Director Audio and Language Content

Special Broadcasting Service Corporation; Sydney; On-site; AUD 300,000 - 540,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care checks

Salary packaging

Employee Assistance Programme

Flexible work arrangements

Discounted gym membership

Job summary

SBS is seeking a Director of Audio Language Content to lead the radio and audio digital content portfolio. Reporting to the Chief Content Officer and Managing Director, you will oversee editorial quality, strategy, audience impact, operations and financial performance in a dynamic, multilingual environment.

As a member of the SBS Executive Committee, you will steer the division, manage six direct reports across ~250 staff, and drive cross‑SBS collaboration, innovation and responsible leadership

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience in media, audio, journalism, or digital content.
• Strong editorial judgement with content delivery oversight.
• Experience shaping content strategy around audience needs and change.

Responsibilities

• Set long-term strategy for multilingual news, current affairs, and cultural content across radio and digital audio.
• Engage communities to ensure SBS audio educates, entertains, informs Australians.
• Uphold high editorial standards and impartiality in sensitive matters.
• Grow audience reach, engagement, trust and impact through relevant content and distribution.
• Represent SBS at events and build relationships with diverse communities.
• Collaborate across SBS to share content, talent, and resources.
• Lead digital innovation, audio commercialisation, financial planning, risk management, and a safe, inclusive workplace.

Skills

Multilingual content leadership

Executive leadership

Editorial judgement

Audience strategy

Job description

With a content portfolio like no other media organisation in the country, SBS occupies multiple channels and platforms, and provides a unique opportunity for employees to help make Australia a better place to live.

At SBS, we embrace difference, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds.

We also acknowledge the unique contribution that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples make to our society and our workplace through their enduring and continued connection to land, sea, sky and community.

The Role

Reporting to the Chief Content Officer and the Managing Director, the Director of Audio Language Content leads SBS’s radio and audio digital content portfolio. The role is accountable for the division’s editorial quality, strategy, audience impact, operations and financial performance.

As a member of the SBS Executive Committee, the Director also contributes to SBS’s overall strategy, performance, culture and organisational success. The role has direct accountability to the Managing Director on enterprise strategy, Executive decision-making and the collective performance of the Executive team.

The Director leads six direct reports and a division of approximately 250 employees.

Key responsibilities include:

Setting the long-term strategy and priorities for multilingual news and current affairs, community service content and cultural content including music across radio and digital audio platforms.

Engaging with communities to ensure SBS audio provides content and services that educate, entertain and inform all Australians.

Upholding the highest editorial standards and impartiality whilst exercising sound judgement on sensitive and complex matters.

Growing audience reach, engagement, trust and impact through relevant content and distribution.

Representing SBS at community and stakeholder events and other on-the-ground engagement activities, building relationships and strengthening SBS’s connection with diverse communities.

Working across SBS to share content, talent, production capability, audience insights and resources.

Leading digital innovation, audio commercialisation, financial planning, risk management and delivering a safe, inclusive workplace.

About you

We’re looking for someone who brings:

A deep understanding of the lived experience of multicultural and multilingual Australians and the ability to translate this into a distinctive and valuable audio content slate.

Significant senior leadership experience in media, audio, journalism, digital content or a comparable content environment.

Strong editorial judgement and experience overseeing content delivery, with experience in news, current affairs or public interest content an advantage.

Experience shaping content strategy around audience needs and leading change in response to shifts in audience behaviour and technology and consumption patterns.

Experience leading large, diverse and multidisciplinary teams, including senior leaders and driving a high-performance culture.

Strong financial and commercial acumen, including experience managing a P&L and a demonstrated understanding of how audio content can be effectively commercialised.

Confidence contributing at executive and board level, alongside considered and genuine community engagement.

The Department

Audio Language Content (ALC) delivers both multilingual news, current affairs, radio, audio, digitalservices and music content for SBS audiences. ALC delivers language services across radio, podcasting, online and social media in over 60 languagesand works across multiple content and audience platforms to serve multilingual and multicultural communities and contribute to SBS’s public purpose.

About SBS

SBS is one of the world's most unique and innovative media organisations, producing trusted, meaningful, and engaging content that exists for all Australians to inspire,support and celebrate the diversity of our multicultural society.

Our purpose, for the last 50+ years, has reflected and explored the evolving diversity of Australia, investing in initiatives to deepen its connections with communities, sharing their stories and giving a voice to those often unheard, with the aim of increasing understanding and respect of the differences that make up Australia.

SBS is a truly distinctive network, showcasing multicultural, multilingual and First Nations stories otherwise untold in the Australian media.

Some of the reasons to consider working with us:

The people! We truly celebrate and welcome difference at SBS and encourage everyone to bring their whole self to work & you’ll be part of one of the most inclusive companies in Australia!

The culture and the engagement of our workforce! 90% of our employees have stated that they are proud to work for SBS!

• health care checks
• salary packaging
• Employee Assistance Programme
• flexible work arrangements
• discounted gym membership nationally with Fitness Passport program

We’re agile and innovative in the way we work, as well as being a trusted and established brand. At SBS we have been broadcasting for 50 + years and our future is packed with many more exciting developments!

SBS recognises that everyone is unique, and you might require some adjustments to ensure you have the best opportunity to apply and put your skillsforward for consideration. If we can make some adjustments to the SBS recruitment/interview process to better enable you to shine, then please contact [e-mail] and let us know.

Adjustments include but are not limited to; alternative application methods, interview setups, physical requirements, guidance for trans or gender diverse applicants, specific interview availability times and more. To find out more about reasonable adjustments with SBS, please view our video here .

In addition, SBS is a proud partner with the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower initiative, helping us create a workplace where people feel seen, understood, and supported.