KAZU Station Director

Csuaoa; United States; On-site; USD 110,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Life and disability insurance

Retirement plan with employer contributions

Generous vacation and sick leave accruals

Paid holidays

Campus housing eligibility

Job summary

Csuaoa is seeking a KAZU Station Director to serve as the chief executive and strategic leader responsible for advancing the station’s public service mission. This role requires strong leadership and a commitment to quality journalism.

The position offers a salary range of $110,000 to $130,000 annually and requires a Bachelor’s degree along with extensive experience in public media or related fields.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of leadership experience in public media or related fields.
• Strong understanding of journalism and broadcasting.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity and community service.

Responsibilities

• Lead the KAZU station’s public service mission.
• Manage broadcasting and production operations.
• Develop strong community relationships.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Content creation

Community engagement

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

KAZU Station Director

University Corporation at Monterey Bay

Salary: $110,000.00 – $130,000.00 Annually

Job Number: 2026-00023

Location: Ryan Ranch Office- Monterey, CA

Department: KAZU

Priority Screening Date: July 20, 2026. All positions are open until filled.

Salary Grade: Management Grade 9

Anticipated Hiring Range: $110,000 – $130,000 annually

Anticipated Start Date: September 1, 2026

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Life and disability insurance
• Retirement plan with employer contributions
• Voluntary 403(b) savings plan
• Generous vacation and sick leave accruals
• Paid holidays
• Access to campus dining plans
• Eligibility for affordable campus housing (if applicable)

Department Summary

KAZU is operated under the legal oversight of the University Corporation at Monterey Bay, an auxiliary of California State University Monterey Bay and the California State University system. KAZU is the flagship National Public Radio (NPR)-member radio station for the Monterey Bay Area, licensed in Pacific Grove, California. The programming KAZU provides includes twenty‑four hour “over‑the‑air” broadcasts and digital platforms that serve the listening community through local news and current events at both the national and world levels. The station’s key programming includes its website, “kazu.org,” and its two mobile applications, KAZU and NPR One.

Position Summary

The Station Director serves as the chief executive and strategic leader of KAZU, responsible for advancing the station’s public service mission through audience growth, journalism excellence, community engagement, financial sustainability, and innovation across broadcast, digital, and emerging media platforms.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Provides day‑to‑day management of the station’s facilities, including overseeing the news department and broadcasting and production operations.
• Exercises supervisory authority: hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and approving hours worked of employees.
• Develops staff through team building, goal setting, mentorship, training opportunities, coaching, evaluation and recognition.
• Assesses the department’s structure and provides support in integrating effective roles, responsibilities, and workflows.
• Identifies operational/process innovations to optimize efforts.
• Maintains proficiency to remain ahead of trends in content‑making, technology, and distribution.
• Promotes an atmosphere of excellent internal and external customer service within KAZU as a public radio station and NPR Affiliate.
• Develops and maintains strong relationships with the community, including business, professional, political and university leadership.
• Leads and empowers cross‑divisional teams for organization‑wide projects, promoting a culture of high performance, continuous improvement, leadership, collaboration, learning, relationships, and commitment to quality.
• Ensures the development of an academically sound internship program for students and provides part‑time employment opportunities for qualified students.
• Champions diversity of voices in programming, staffing, and community engagement.

Content & Audience Growth

• Oversees the end‑to‑end process of original content creation, from ideation and pitching to production, post‑production, and distribution.
• Works closely with content creators, producers, journalists, and talent to ensure the delivery of journalistically sound, high‑quality, relevant, and compelling original content.
• Oversees the effective and efficient execution of content and programming.
• Ensures excellent programming that generates listener support, meets community needs, and fulfills the mission of KAZU and the University Corporation, complying with all relevant NPR, CPB, and University Corporation policies, requirements, and laws.
• Monitors and evaluates program content staff across defined platforms; identifies and integrates staff skills required to effectively execute content strategies.
• Designs and executes strategies for expanding content offerings on existing and emerging platforms, aiming to attract new audiences and deepen engagement.
• Identifies and incorporates recommendations for KAZU’s program design and promotional selection to ensure optimal delivery while using best‑practices for scheduling and audience metrics.
• Expands opportunities for public broadcasting beyond traditional areas to broaden the funding base and external support.
• Leads audience growth across broadcast, streaming, podcasting, social media, newsletters, and emerging platforms.
• Develops and implements digital content and engagement strategies.
• Utilizes audience analytics and performance data to inform programming, fundraising, and marketing decisions.
• Ensures an active social media presence and functioning website for the station.
• May host on‑air.

