Executive Director Job Description
Why We Exist and What We Do
The mission of Lowell TeleMedia Center (LTC) is to strengthen the City of Lowell as a community media and education center that empowers, connects, and informs all residents, businesses, and organizations in the city. LTC Is dedicated to meeting the communication needs of Lowell’s diverse, multicultural and dynamic urban population. LTC is about “community making media, media making community.”
A private, nonprofit corporation incorporated in 1992, LTC operates three community access channels on the Comcast cable system in historic Lowell, MA. LTC also operates a thriving community media center that offers education, production facilities, and event space to Lowell’s diverse residents and business community. LTC is a collaborative, welcoming work environment with engaged and knowledgeable part- and full-time staff and volunteers. The Executive Director is supervised and supported by an active Board of Directors, 50% of which is elected by LTC members, and 50% of which are appointed by Lowell’s City Manager, City Council, and School Committee.
The LTC Executive Director is the face of LTC in the community as well as the chief executive officer of the organization. As such, active outreach to and strong relations with all parts of the community — from City Hall to underrepresented groups — is a critical part of the Executive Director’s position.
Why We Need You
LTC’s current Executive Director is stepping down, and we seek candidates with vision, zeal, and creativity to help lead LTC through multiple transitions, including COVID-19, Lowell’s changing system of government, and a renewed strategic focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion within the organization.
The duties of the Executive Director center around four areas:
Administrative leadership
Community and government outreach/relations
Creative leadership and problem-solving
Technology
1. Administration & oversight: Administer and oversee all LTC operations, programs, services, training, technology, and facility use. These responsibilities are based upon a detailed knowledge of the principles, practices, and techniques of public, educational, and governmental (PEG) access operations and knowledge of the Cable Television Act of 1984, as amended in 1992 and 1996, and an appreciation for the philosophies which underlie that federal legislation. Duties include:
- Collaborate with the Board of Directors to provide vision, strategic planning, and leadership in the development and implementation of the organization’s mission, policies, and long and short-term goals and objectives.
● Supervise a diverse team of staff and interns to manage the day-to-day productions as well as collaborations, classes, and events with community members; these duties will involve recruitment, hiring, training, evaluation, and professional development in order to ensure the highest standards of performance and adherence to the organization’s mission.
● Oversee the day-to-day financial activities of the office administrator, including overseeing expenditures (payroll, production supplies) and revenues (donations, grants).
● Prepare and administer the organization’s annual budget with staff assistance and Board approval (LTC has a million dollar plus annual budget).
● Be entrepreneurial in pursuit of diverse revenue routes and funding sources consistent with the mission, including proactively identifying and seeking additional funding sources and revenue opportunities, such as grants, corporate sponsors and foundations, and gifts.
● Oversee the negotiation and compliance of all contracts legally assumed on behalf of the organization.
● Present written and verbal reports at regular monthly board meetings and subcommittee meetings.
- Community: Have a passion and commitment to community media as a means of delivering messages to and from all residents, and a commitment to make diversity, equity, and inclusion in all forms a priority in day-to-day operations and community engagement. As the principal spokesperson to LTC members, the City, the press, funders, and the greater community, the LTC Director must be able to develop strong working relationships with a wide variety of people, ranging from community producers to government officials to traditionally under-represented groups. Duties include:
- Actively engage and reach out to local communities and participate in community activities (e.g. local festivals, events, etc.).
● Produce community service programs for broadcast.
● Oversee election programming, including debates, election night coverage, and candidate profiles in a non-partisan manner.
● Oversee an active internship program in collaboration with local colleges
- Technology: Embrace and explore technological innovations to further LTC’s mission. These duties will require the Executive Director to be cognizant of LTC’s technology assets, oversee the acquisition of equipment and software, and work with and/or improve existing workflows.
- Work with staff to ascertain current equipment resources, both fixed and portable, to provide a technological roadmap for maintenance and future upgrades.
● Work with staff and board to identify a schedule for major upgrades and how to budget for them.
● Seek input from producers to ensure they are comfortable and prepared with any possible “seismic” shifts in technology.
● Oversee the operations of LTC’s complex IT network ensuring it remains secure and minimizes downtime.
● Coordinate with technology departments from both the City of Lowell and Comcast to ensure signal quality for LTC’s primary distribution channels both residential cable service and the internet.
● Ensure that LTC’s web presence (website, social media outlets, etc) remains operational, secure, and current.
● In the event of a catastrophic signal-flow breakdown, be prepared to provide a detailed incident report, as well as a plan and timeline for resolution, to the LTC board and our partners. Provide a simplified list of talking points we can share with our users.
- Creative Leadership: Bring creative energy to the environment, including producing visionary programming that involves key members of the community, for the betterment of the community. Proactively discover new or existing challenges in the internal and external environment to find creative opportunities to better serve the community within the bounds of our mission.
- Act as Executive Producer of LTC’s News magazine program and produce news segments for the show, and guide the program’s content to be inclusive of Lowell’s diverse residents.
● On an ongoing basis, take the lead on producing timely video programming, educational projects, and community collaborations based on the strategic plan.
● Keep informed of issues, legislation, trends, events, and developments in technology, communications, and public access through peer contact, organizations, conferences, and other sources, and appraise staff and Board of such developments.
● The Executive Director will also take on additional tasks within the scope of the organization as assigned by the Board.
What We’re Looking For
The successful applicant for this position will have demonstrated strengths in these four principle areas:
- Administrative leadership skills:You succeed when others succeed. You are a conduit for ideas to come to fruition. You enable others by sharing passion and resources, and you have a great sense of empathy and drive for success for everyone around you.
- Community and government outreach/relations, including a demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion:You have a passion and commitment to community media, citizen empowerment, media democracy, and the mission of LTC. You have the political savvy to align local leaders to your process and projects.
- Creative leadership and problem-solving:You come from a context of creative thinkers. You surround yourself with others who drive change in their communities and explore new ways of serving the public.
- Technology: You embrace technological change, and you see opportunities when new video equipment comes to market. Producing video on cell phones, and capturing inside virtual worlds doesn’t scare you, and you know how to get quality productions on tight budgets. You can get others excited about new ways of producing, too. You follow multiple publications about tech and talk to various other leaders in the community and share strategies.
Preferred Qualifications
- Three to five years of executive leadership or high-level management in a diverse, multi-disciplinary non-profit organization
● Degree in communications or related field
● Proven experience in budgeting, accounting, and compliance
● Demonstrated commitment to embrace and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in all its forms
● Experience in hiring, training, and mentoring staff to achieve annual goals, and ability to lead and inspire a diverse staff and membership to implement large-scale projects to reach goals and objectives
● Strong video production skills, and experience in and knowledge of all facets of telecommunication production technologies and equipment
● Excellent verbal and written communication skills
● Strong interpersonal and negotiation skills, particularly a demonstrated ability to develop and maintain close working relationships with multiple stakeholders (government, business, schools, community); familiarity with institutions and people in the Lowell region is a plus.
Application deadline: Open until position is filled.
Please email a cover letter, resume, and three references in pdf format to: Nary Tith at ntith@LTC.org
Please type “Executive Director Search” in the subject line. All inquiries will be held in confidence.
