Assistant Content Director

Nexstar Media; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 108,000 - 132,000; Full time

Job summary

Nexstar Media in San Diego seeks an Assistant Content Director, the newsroom's second-in-command, to guide editorial, operational, and content decisions across broadcast, streaming, digital, and social platforms.

The ideal candidate demonstrates strong leadership, modern newsroom workflows, audience-focused storytelling, and comfort with emerging technologies while upholding the highest journalism standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Journalism, Communications, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• Seven or more years of newsroom leadership experience.
• Exceptional news judgment and commitment to journalistic ethics.
• Strong understanding of broadcast, digital, streaming, social, and emerging media platforms.
• Proven ability to lead teams in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Demonstrated emotional intelligence, strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to influence and lead through change by building consensus, developing relationships, and earning trust across all levels of the organization.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily newsroom workflows, staffing, and resource deployment.
• Coordinate multiplatform coverage of breaking news, major events, and special projects.
• Improve processes that support efficient and effective news gathering and content production.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, legal requirements, and journalistic standards.
• Partner with leadership to align content strategy with audience needs and performance insights.
• Encourage experimentation with new platforms, storytelling approaches, and technology.

Skills

Leadership

Editorial leadership

Content strategy

Audience analytics

Newsroom management

Communication

Change management

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

CMS

Digital Publishing Platforms

Job description

Position Summary

The Assistant Content Director is the newsroom's second-in-command, helping lead editorial, operational, and content decisions across all platforms. This is not a traditional broadcast-first newsroom leadership role. The successful candidate must demonstrate a strong understanding of multiplatform content strategy, audience needs, emerging technology, and modern newsroom workflows. They must be comfortable leading change, improving processes, and driving content performance across platforms.

The Assistant Content Director helps lead daily newsroom operations, breaking news coverage, content strategy, staff development, and workflow improvement. The role requires a strong journalist, proven leader, and adaptable thinker who understands how audiences discover, consume, and engage with news today. This person must embrace new technologies, evolving audience habits, and modern storytelling techniques while maintaining the highest standards of journalism.

Success in this role requires exceptional leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills. The Assistant Content Director leads not through authority alone, but through influence. This person must be able to build and maintain trust, inspire teams, coach through change, navigate resistance, and foster alignment across diverse personalities, experience levels, and platforms. The ability to influence, motivate, and develop people is equally as important as the ability to execute strategy, improve workflows, and drive results.

Editorial Leadership & Content Strategy

Help lead the daily operation of a multiplatform newsroom. Drive content strategy across broadcast, streaming, digital, social, and emerging platforms. Lead editorial meetings, coverage planning, special projects, and breaking news execution. Ensure content meets the highest standards of accuracy, fairness, urgency, and journalistic excellence. Champion audience-focused storytelling and modern content workflows. Serve as the newsroom's primary operational leader in the absence of the Director of Content and Innovation.

Team Leadership & Development

Lead recruitment, coaching, training, and performance management for all content staff to prepare current and future content creators and newsroom leaders to excel in our modernized, "Content First" newsroom.

Build a high-performing, collaborative newsroom culture through coaching, mentorship, active listening, relationship-building, and clear communication.

Lead organizational change with empathy, credibility, and accountability while maintaining team engagement and trust.

Create an environment where ideas are welcome, staff feel supported, challenged, and empowered to grow.

Help identify and develop future newsroom leaders.

Operations & News Coverage

Oversee daily newsroom workflows, staffing, and resource deployment. Coordinate multiplatform coverage of breaking news, major events, and special projects. Improve processes that support efficient and effective news gathering and content production. Ensure compliance with company policies, legal requirements, and journalistic standards.

Innovation & Audience Growth

Partner with the newsroom leadership to align content strategy with audience needs and performance insights. Encourage experimentation with new platforms, storytelling approaches, and technology. Support the adoption of tools and workflows that improve content creation, distribution, and audience engagement. Use audience data and newsroom metrics to inform content decisions.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Journalism, Communications, or related field, or equivalent experience.

Seven or more years of newsroom leadership experience.

Exceptional news judgment and commitment to journalistic ethics.

Strong understanding of broadcast, digital, streaming, social, and emerging media platforms.

Proven ability to lead teams in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

Demonstrated emotional intelligence, strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to influence and lead through change by building consensus, developing relationships, and earning trust across all levels of the organization.

Experience

Experience leading a modern, multiplatform newsroom environment, with a track record of adapting to changing technologies and audience behaviors, improving workflows, leading organizational change, and driving innovation in content strategy and distribution.

Working knowledge of audience analytics, digital publishing platforms, and content management systems.

Excellent communication, interpersonal, organizational, and decision-making skills.

Must be available to work a flexible schedule, including nights, weekends, holidays, and breaking news situations.

Compensation starting at 120k commensurate with experience and skill level.