Revenue & Development

• Works with the KAZU membership team to implement and track member drives, underwriting programs, and major donor programs.
• Ensures all fund drives are organized, publicized, staffed, and premiums sent out in a timely manner.
• Cultivates and maintains relationships with local donors, funding organizations, and foundations.
• Serves as the station’s lead ambassador and relationship builder with donors, foundations, community leaders, and strategic partners.
• Acts as the public face of KAZU, fostering meaningful relationships with listeners, donors, community stakeholders, university leadership, and regional partners, and attending community events and public forums to increase awareness and support.
• Partners with development staff to cultivate major gifts, institutional funding, sponsorships, and community investment opportunities that support long‑term sustainability.
• Assists staff with fundraising strategies including identification, cultivation, and solicitation of prospective and existing individual, institutional, and business prospects, donors, and underwriters.
• Oversees outreach to the regional audience through strategic marketing, events, and in‑person and online/digital engagement.

Operations & Compliance

• Ensures transmitter function and compliance with all necessary local, state, and federal laws and regulations.
• Ensures maintenance of physical space and equipment.
• Ensures public safety measures are in place for paid and unpaid staff, volunteers, and visitors.
• Effectively manages resources to meet goals and implement management programs and procedures that assure operational efficiency.
• Ensures that the station operates within approved budgets, establishing policies for reviewing and approving departmental expenditures and exercising direct approval authority where necessary.
• Heads efforts to develop partnerships and ensures financial stability through fundraising and cost control.
• Improves gross and net income through quality programming, fundraising, and budget management while maintaining compliance.
• Manages the strategic direction and oversight of the budget, expenditures, and long‑term financial sustainability.
• Provides oversight for compliance with FCC, CPB, and other broadcasting certification requirements.
• Identifies, incorporates, and evaluates key metrics and trends to be shared within KAZU and with the University Corporation and University.
• Maintains station relationship data and presents it as dashboards, reports, presentations, and meetings.
• Engages and communicates with the board around station strategy, operations, and governance.

Other Functions

• Promotes an atmosphere of excellent internal and external customer service within the radio station.
• Represents the University at professional meetings and on community committees, establishing credible relations with local and area news media.
• Keeps current on industry trends via conference attendance, trade publications, social media, and contact with broadcast professionals.
• Attends and reports at the University Corporation Board meetings upon request.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Special Conditions of Employment

• Sensitive Position: Designated as a sensitive position with authority to commit financial resources of the university through contracts greater than $10,000; access to, or control over, cash, checks, credit cards; and possession of building master or sub‑master keys for building access; access to controlled or hazardous substances.
• Handles personally identifiable Level 1 confidential information about students, faculty, staff or alumni that is protected or sensitive as defined in the CSU Information Security Data Classification Standards.
• Controls campus business processes, either through functional roles or system security access.

Special License or Certifications and Conditions

• Must possess and maintain a valid California driver license, pass the Defensive Training Class, and be insurable under the University’s liability coverage.
• May require occasional evenings and/or weekend work.

FERPA

• This position is required to comply with confidentiality requirements outlined in the Department of Education’s Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and California’s Educational Code Chapter 13 regarding sensitive student issues.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and eight (8) years of progressively responsible leadership experience in public media, journalism, broadcasting, nonprofit management, audience engagement, digital media, content production, fundraising, or related fields.

Additional specialized experience may be substituted for the required education on a year‑for‑year basis.

Preferred Qualifications

Demonstrated understanding and commitment to the CSUMB Vision Statement and the core values of mutual respect, collaboration and service orientation, multiculturalism and diversity, community service, and institutional excellence.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

The University Corporation at Monterey Bay is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace and complies with all applicable federal and state nondiscrimination laws. Positions are at‑will. CSUMB is a smoke and tobacco‑free campus.