DIRECTOR OF LIVE LISTENING, WBUR Program & Production

About WBUR

WBUR is Boston's NPR and a public media leader. We deliver trustworthy journalism across airwaves, digital platforms including podcasting and digital audio and live events. Our mission is to produce high-quality reporting and enriching experiences that inspire understanding, connection and community for an ever-growing audience. As a member-supported news institution licensed to Boston University, WBUR thrives through the dedication of its listeners and supporters. We value truth, creativity, diverse perspectives and thoughtful dialogue, fostering an inclusive culture where everyone feels a sense of belonging. Looking ahead, WBUR continues to innovate and evolve, offering opportunities for meaningful impact and professional growth.

Position Overview:

The Director of Live Listening plays a pivotal leadership role responsible for expanding audiences and revenue through WBUR’s live listening experiences. With an audience-first approach, the Director leads strategic initiatives aligned with WBUR’s priorities of editorial excellence, engagement growth, and fiscal sustainability. Working closely with senior leadership—including the Chief Content Officer, Executive Editor for News, Managing Producer for Local News, and Executive Producers—the role supports WBUR’s stature as Boston’s premier news source by elevating local and national journalism and expanding national program carriage.

Key Responsibilities:

Programming and Format Strategy

● Manage and optimize the formatics of WBUR’s live and recorded breaks to maximize live news airtime and deliver a compelling daily radio experience.

● Analyze story lengths, promotions, audience engagement tactics and break structures to enhance programming.

● Lead regular cross-departmental coordination meetings to ensure programming and audience messaging are managed with consistency and collaboration.

● Drive operational improvements by updating station procedures in partnership with Programming, News, Traffic, Engineering and related teams.

Audience Growth and Data Analysis

● Design and implement experiments to boost audience discovery, engagement and retention.

● Leverage listening data and audience research, including surveys to refine strategies for linear and emerging platforms such as WBUR’s mobile app.

● Analyze market trends and audience metrics to provide actionable insights guiding scheduling and programming decisions.

Presentation and Branding

● Develop a comprehensive “Sound + Style” guide to define WBUR’s local identity, aesthetic, and on-air personality.

● Promote a modern, conversational writing style for all live-read copy to strengthen listener connection.

● Collaborate with Membership and Development teams to optimize news-driven messaging and breaks during fundraising, balancing audience experience and revenue efforts.

Cross-Platform Coordination

● Partner with teams across program production, podcasting, digital, live events and video to align audience growth strategies across WBUR’s platform channels.

● Recommend new workflows that showcase WBUR’s enterprise journalism and signature content.

● Guide audience journeys to live listening experiences to maximize overall engagement, impact and connection.

Leadership and Partnership Development

● Serve as a strategic thought partner to station leadership, driving innovation and audience growth.

● Oversee syndication efforts and manage the Syndication team to grow national program carriage and station relations.

● Represent WBUR in programming partnerships by cultivating relationships with distribution partners and industry networks.

● Identify and pursue new opportunities to expand WBUR’s presence and influence.

Additional Responsibilities:

● Ensure programming aligns with WBUR’s mission, audience needs and public radio standards.

● Coordinate with editorial, marketing, membership, product and engineering teams to support programming goals.

● Manage budgets related to programming, content acquisition, and other operational costs.

● Ensure compliance with FCC guidelines and reporting requirements.

● Foster diversity, equity, and inclusion within programming and community initiatives.

● Lead innovation initiatives, adapting programming to evolving platforms and audience trends.

● Represent WBUR at industry events and public forums.

● Mentor on-air talent and production staff through regular aircheck and feedback sessions.

● Oversee program scheduling, including local, syndicated and special coverage.

● Evaluate and improve technical quality and production workflows to maintain broadcast excellence, including the daysheet, breaking news and voice tracking.

Required Skills

• Experience and Qualifications

  ● Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience; 8+ years in progressive leadership roles in news programming, content strategy and/or audience development.

  ● Passion for public media’s mission and values, with strong commitment to editorial independence, diversity and public trust.

  ● Proven success designing audience-centered content strategies across broadcast and digital platforms.

  ● Excellent communication, organizational and editorial decision-making skills.

  ● Ability to manage complex, fast-paced news environments with composure and authority.

  ● Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration capabilities.

  ● Willingness and ability to mentor and support junior colleagues.

  ● Experience with audience research, analytics, CMS workflows and cross-platform programming is a plus.

  ● Collaborative leadership style with high emotional intelligence.

  Location : This is a Boston-based position.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, natural or protective hairstyle, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.