The Gulf States Newsroom is seeking a curious, creative and collaborative professional to work with our regional team to build up engaged journalism efforts across Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. As a team, we want to find new ways to center the communities we cover in our reporting process and develop strategies to reach new audiences. We need an “if-then” thinker who can be a partner in brainstorming with editors and reporters to make sure the stories reach the people directly affected. We need someone who can develop and execute those ideas. You’ll help our team of reporters get more intentional in connecting with communities in the region and amplify the reach of our stories beyond existing platforms. 

The community engagement producer will …

• Work with reporters on all beats to identity opportunities to form deeper connections with those invested in stories they are covering. 
• Work with the community engagement reporter to develop our District 2 project with America Amplified, which centers on Black voting power.
• Identify community narratives, missing or mis-information and opportunities for
• enterprise projects. Use audience insights research to inform strategy and coverage plans.
• Convene community gatherings on multiple platforms (e.g. live events in person, virtual listening sessions, etc.) tied to reporting projects. Use gathered information to inspire ideas for coverage and outreach.
• Cultivate community connections, including new media partnerships in the region.
• Work with digital editor and reporters to experiment on social media — primarily GSN Instagram.
• Work with GSN editors to create a strategy for Subtext to distribute stories via text. 
• Contribute posts to the Gulf States Newsroom Medium to share lessons learned.

 Required Skills:

• At least three years of experience in journalism, marketing or other related field
• Bachelor's degree in Journalism, Communications, Liberal Arts or a related field
• A proven track record of collaborative team work
• Excellent writing, communication and organizational skills
• Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously and to adapt to changing priorities/conditions

Who We Are: The Gulf States Newsroom is a partnership among WWNO in New Orleans and WRKF in Baton Rouge, WBHM in Birmingham, Alabama, Mississippi Public Broadcasting in Jackson, and NPR. Over the past three + years, we've established ourselves as a team that illuminates issues in the Deep South and amplifies underrepresented voices. We track shifts in the region, from the expansion of dollar stores, to the rise of collegiate women’s wrestling, and efforts to train a new generation of Black farmers. We follow up with communities to shed light on widely-relevant issues like disaster recovery and high utility bills.

We are a tight-knit team that values empathy, respect and praise. For behind-the-scenes insights, check out the Gulf States Newsroom Medium.

Employment details:

In an effort to streamline business operations, GSN now employs all team members through a single entity. This position may be based in Alabama, Mississippi or Louisiana and will be employed through WBHM, the lead station of the collaborative based at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), as a full-time, 04 Irregular Employee. These employees are not eligible for UAB health benefits. In lieu of that, out-of-state employees have an additional $15,000 included in their annual base salary, paid out monthly. The employee can accrue time off and will work with the manager on a schedule for paid vacation days (15), personal days (3) and sick days (10). Travel across the region is part of the job and the employee will be reimbursed for lodging, mileage, food, etc.