Genre Manager: Journalism

At a time when the media landscape is constantly changing, audiences are becoming increasingly unpredictable in their media consumption, and digital technology is evolving at a rapid pace, public broadcasting aims to be the provider of diverse, reliable, and high-quality journalism. To fulfill that promise, we have created the position of Journalism Genre Manager.

We are looking to connect with a highly experienced, decisive, and innovative journalism leader who can combine a forward-thinking vision for public and pluralistic journalism with the ability to effectively build and lead the NPO’s new Journalism team.

As Journalism Genre Manager, you will be responsible for overseeing the NPO’s journalism division and coordinating the public broadcaster’s journalistic content. Together with the broadcasters, you will work to strengthen the comprehensive journalistic offering across all our channels and platforms, shifting the focus from linear to on-demand and online content, with the goal of reaching and informing everyone in the Netherlands. In the pluralistic broadcasting landscape, various journalistic perspectives are possible, all of which can be equally valuable. As a Genre Manager, you are responsible for adapting the necessary work methods, budget, and organizational culture to achieve this. You create an innovative, learning environment within your team and the public broadcaster where quality and innovation are central. You are accustomed to making well-founded decisions based on data and other insights. You are a born team player, have more than earned your stripes in journalism, and possess an excellent network in the media and beyond. You also have a keen sense of what resonates with the public and effectively respond to this through programming.

Challenges in Journalism

Journalism is under pressure due to declining trust in authority, in a fragmented media landscape where algorithms pose a risk of creating information bubbles among the public. The shift toward cross- and transmedia journalism, the fragmentation of media consumption, and an increasingly polarized society underscore the importance of high-quality, independently produced, and trustworthy journalism. These are just a few of the challenges you will address as the Journalism Genre Manager. These challenges call for a senior leader who not only understands the context but also actively contributes to solutions that secure the future of journalism. In doing so, you will collaborate closely with the journalists and editorial boards of the thirteen broadcasters in the public broadcasting system.

Here's what you'll be doing with us

As the Journalism Genre Manager, you play a crucial role in transforming our approach to journalism. Among other things, you ensure that reliable and diverse journalism—the backbone of public broadcasting—continues to hold a prominent and indispensable place in future programming. You will work to build a strong Journalism genre team within the NPO, capable of supporting editorial teams and content creators across broadcasters in delivering their journalistic stories in the right formats, to the right audiences, and in the right places. To facilitate this, the Journalism Genre Manager is responsible for the programming and coordination of the journalistic content across all channels, including linear television, NPO Radio 1, NPO Start, and NPO Luister, as well as YouTube and other social media channels. In this role, you will report to the Directors of Video and Audio. You will serve in a broad advisory role for the NPO’s entire programming portfolio, drawing on your journalistic expertise, and will engage regularly with the Board of Directors and key stakeholders of the public broadcaster.

Your responsibilities

• Digital transformation: You play a key role in the transition to online, social, and on-demand journalism products, leveraging new storytelling formats and distribution channels. You are open to innovative proposals and ensure that there is room for them.
• Coordination and collaboration: You will ensure excellent coordination among the relevant departments within the NPO, the thirteen public broadcasters, and their editorial teams, actively promoting and safeguarding a holistic approach to journalism. In doing so, you will embrace the diversity of public broadcasting and the associated dynamics.
• Strategy Development: Working closely with broadcasters, you will develop and implement innovative journalistic strategies that respond to the evolving needs of our audience and ensure that the quality, reliability, independence, and visibility of our journalistic content remain intact. In doing so, you will actively foster collaboration among the parties involved, including local and regional journalism.
• Leadership: You serve as an ambassador for public broadcasting journalism and are able to convey its importance and vision to the field and various stakeholders. You are capable of leading and inspiring a team in a rapidly changing environment, with a strong focus on collaboration, diversity and inclusion, and a results-oriented approach.
• Cultural change: You foster an inclusive and learning-oriented culture centered on reflection, mentoring, and continuous development.

You'll recognize yourself in this

• You have a bachelor's degree;
• You have years of experience in senior journalism roles. You have a vision for high-quality, innovative journalism and a network relevant to the field;
• You are intrinsically motivated to work for public broadcasting;
• Your colleagues describe you as curious, a strong communicator, ethical and principled, approachable, and innovative.

Terms of Employment

• Everyone is welcome. Even if, for example, you have a disability and accommodations are needed;
• At the NPO, we have a hybrid work model and offer flexible working hours;
• You will receive a fixed year-end bonus equal to 6% of your annual salary;
• You will receive 200 vacation hours (based on a 36-hour workweek);
• We have an NPO Academy to help you further your professional development.

The position of Journalism Genre Manager is a 36-hour-per-week role with a gross monthly salary ranging from €7,182 to €11,691 based on a 36-hour workweek. You will be provided with a company car for this position. This is a permanent position, starting with a one-year contract. Appointment to the position of Genre Manager Journalism is for a term of five years, with the possibility of one reappointment for another five-year term. We determine pay based on education, experience, and equal pay (m/f/x). Rules have been established for colleagues who advance internally to a different position or pay grade. We’d be happy to tell you more about that.

Interested?

If you’d like to learn more about the role of genre manager, please contactJurre Bosman, Director of Audio. You can reach him throughSimone Schuthof,management assistant, at 06 24 50 96 85. You can also call ortextJolanda Janssen, recruiter, at 06 - 23 63 71 31. If you have no questions and are ready to make a difference in public broadcasting journalism, please send us your resume and cover letter (attn: Jojanneke Doorn and Jurre Bosman).

When will you receive a response?

You can apply until Wednesday, November 20, 2024.

November 26, 2024: Job application feedback (end of day)

December 3, 2024: first job interviews

Feedback on the first job interviews

December 16, 2024: Second round of interviews (including an assignment)

December 17, 2024: Feedback on the second round of interviews

January 6, 2025: Selection assessment

January 7, 2025: final decision

January 8, 2025: Offer of employment terms (by phone and email)

Open to everyone

The NPO has a public mission: to serve the interests of every individual and society as a whole. The needs of our audience—with all its diverse backgrounds and perspectives—are our guiding principle. We want this to be reflected in our organization’s workforce. We believe in an inclusive organization that harnesses the power of diversity to achieve even better results. Because it is precisely because we differ from one another that we can arrive at new insights and better solutions. We therefore welcome candidates who, through their background and experience, wish to contribute to this. When candidates are equally qualified, preference will be given to the candidate who strengthens diversity within the NPO in this way.