Executive Director - North Carolina Health News

Career OpportunityNC Health News (NCHN), a non-profit online-only publication recognized for high-quality reporting, seeks a visionary and strategic leader to serve as its next Executive Director. The ideal candidate will guide the organization in delivering rigorous, impactful health journalism and advancing its long-term strategic vision for informing and improving public health statewide.Mission: NC Health News is an independent, statewide news organization dedicated to covering health care in North Carolina employing the highest journalistic standards of fairness, accuracy, and extensive research. NCHN was founded in response to the decrease in health reporters around the state. NCHN believes that to make the best decisions about the state’s health care system, the citizens of North Carolina need the best information possible. NCHN seeks to become the premiere source for health reporting in North Carolina.Reporting Structure: The Executive Director reports to a Board of Directors and leads a team of 13.Budget: 2026 fiscal year budget of $823,000Salary: The salary is commensurate with experience and begins in the $90,000 range. Benefits include 100% medical, dental and vision insurance, three weeks of vacation, 12 paid holidays and a 3% retirement match.Working Environment/Location: Mostly remote with moderate travel/Must live in NCKey Responsibilities of the Executive DirectorThe Executive Director provides visionary leadership and strategic oversight, driving the organization’s mission by ensuring editorial excellence, financial sustainability, and operational effectiveness, while building strong relationships with funders, partners, and the community. This role has a direct impact on shaping public health discourse, expanding the outlet’s reach, and empowering communities through trusted, high-quality reporting. The next Executive Director will pilot and coordinate efforts to truly scale statewide and achieve financial and operational sustainability by building NCHN’s distribution syndication, strengthening reader engagement, increasing revenue, and formulating a longer-term business strategy.Leadership, Strategy & Board EngagementThe Executive Director works with four direct reports, including the Editor-in-Chief, to guide the organization in delivering rigorous, impactful health journalism and advancing its long-term strategic vision for informing and improving public health statewidePut strategic goals into action by aligning people, resources, and partnerships around the missionFoster a culture of journalistic integrity, innovation, inclusion, and accountabilityChampion the organization’s work in the public sphere, ensuring clear, compelling representation across community, media, and stakeholder groupPartner with the Editor-in-Chief and the Board of Directors to strengthen governance, support board recruitment, and enhance overall board effectivenessServe as an advocate for the newsroom’s mission to funders, partners, and the broader communityRevenue GenerationDevelop, implement, and evaluate an annual comprehensive revenue generation strategy, including fundraising segments: sponsorships, partnerships, foundations, individuals and major gifts, grants, and eventsCultivate and steward relationships with donors, funders, and community stakeholdersServe as the organization’s chief fundraiser, ensuring meaningful growth through hands-on engagement with key supportersSupervise contract support for selling ads and sponsorshipsDesign and manage revenue generation and development operational calendar, ensuring timely and impactful organizational effortsFinancial ManagementLead and manage financial planning, budgeting, and reporting to support long-term sustainability, partnering with Board and Editor-in-chiefAlign financial decisions with strategic priorities, balancing short-term needs with long-term stabilityEnsure responsible, transparent financial oversight and strong fiscal controls, including monitoring cash flow, expenses, and revenue targetsPrepare NC Health News for annual auditsWork closely with external bookkeeper and accountant to ensure accurate bookkeeping, audits, and complianceOversee invoice and expense management, banking operations, and QuickBooks data entry and reportingReport regularly to the board on financial health, risks, and opportunities, working with a bookkeeper and accountant to craft digestible and accurate financial reportsPeople & Operations ManagementDevelop staffing strategies to recruit, develop, and retain a high-performing teamCollaborate with the Editor-in-chief to ensure a well-developed, engaged editorial teamManage staffing, human resources, and organizational policies, systems, and benefits to ensure effective and equitable operationsManage organization’s payroll, retirement, and benefits, ensuring effective and appropriate alignment to operational needsOversee all day-to-day operations to ensure effective, efficient, and mission-aligned execution, compliant with regulatory and ethical standardsManage contracts, vendor relationships, and technology systems to support operational needsEditorial SupportCollaborate with the editorial leadership to set long-term organizational goals that complement journalistic objectivesPrioritize budget allocations that reinforce investigative, public-health-focused, and statewide reporting prioritiesSupport newsroom independence while ensuring sustainable operations and growthHelp develop partnerships and distribution strategies that expand audience reach and impactThe Ideal Candidate ProfileThe ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications:Proven executive or senior directorial leadership experience with a healthcare, media, or journalism nonprofitKeen understanding of independent journalism and its role in a healthy democracyDeep empathy and desire for all North Carolinians to have access to the information, resources, and care that support their overall healthProven experience in donor outreach, solicitation, and stewardshipExperience with local community grassroots initiatives, policy, and advocacyOutstanding strategic planning experience, with ability to apply varied and thoughtful approaches for sustainabilityExcellent people management skills, with experience and appreciation for coaching and developing diverse work groups; experience managing staff within creative spaces a plusStrong fiscal management skills, with functional knowledge of QuickBooks and ability to disseminate and relate financial information to a variety of stakeholdersDemonstrated experience in developing and managing budgetsEffective grant-research and writing skillsExcellent communication, collaboration, influence, and public speaking abilitiesCommitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in media and organizational cultureBachelors degree or equivalent work experience in journalism, healthcare, and/or nonprofit management; advanced degree preferredAbout NC HEALTH NEWSNC Health News has provided information on health news, trends, and state policies to the people of North Carolina to help them make health care decisions for themselves, their families, and in the case of policymakers and providers, their constituents. Our team publishes 5-7 original, in-depth articles each week that we promote on social platforms and in a twice weekly, free e-newsletter. With this expanded capacity, NC Health News will expand their audience products.NC Health News reports with an understanding that good health is more than your diet and exercise routine or the medications you take. It's affordable insurance. It's safe drinking water. It’s knowing what to look for in a home for your aging parent. It's accessing quality care when you need it from a trusted, local provider. It can be hard for North Carolinians to figure out what complicated laws and corporate policies mean for their everyday life: Their health, family, care choices, and their wallet. For 15 years, NC Health News has been breaking down how health policies ultimately affect residents of our state, and our work has grown in influence and reach. NCHN has been in the vanguard of rebuilding North Carolina’s journalism ecosystem, creating strong ties with audiences, peer publications and influencing policymakers. More than 130 outlets trust NCHN’s reporting and reprint or reference its articles each year.Want to know more? Visit https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.orgHow To ApplyJoin NC Health News and play a critical role in shaping its future while driving impactful change in the community.To apply, click on the link for this position at https://jobs.armstrongmcguire.com/. You will see instructions for uploading your compelling cover letter and resume. Cover letters should be responsive to the mission of NC Health News as well as the stated responsibilities and qualifications.Please provide all requested information to be considered. In case of any technical problems, contact talent@armstrongmcguire.com. No phone calls, please, and no applications will be accepted by email or directly from third-party posting sites.NC Health News is committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. As an equal opportunity employer, we welcome applicants from all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, religion, national origin, or veteran status. Our reporting—and our mission—are strengthened when our team reflects the diverse North Carolina communities we serve.