MANAGING DIRECTOR, ONE SMALL STEP

MANAGING DIRECTOR, ONE SMALL STEP

Department: One Small Step

Division: Programs

Location: Remote

Travel percentage: 60%

Reports To: Strategic Adviser to CEO

Term of Employment: December 31, 2024

Status: Full-time, Temporary, Exempt, Non-Union

Salary: $110,000 – $120,000

Deadline to apply: Wednesday, January 3rd, 2024, 5:00 pm ET.

 

THE ROLE

Leveraging two decades of collecting, producing, and distributing the stories amplifying the experiences of everyday people, StoryCorps created One Small Step (OSS) to reduce toxic polarization by normalizing cross-partisan conversations. OSS, pairs strangers across the political divide for 50-minute conversations about their lives, while activating the many ready, willing, and courageous people and communities who see it as their patriotic duty to dialogue with those with whom they disagree. OSS is a social movement that is changing hearts and minds, allowing us to recognize our shared humanity. OSS is also one of StoryCorps’ largest initiatives to date.

Reporting to the Strategic Advisor to the CEO and working closely with the Founder, the Managing Director, OSS, will be a road warrior, strategist, knowledgeable community organizer, and dynamic public speaker who will work with the executive team to scale OSS across all 50 states. The Managing Director will maintain local relevance in our Model Communities (Columbus, GA, Richmond, VA, Fresno, CA), build organizational capacity through strategic partnerships, and create value through ecosystem building. This position liaises with multiple interdisciplinary teams — within StoryCorps (Development, Marketing and Communications, Digital,  and Finance and Administration), across geographical areas (in “Model Communities”) and functional (i.e., public radio, education, business, healthcare, etc.) communities, and the “bridge building” field — to grow awareness, engagement, interconnectivity and overall excitement for OSS across the country.

The Associate Director, OSS, and Associate Director, Community Engagement streamline backend processes along with other responsibilities and will report directly to The Managing Director. Additionally, they oversee a field team of 6, which works deeply and intimately in our Model Communities to drive awareness and participation and cultivate champions who can help foster community adoption.

We seek to recruit and develop a staff whose diversity matches the diversity of the communities we serve, and we strongly encourage applications from people of color,  the LGBTQ+ community, from people of all ages, political beliefs, and cultures.

 

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Lead the day-to-day operations of a national recruiting effort to normalize cross-partisan conversations; coordinate with the field to maximize awareness and participation;
• Serve as a leading spokesperson for OSS in media, communities, and the “bridge building” field (the movement to address the polarization in today’s political climate), including regularly providing information to the public and media as necessary and delivering speeches and presentations to stakeholders.
• Advise the executive team on strategic issues and collaborate to creatively solve problems.
• Regularly visit Battleground States during and beyond the 2024 election and drive awareness and participation; drive engagement by sharing feedback from the field
• Hire, oversee, and direct a team of 4 field managers, 1 radio relations manager, and the Associate Director, One Small Step along with volunteers and consultants to implement on-the-ground activities in OSS’ Model Communities and with public radio stations
• Oversee operations team as they build systems and processes that set, monitor, and track performance, schedule and facilitate participant interviews, and create digital tools that efficiently and effectively scale OSS;
• Analyze, assess, and synthesize data from diverse sources via reports generated by StoryCorps and available from partners to ensure evidence of key performance indicators met.
• Support grant proposals and reports by participating in pitches to philanthropic organizations as well as institutional and government grantors.
• Manage OSS budgets
• Perform other duties to support the Strategic Advisor and Executive team as assigned such as creating thought leadership essays and sharing similar content from leaders across the field

ABOUT YOU

Required:

• The position requires a bachelor’s degree plus at least 6 years of directly relevant professional experience or equivalent education + experience
• Experience in growing and scaling a national program or initiative, including relevant experience with a nonprofit, advocacy, or political organization/campaign
• Proven track record as an effective organizer and community builder; proven experience as a team leader/supervisor
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
• Solid organization skills, ability to prioritize among competing tasks, and attention to detail; familiarity with project management practices
• Ability to be flexible and adaptable to contribute to problem-solving activities within a growing, changing organization
• High emotional intelligence with an ability to thrive in one-on-one interactions and with large audiences of individuals who may be different than you
• Cultural competence/humility and the ability to thrive in a diverse work environment
• Confident, thoughtful, and open to hearing and acting on the views of others

Preferred:

• Bilingual Spanish fluency
• Familiarity with conservative media outlets, thought leaders, as well as social and political institutions
• Media cultivation with an ability to decipher misinformation.
• Familiarity with Generative AI tools, such as Chat GPT, Google Bard, etc.

Physical Requirements:

• 60% of the job is dedicated to travel

 

ABOUT STORYCORPS

Founded in 2003, StoryCorps has given over 600,000 people, in all 50 states, the chance to record interviews about their lives. The award-winning organization preserves the recordings in its archive at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered, and shares select stories with the public through StoryCorps’ podcast, NPR broadcasts, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books. These powerful human stories reflect the vast range of American experiences, engender empathy and connection, and remind us how much more we have in common than what divides us. StoryCorps is especially committed to capturing and amplifying voices least heard in the media. The StoryCorps MobileBooth, an Airstream trailer that has been transformed into a traveling recording booth, crisscrosses the country year-round gathering the stories of people nationwide. Learn more at storycorps.org.

 

In-Office Work: 

Working at the StoryCorps office is optional except in certain circumstances, such as in-person training, if your position requires some in-office presence, or if your manager needs an in-person individual or team meeting, COVID guidelines permitting.

For those who prefer to work in the office, that option remains.

COVID NOTICE:

All offers of employment requiring on-site/in-person work will be contingent on the candidate being Fully Vaccinated (at least two-weeks after last dose) prior to starting their new role. Reasonable accommodations can be discussed with HR personnel for individuals who cannot be vaccinated due to medical or religious reasons. Proof of vaccination status is required at the time of extending the offer.

 

StoryCorps seeks to hire staff who reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. All positions at StoryCorps are filled without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, HIV/AIDS status, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. All are encouraged to apply.