Director, Communities of Practice

Title: Director, Communities of Practice

Reports to: VP of Program

Position Type: Full Time

Compensation: $100,000 - $120,000 annual salary

Location: Remote, U.S.-based

Benefits: 100% premiums covered by SJN for medical insurance, access to dental and vision insurance, 20 days paid vacation, 3 floating personal days, 6 sick days, 8 paid holidays, the last week of December off, work schedule flexibility and a remote work stipend.

Timeline:

Application deadline: Mar 24, 2025

Application review: Mar 25, 2025 – Mar 28, 2025

Interviews:  Mar 31, 2025 – Apr 11, 2025

Potential Start date: May 1, 2025

Background

Since 2013, the Solutions Journalism Network (SJN) has worked to legitimize and spread solutions journalism — rigorous reporting that examines not just problems, but also effective efforts to respond to them — in order to rebalance the news. We’ve made a strong case for how and why audiences and society benefit when solutions journalism is integrated into the news — and we’ve had real success. We’ve worked with over 600 news organizations and 27,000 individual journalists and, based on growing demand for our work, currently staff are working across the United States as well as in Africa and Europe. Around the world, solutions reporting is being adopted by news organizations because it increases audience trust and engagement, sharpens accountability and can open up new sources of revenue.  

Today we believe it is more urgent than ever that we take bold action and significantly broaden our reach. Building on our foundational work with newsrooms, we are embarking upon an ambitious new strategy aimed at advancing a system-level change across the field of journalism, in which strong communications will play a critical role. Working with a core group of journalists, educators and allies, we aim to engage tens of thousands more along with hundreds of news organizations in a movement to ensure ready access to news that is informed by solutions reporting. Our vision of success is sweeping but achievable. With broad adoption of solutions journalism, we envision an increase in society’s capacity to solve problems, widespread reach of more complete and accurate coverage, advances in fairness and equity in reporting and a public that is actively involved in the stories being told about their communities.  

Role Purpose

The Director of Communities of Practice reports to the Vice President of Program, leading one of several teams dedicated to advancing SJN’s mission. The Director of Communities of Practice will run and/or oversee multiple program activities in alignment with SJN’s strategic priorities with an “all teach, all learn” mindset. To that end, the director will support journalists and develop and connect solutions journalism communities of learning. The goal of these networked communities is to bring together like-minded journalism actors to reinforce and accelerate learning, to effect a change in the practice of journalism so that rigorous, evidence-based reporting on responses to problems becomes an essential part of the work. This team currently supports a climate-focused program for newsrooms and a peer network for journalists and newsrooms covering climate. 

We are seeking an experienced and highly collaborative journalism leader to help us significantly expand the reach of solutions journalism among journalists and newsrooms, including some whose work focuses on covering climate. This individual will bring an entrepreneurial mindset – proactively bringing opportunities to our attention as well as embracing opportunities in the US and abroad (Asia, Africa, Latin America) surfaced by our CEO, development team and others. 

• Team Management
• Manage a team that currently includes one US-based program manager and could potentially include one or more additional program managers and/or contractors in the US, Asia, Latin America and elsewhere
• In coordination with VP of Program, ensure strategic planning and goals for the team are aligned with SJN’s overall strategic priorities
• Work with directors and all colleagues to ensure clear communication and effective collaboration across teams 
• Capture and communicate best practices and insights to share with others in the organization and beyondPrepare budget recommendations as needed
• Program Management
• Oversee ongoing climate newsroom program and peer network as well as design, oversee and run new programs such as fellowships, as opportunities emerge
• Assess effectiveness of climate peer network in expanding the reach and practice of solutions journalism and work with your team to provide guidance and support across the program team for growth of the peer network model
• Determine and implement measures to track impact and success in coordination with colleagues and partners 
• Relationship management
• Develop and advance relationships with partner organizations in line with strategic priorities
• Represent organization as needed at conferences and events

• Team & Program Management:
• Experience managing and leading teams with a highly collaborative management style. 
• Proven ability to design, implement, and evaluate complex programs, from conception to completion.
• Experience managing multiple projects simultaneously, prioritizing effectively, and meeting deadlines. 
• Ability to monitor program progress, identify challenges, and implement corrective actions.

• Journalism & Media Industry:
• Demonstrated results from reporting and/or editing with a solutions journalism approach
• Experience teaching and/or coaching solutions journalism
• Experience designing and delivering training programs for journalists
• Understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing journalists today
• Credibility in the journalism industry
• Ability to contribute to the development of journalistic resources and materials

• Partnerships & Relationship Development:
• Experience forging, building and managing relationships with newsrooms and other key partners 
• Ability to represent the organization at conferences and events

• Strategic Thinking & Leadership:
• Ability to work with colleagues to advance and evolve the vision for program initiatives
• Strategic mindset with the ability to identify opportunities and anticipate future trends
• Demonstrated leadership skills, including the ability to motivate and inspire teams 
• Ability to remain agile and adapt in a quickly and unpredictably changing environment

• Preferred:
• Experience outside the US, including Asia and/or Latin AmericaExperience covering climate as a reporter and/or editor with a solutions lens

Does this sound like your calling? We hope so: We’re an energetic, ambitious, and fun bunch, and we want great people to join us.

Equity, Justice, Diversity and Inclusion at SJN means a workplace where individual differences are recognized, appreciated, respected and responded to in ways that fully develop and utilize each person’s talents and strengths. Diversity of perspective, identity, and experience is important to us.  We want to reflect and serve the whole of society. As a result, we encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to seek employment, and we make all employment decisions without regard to race, age, gender, sexual orientation, or any other factors protected by federal, state or local law. To request a reasonable accommodation, contact Eva Blanc, eva@solutionsjournalism.org

SJN Application & Hiring Process FAQ

Q: Where’s the best place to learn more about the Solutions Journalism Network and the work that you do?

A: Start with this “brief but spectacular” video made for PBS and featuring David Bornstein, one of SJN’s co-founders. Check out the SJN website, new research on how audiences respond to solutions journalism, our most recent survey of our newsroom partners and this study on how solutions journalism can lead to increased revenue. 

Q: Where do I submit my cover letter?

A: The SJN application does not include a cover letter. Instead, we ask a series of questions that we hope will provide the opportunity for you to share your thoughts. All applicants respond to the same questions, which removes the guesswork of a cover letter and enables you to focus on the things we’re most interested in knowing about your qualifications for this role. (note: after the application questions, you will see a final box that says "ADDITIONAL INFORMATION" and the preview text says "add a cover letter or anything else you want to share”. Please do not upload a cover letter here.

Q: What happens after I submit my application?

A: Once the application period closes, a team of SJN staffers will review all of the applications and contact candidates who move to the next stage of the process, which will include 1-2 rounds of interviews and, possibly, an additional (brief) assignment.