The director of partnerships will serve as an ambassador of Wisconsin Watch’s mission, focusing on the Green Bay and Fox Valley areas. The successful candidate will develop partnership opportunities, steward relationships and implement strategies to advance Wisconsin Watch’s mission to increase the quality, quantity and understanding of investigative journalism, fostering an informed citizenry and strengthening democracy.
Description
Wisconsin Watch is an entrepreneurial team working in a collaborative way to build the future of local news in our state. We’re passionate about trustworthy reporting that holds public representatives accountable and empowers the people of Wisconsin to solve problems, find pathways to success and guide our state forward. We believe this work is essential to keeping our communities and our democracy strong.
We are excited to announce a search for a director of partnerships in northeastern Wisconsin to help us deepen and expand our engagement in the region by developing strategic partnerships and building awareness of our work and its impact.
The director of partnerships will serve as an ambassador of Wisconsin Watch’s mission, focusing on the Green Bay and Fox Valley areas. The director will develop partnership opportunities and strategies, which may involve collaborations with community organizations, hosting workshops, or launching public awareness campaigns to build support for investigative journalism and the importance of a free press. In addition, the director of partnerships will build and steward relationships, including strategic partnerships with the business community, ultimately securing sponsorships for local Wisconsin Watch initiatives, events and other opportunities.
The director of partnerships will report to and work closely with the director of engagement, growth & innovation to analyze survey information about unmet news and information needs as well as website traffic, social media engagement and other data sources that can help us determine how best to serve the people of northeast Wisconsin, including those who don’t have primary trustworthy local news sources now.
We’re looking for a community connector who thrives on building trust and relationships. This individual will attend and participate in the most important events and conversations happening in northeast Wisconsin, such as community forums, industry conferences, and cultural celebrations. By collaborating with community residents, leaders, donors, funders, media partners, and businesses, this person will amplify Wisconsin Watch’s impact and help further guide its regional mission.
In this role, the regional director of partnerships will:
- Develop strategies and collaborations with community organizations to support essential news reporting that fills critical coverage gaps in Green Bay and the Fox Valley.
- Spearhead initiatives such as needs assessments, listening sessions and surveys to understand information gaps and community news preferences.
- Evaluate and establish product and distribution pathways to reach audiences where they receive their news and information.
- Attend events to identify fundraising and sponsorship opportunities, serving as a local community representative.
- Collaborate with stakeholders, including residents, leaders, donors, funders, media partners, and businesses, to advance Wisconsin Watch’s mission.
- Develop relationships with local donors and funders to ensure financial sustainability, working closely with the director of engagement, growth and innovation and the director of philanthropy.
- Demonstrate a grasp of content production, including awareness of content platforms and audience needs.
- Possess the ability to oversee the development and interpretation of audience surveys.
- Understand the intricacies of leading and managing teams, partners and community events.
- Have a proven track record of innovation and creativity.
Wisconsin Watch pursues the truth through accurate, fair, independent, rigorous, nonpartisan reporting. We value transparency, collaboration, innovation, and a spirit of public service. These priorities guide our investigations, which expose wrongdoing and deficiencies, explore solutions to problems, and bear witness to those in vulnerable circumstances. The same values guide our training of the next generation of journalists.
Location: The director of partnerships, northeast Wisconsin, will be located within the region and have a workstation in Green Bay.
Salary and benefits: The base salary range for this position is $75,000. Final offer amounts will carefully consider multiple factors, including prior experience, expertise and location, and may vary from the amount above. Wisconsin Watch offers competitive salaries and benefits, including generous vacation (five weeks), a retirement fund contribution, paid sick days, paid family and caregiver leave, subsidized medical and dental premiums, vision coverage, and more.
Deadline: Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. For best consideration, apply by Aug. 2, 2024.
To apply: Please submit a PDF of your resume and answer some brief questions in this application form. If you’d like to chat about the job before applying, contact Richard Brown: rbrown@wisconsinwatch.org.
Wisconsin Watch is dedicated to improving our newsroom by better reflecting the people we cover. We are committed to diversity and building an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and ages. We especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and people with disabilities. We are an equal-opportunity employer and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, or any other status protected under applicable law.
Salary
$75,000 – $85,000 per year
