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President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Employer
Maine Public
Location
Maine, United States
Salary
Salary Commensurate with experience
Closing date
Apr 17, 2021

View more

Position Type
Executive
Fields
Public Broadcasting
Employment Type
Full Time

Maine Public is searching for a dynamic leader for its next President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to manage operations and serve as the external ambassador of their renowned statewide Radio and TV Network.

The CEO reports to the Board of Directors, will be directly responsible for all station activities and will provide an innovative, creative and strategic vision for Maine Public as we seek to maintain and expand our position across all media platforms, while navigating the continual transformation of digital media.

Maine Public is currently assessing its physical facilities and generating resources to address needs in that area, which we anticipate will be a central focus of our work and the work of the CEO early in their tenure.

The CEO of Maine Public must excel at community engagement and partnership building and deliver critical and effective fundraising leadership with both public and private sources, while providing internal leadership and management of staff and facilities.

About Maine Public

Our mission: Every day, Maine Public connects the people of Maine and our region to each other and to the world through the open exchange of information, ideas, and cultural content. Our strategic plan, completed in 2018, is available here.

Maine Public was formed in 1992 through the merger of the educational radio and television stations provided by the University of Maine System and WCBB public television operated by Colby, Bates and Bowdoin Colleges. Maine Public is an independently owned and operated 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with office and studio locations in Bangor, Lewiston and Portland, Maine.

Maine Public is a statewide public radio and television service. Through its radio, television, educational and Web services, Maine Public provides ideas, information and lifelong learning to a diverse public. The majority of these services are available to everyone at no charge. Hundreds of thousands of people find value in Maine Public’s services every day. Private donations — including those received from radio members, television members, program sponsors and contributors of unrestricted gifts — comprise the largest source of revenue for the organization. The membership base alone totals over 60,000 individuals and families who form the largest nonprofit membership group in the state. In addition, thousands of volunteers donate their time and talents to the organization every year.

COVID-19 Impact: Maine Public continues to monitor the COVID-19 crisis and has implemented organizational policies and protocols specifically addressing increased protective measures. As employees in a critical infrastructure industry, we have an important responsibility to continue our essential work. Many of our teams have shifted to working remotely from home. This is not intended to be an indefinite remote working arrangement and when it is safe and appropriate to return to the office, we expect most employees would return to one of our three current locations.

Critical Skills and Attributes

Together the staff, Board and external stakeholders provided insights to develop a profile of the ideal leader for Maine Public. We will engage with and select from candidates with the following skills and characteristics:

Leadership:

We seek an experienced and mission-driven individual, who will collaboratively foster a positive, diverse and aligned culture within Maine Public, keep the organization improving its effectiveness in serving the people of our region, and maintain our strong financial condition, and who:

  • Is culturally fluent – able to grow a diverse and inclusive internal culture as well as honor, respect, engage in and across all of Maine’s distinct communities;
  • Is a respectful, fair and mission-driven team leader and builder;
  • Is a selfless, effective change agent who puts the mission and success of Maine Public first;
  • Is an empowering leader: Takes time to learn and utilize existing strengths of individuals and groups, and mentors and supports professional growth of individuals and our staff as a whole;
  • Has great people skills, and is effective with a wide range of stakeholders – from staff to individual donors and regional legislative, congressional, business and community leaders;
Integrity:

Our most important asset is the trust our listeners and the community have in our programming and in Maine Public as an institution. The CEO will:

  • Have clear, high personal standards for themselves, as well as for others;
  • Be both trustworthy and know when and how to be trusting;
  • Be an honest, sincere, courageous, ethical person of substance;
  • Demonstrate a commitment to and practice of transparency;
  • Foster a culture of journalistic integrity, including truthfulness, accuracy, objectivity, and public accountability, as well as understand and protect Maine Public’s editorial independence.
  • Demonstrate a record of being able to identify, confront, analyze and resolve ethical challenges or conflicts of interest.
Fundraising:

Maine Public seeks an effective fundraiser who is knowledgeable of and expert at the President/CEO role in fundraising and resource development, who:

  • Has a demonstrated record of success with major donor fundraising;
  • Is effective as a mission spokesperson and at relationship management aspects of fundraising, both individual and institutional;
  • Has a comprehensive understanding of public media fundraising strategies and methods;
  • Is able to develop Maine Public organizational (staff and board) fundraising capacity, particularly major and planned-giving, as well as attract, lead and hold accountable fundraising staff; and
  • Is creative and capable at conceiving and developing alternative revenue streams.
Communication:

