Director OF Listening, WBUR Program & Production Boston, MA

DIRECTOR OF LIVE LISTENING, WBUR Program & Production

BOSTON, MA, United States

Grade 52

$

$

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, training and internal pay comparison. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Full‑Time/Regular

WBUR is Boston's NPR and a public media leader. We deliver trustworthy journalism across airwaves, digital platforms including podcasting and digital audio and live events. Our mission is to produce high‑quality reporting and enriching experiences that inspire understanding, connection and community for an ever‑growing audience. As a member‑supported news institution licensed to Boston University, WBUR thrives through the dedication of its listeners and supporters.

We value truth, creativity, diverse perspectives and thoughtful dialogue, fostering an inclusive culture where everyone feels a sense of belonging. Looking ahead, WBUR continues to innovate and evolve, offering opportunities for meaningful impact and professional growth.

The Director of Live Listening plays a pivotal leadership role responsible for expanding audiences and revenue through WBUR’s live listening experiences. With an audience‑first approach, the Director leads strategic initiatives aligned with WBUR’s priorities of editorial excellence, engagement growth, and fiscal sustainability. Working closely with senior leadership—including the Chief Content Officer, Executive Editor for News, Managing Producer for Local News, and Executive Producers—the role supports WBUR’s stature as Boston’s premier news source by elevating local and national journalism and expanding national program carriage.

• Manage and optimize the formatics of WBUR’s live and recorded breaks to maximize live news airtime and deliver a compelling daily radio experience.
• Analyze story lengths, promotions, audience engagement tactics and break structures to enhance programming.
• Lead regular cross‑departmental coordination meetings to ensure programming and audience messaging are managed with consistency and collaboration.
• Drive operational improvements by updating station procedures in partnership with Programming, News, Traffic, Engineering and related teams.

• Design and implement experiments to boost audience discovery, engagement and retention.
• Leverage listening data and audience research, including surveys to refine strategies for linear and emerging platforms such as WBUR’s mobile app.
• Analyze market trends and audience metrics to provide actionable insights guiding scheduling and programming decisions.

• Develop a comprehensive “Sound + Style” guide to define WBUR’s local identity, aesthetic, and on‑air personality.
• Promote a modern, conversational writing style for all live‑read copy to strengthen listener connection.
• Collaborate with Membership and Development teams to optimize news‑driven messaging and breaks during fundraising, balancing audience experience and revenue efforts.

• Partner with teams across program production, podcasting, digital, live events and video to align audience growth strategies across WBUR’s platform channels.
• Recommend new workflows that showcase WBUR’s enterprise journalism and signature content.
• Guide audience journeys to live listening experiences to maximize overall engagement, impact and connection.

• Serve as a strategic thought partner to station leadership, driving innovation and audience growth.
• Oversee syndication efforts and manage the Syndication team to grow national program carriage and station relations.
• Represent WBUR in programming partnerships by cultivating relationships with distribution partners and industry networks.
• Identify and pursue new opportunities to…