Job Opportunties

Asheville, North Carolina

TO APPLY:  Please apply online at Livingston Associates, www.livingstonassociates.net and follow navigation to 'SUBMIT RESUME' and upload a cover letter, professional references and resume by February 15, 2010. Inquiries are welcome at (410) 243-1974.

Job Description
Western North Carolina Public Radio, Inc., located in Asheville, North Carolina, is excited to announce an opening for the position of Executive Director. WNCPR, Inc. owns and operates WCQS (www.wcqs.org), the community supported public radio and media service for Asheville and 11 neighboring counties in Western North Carolina. Located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, WCQS serves a culturally rich and diverse population. The station, a community licensee, was founded in 1984 and provides programming to an area with a population of 550,000. Weekly listenership is currently estimated to be 66,000. With 10 full-time staff, the station operates with an annual budget in excess of $1 million.

Over the past two years, the station's Board of Directors and staff engaged in an in-depth strategic planning process. Through this process, we identified WCQS's many strengths, which include its high quality, reliable, and trusted programming with loyal and strong supporters. This process also helped us identify future challenges for the station. These include developing the station into a stronger regional resource that better reflects the cultural, artistic and intellectual diversity and offerings of Western North Carolina. From this process, the Board of Directors adopted the following Vision Statement:

VISION

• To achieve this vision, Western North Carolina Public Radio, Inc. will:

• Increase awareness and discourse of community and cultural issues;

• Present diverse voices and views;

• Connect people of our region to each other and the world;

• Celebrate the arts, artists and cultural traditions of our region and the world
  

• Pursue and use multiple technologies to connect with our audience.

We invite candidates who have the energy, integrity, talent, and experience to lead WCQS in achieving our Vision. We recognize the challenges in finding the "right" person, but we are excited and enthusiastic about the future development and growth of the station for our region. We are seeking an Executive Director who can share our enthusiasm and passion and who can lead us into a higher level of service to Western North Carolina.

Together, the Board and staff of WCQS developed a profile of the ideal candidate. The person we choose as our next Executive Director of WCQS will be the candidate whose record and ability most closely match this profile:

Leadership:  An energetic, externally focused individual with a high level of emotional intelligence who will help WCQS become an organization that is both financially healthy and increases its service to Asheville and Western North Carolina, and:

• Has a warm, courteous presence – comfortable and effective at engaging a wide range of stakeholders with diverse outlooks – from a single member to high-end donors;

• Is adaptable, passionate and enthusiastic;

• Provides direction and accountability for organizational results;

• Is an effective problem solver and decision-maker.

Fundraising:  Effective fundraiser with demonstrated track record, knowledgeable of and expert at the Executive Director role in fundraising and resource development, who is:

• Strong as mission spokesperson and relationship management aspects of fundraising (both individual and institutional);

• Has a comprehensive understanding of fundraising strategies and methods;

• Able to develop WCQS organizational (staff and board) fundraising capacity;

• Is creative and capable at conceiving and developing alternative revenue streams.

Integrity:  Our most important asset is the trust our listeners and the community have in our programming and in WCQS as an institution. The WCQS Executive Director will:

• Have clear, high standards for (him or her) self and others;

• Be a trustworthy, authentic, courageous, ethical person of substance with strong awareness and sense of self; and

• Demonstrate a record of being able to identify, confront, analyze and resolve ethically ambiguous issues and potential or real conflicts of interest, both for (her or him) self and others in the organization.

Community Relationships:  Effective, externally focused relationship builder, who:

• Continues growing WCQS’s presence in Asheville and the region, has personal qualities the community can connect with, and over a short period of time will become a recognized leader in region;

• Demonstrates a record of community engagement and collaboration, and of developing partnerships with individuals and organizations; and

• Is comfortable with wide range of people, including at high levels (and being seen as peer) of civic leadership in the region.

Industry Knowledge (radio, internet, etc):  Knowledge of media and trends in technology and consumption of media, including:

• A high level of understanding of dynamics, issues and trends in public radio (including the need to develop WCQS into an essential local institution), and ability to lead WCQS in this area;

• Understanding/experience with issues related to non-profit organizations;

• If coming from outside public radio, deep commitment to and knowledge of public radio (listener, supporter)

• Is technologically competent, comfortable with/aware of new media.

Financial Acumen: Fiscally responsible, with strong business skills and experience, including:

• Developing, communicating and executing budgets;

• Excellent financial grasp, including how to read and understand financial statements and make organizational adjustments as called for;

• Full set of business skills;

• Knowledge of property management;

• Understanding of and ability to oversee a technologically-based capital plant; and

• Understanding of and commitment to financial integrity and financial transparency in the context of stewardship of WCQS.

Vision:  Display ability to project WCQS’s needs out into the long-term future; see and understand future trends in media, in related fields and the world, and the impact on WCQS’s operations:

• Big picture person;

• Able to enroll others in working together to execute vision;

• Balance vision with doing.

Strategic Focus: Powerful understanding of and use of strategy in organizational life:

• Knowledgeable of dynamics affecting current and future environment of WCQS and effective at maximizing the organization in response to these dynamics;

• Knowledgeable of population, technology and media consumption trends in Asheville, Western North Carolina and beyond;

• Highly developed skill at prioritizing, and accomplished at sequencing change;

• Able to continuously develop, execute and evaluate strategic plans, in concert with other stakeholders, and to champion strategic perspectives.

Communication:  Highly developed public and private interpersonal skills, including:

• Being a skillful listener;

• Is inspiring and respectful; and

• Is an effective spokesperson for the organization.

Internal Management/Relationship Skills (Board and Staff): A mature manager with strong internal relationship skills, including:

• Experienced and effective working with boards – able to work collaboratively with the WCQS Board of Directors;

• Committed and effective manager, including supervising, developing and mentoring the WCQS Staff.