Executive Director, half-time

We’re looking for a half-time Executive Director to have overall operational responsibility for Asheville Watchdog's staff, programs, expansion, and execution of its mission. Strategic responsibility will be shared with the Board of Directors and the Executive Team (founders + Managing Editor). The ED will work closely with the Board of Directors to ensure that the organization is fulfilling its mission and serving its constituents effectively. It is possible that the position will grow to full-time so the ideal candidate would be able to grow with the organization.

This person will join a dynamic, nonprofit news initiative whose mission is to inform and engage the citizens of Asheville and surrounding communities by providing fair, factual, and trustworthy in-depth news stories about local government, institutions, issues, and people. We’re renowned for producing high-impact work and collectively our reporters and editors have won multiple Pulitzer Prizes and other national awards throughout their careers. Since we launched our site in early 2020, we’ve consistently punched above our weight and expect to continue that performance.

Although we have no office and all staff members work from home, this is not considered a remote position insofar as the ED is expected to attend meetings and network locally.

At the Watchdog, the ED is not the primary spokesperson for the organization nor does the position have any oversight over the newsroom, excepting HR and general administration.

We expect the ED to:

• Work collaboratively with the Board of Directors, the Executive Team, and the newsroom staff when implementing policies and procedures that support the Watchdog’s mission and goals.
• Serve as an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors.
• Work collaboratively with the organization’s bookkeeper and manage the financial affairs of Asheville Watchdog, ensuring that the organization is financially sound and operating with financial prudence for long-term sustainability.
• Act as a liaison among the Development Director, the Executive Team, and the Board of Directors to develop and implement a comprehensive fundraising and development strategy that aligns with the organization’s mission and goals, with a focus on securing major gifts and individual donations. In most nonprofits the ED is a major player in soliciting donations which is not the case with the Watchdog. That role currently falls to the founders and the Development Director.
• Manage the hiring process.
• Maintain the organization's shared filing system on Google Drive, manage users of the organization’s gmail account, and hold “ownership” of all organization-wide online accounts.
• Supervise a part-time administrative assistant and initiate and oversee work provided by consultants, including IT and website management.
• Oversee marketing initiatives, which may include initiating and organizing marketing activities.
• Collaborate with the Executive Editor and Development Director to produce donor-friendly “reports,” either annually or for special events, that give an engaging account of the work of Asheville Watchdog. 
• Collaborate with the Volunteer Coordinator (who is also a volunteer) to find ways to appropriately use and reward volunteers.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Three to five years leading a nonprofit organization
• Experience in managing the financial position of a nonprofit organization
• Knowledge of human resource management
• Ability to produce reports for staff and the Board of Directors that are concise and informative
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Highly collaborative work experience