Audiences access WETA on broadcast channels WETA PBS, WETA UK, WETA Metro, WETA World, and WETA PBS Kids, and digitally through the free streaming platform WETA+. Listeners tune into WETA Classical, the exclusive home for classical music in the Greater Washington area, via radio, online, and the WETA Classical app. Benefits | WETA
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY:
WETA and NewsHour Productions are equal opportunity employers committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.
This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and internships. WETA and NewsHour Productions make hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.