To lead and represent Maine Public in various arenas, we seek a person with highly developed public and private interpersonal skills, who:

  • Can demonstrate being a skillful listener;
  • Enjoys being in a public situation;
  • Is an organized thinker, effective writer and speaker;
  • Is personable, inspiring and respectful; and
  • Is an effective spokesperson for the organization.
Industry Knowledge:

Our expectation is to attract a person with an expert level of knowledge and media savvy, including trends in technology and consumption of media (digital, broadcast, public radio and public television) who:

  • Has a high level of understanding of the importance, issues and trends of localism, and ability to lead Maine Public in this area;
  • Ideally has experience with assessing, generating resources for and completing building and infrastructure projects;
  • Skilled at providing strategic management of a complex technical plant, including investment decisions related to maintaining effectiveness of our studio, geographically dispersed radio and television transmitting and digital capacity;
  • Is knowledgeable of and has experience with commercial and public media, and is able to use helpful approaches and lessons from both to benefit the organization;
  • Has an understanding of and experience with issues related to non-profit organizations; and
  • Is technologically competent in the content area, fluent with strategic and tactical aspects of digital and social media, and able to provide effective leadership towards identifying and adopting new platforms.
Vision:

In the context of ongoing transformational changes, the Internet is having on availability and use of media as well as societal changes in the external and internal environment, our candidate:

  • Should display an ability to project Maine Public’s needs into the long-term future;
  • Can see and understand future trends in media, in related fields and the world, and the impact on our work and workplace;
  • Has a learning orientation, including demonstrated methods for gathering, assimilating and making meaning out of information about the changing media, technology and demographic landscape;
  • Can balance vision with doing; and
  • Is able to enroll others in working together to execute vision.
Team Management:

Maine Public seeks an inspiring, respectful, collaborative, highly competent manager of people, who:

  • Has a demonstrated record of developing and managing for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
  • Creates and maintains an effective, diverse, cross-functional culture of engaged professionals within Maine Public;
  • Adjusts his or her style as needed, collaborating, enrolling, delegating and directing as required by the situation;
  • Clearly communicates Maine Public’s mission and goals, and holds self and staff accountable for results; and
  • Is not a micromanager.
Problem Solving / Decision Making:

A critical element of skill, Maine Public seeks an expert decision-maker, who:

  • Has the ability to prioritize and determine significance of a particular issue, understands who to include in the problem-solving process, and knows what and how much information is needed;
  • Is able to effectively analyze and use data in the decision-making process, and will make decisions in a timely matter; 
  • Is good at follow-through: can clearly communicate decisions;
  • Can design and administer effective execution, with appropriate pre-determined success measures and time-posts; and
  • Has a level of personal strength to stick by decisions and/or know when a change of direction is needed. 
Collaboration:

Continue to build on Maine Public’s strength, focus on and leadership in collaboration as a central strength and strategy, both internally and externally. We will consider candidates with clear evidence of:

  • A proven track record of establishing and maintaining a broad range of effective partnerships;
  • Skill at building and maintaining consensus;
  • Proven ability to discern strengths and weaknesses of potential and current partners;
  • Being quick to identify and accept responsibility for missteps, and equally quick to credit others for contributions and success.
Strategic Focus:

We want a person with a powerful understanding of and use of strategy in organizational life, to achieve the current vision of Maine Public, who:

  • Can demonstrate their ability to consistently communicate and carry out Maine Public’s mission, values, and vision;
  • Is data driven, networks with and benchmarks other organizations to increase effectiveness; and
  • Is able to continuously develop, execute and evaluate strategic and business plans, in concert with other stakeholders, and to champion strategic perspectives.
To Apply

Maine Public is being assisted in this search by Livingston Associates.

To apply, please follow this link.  As part of your application process, you are asked to also submit a resume, letter of introduction including your vision for the future of public media and how you will be the ideal person to lead Maine Public in achieving that vision. These documents should be uploaded when you apply.

Date for full consideration: April 18, 2021

Inquiries are welcome with Livingston Associates at (410) 243-1974.

Maine Public offers a competitive salary plus a comprehensive benefits package for employees including healthcare, retirement, paid time off, dental, vision, health/wellness reimbursements, and other supplemental benefits.

It is the policy of Maine Public to provide equal employment opportunity for all persons and not to discriminate in employment because of race, religion, gender, age, marital status, veteran status, national origin, physical or mental disability, or sexual orientation.

 

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