Senior Manager, Community Connections - KIVI

Media Networks, Inc.; Boise (ID); On-site; USD 95,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

KIVI in Boise, Idaho, is seeking a Senior Manager, Community Connections to serve as the station's primary bridge to people, organizations, and conversations shaping the community.

In this role, you'll build trusted relationships, surface emerging issues, and translate community insights into action to keep KIVI deeply relevant in local life. You will lead forums, partnerships, and audience engagement across channels, working with News, Sales, Marketing, and leadership.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressively responsible experience in community engagement, journalism, nonprofit leadership, communications, public affairs, partnership development, government relations, or related fields.
• BS/BA in related discipline or equivalent years of experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain relationships with community stakeholders to understand emerging issues, priorities, and opportunities.
• Gather, analyze, and communicate community insights to station leadership, newsroom teams, and partners to inform decision-making and coverage.
• Partner with News to identify story opportunities, connect journalists with trusted sources, and support audience engagement across community channels.
• Serve as the station's primary community liaison, developing trusted relationships with civic, nonprofit, business, educational, and government organizations.
• Represent the station throughout the community and foster partnerships that create long-term value and impact.
• Ensure responsive, professional communication with community members, partners, and stakeholders, ensuring audience inquiries are acknowledged, routed and resolved in a timely and professional manner.
• Lead the planning and execution of forums, town halls, public-service initiatives, educational programs, and other community engagement activities.
• Partner with News, Sales, Marketing, and station leadership to create meaningful opportunities that strengthen audience relationships and community impact.
• Oversee event logistics, stakeholder coordination, and effectiveness measurement to ensure engagement activities are inclusive, relevant, and impactful.
• Develop and execute a market-wide community engagement strategy aligned with station and regional priorities.
• Advise station leadership on community needs, emerging issues, and opportunities to strengthen trust and local impact.
• Lead and coordinate cross-functional community engagement efforts, while sharing best practices, tracking outcomes, and developing team capabilities.

Skills

Relationship-building

Community listening

Strategic thinking

Public speaking

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Empathy

Independent work

CRM platforms

Microsoft Office

Education

BS/BA in related discipline

Tools

CRM platforms

Microsoft Office

Job description

Are you a natural connector who thrives at the intersection of community, journalism, and partnership? KIVI in Boise, Idaho, is looking for a Senior Manager, Community Connections to serve as the station's primary bridge to the people, organizations, and conversations that shape our community. In this pivotal role, you'll build trusted relationships, surface emerging issues, and translate community intelligence into meaningful action - keeping KIVI an essential, responsive, and deeply relevant force in local life. If you're passionate about community impact and believe local media has the power to bring people together, this is your opportunity to lead that charge.

Application Review: Applications received by November 4th will receive priority consideration. Applications received after this date may continue to be reviewed as needed.

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

• Build and maintain relationships with community stakeholders to understand emerging issues, priorities, and opportunities.
• Gather, analyze, and communicate community insights to station leadership, newsroom teams, and partners to inform decision-making and coverage.
• Partner with News to identify story opportunities, connect journalists with trusted sources, and support audience engagement across community channels.
• Serve as the station's primary community liaison, developing trusted relationships with civic, nonprofit, business, educational, and government organizations.
• Represent the station throughout the community and foster partnerships that create long-term value and impact.
• Ensure responsive, professional communication with community members, partners, and stakeholders, ensuring audience inquiries are acknowledged, routed and resolved in a timely and professional manner.
• Lead the planning and execution of forums, town halls, public-service initiatives, educational programs, and other community engagement activities.
• Partner with News, Sales, Marketing, and station leadership to create meaningful opportunities that strengthen audience relationships and community impact.
• Oversee event logistics, stakeholder coordination, and effectiveness measurement to ensure engagement activities are inclusive, relevant, and impactful.
• Develop and execute a market-wide community engagement strategy aligned with station and regional priorities.
• Advise station leadership on community needs, emerging issues, and opportunities to strengthen trust and local impact.
• Lead and coordinate cross-functional community engagement efforts, while sharing best practices, tracking outcomes, and developing team capabilities.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

• BS/BA in related discipline or equivalent years of experience preferred
• Generally, 7+ years of progressively responsible experience in community engagement, journalism, nonprofit leadership, communications, public affairs, partnership development, government relations, or related fields.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING:

• Exceptional relationship-building and networking skills
• Strong community listening skills and ability to recognize emerging issues and opportunities
• Strategic thinking and judgment; ability to translate insight into action
• Strong facilitation, public speaking, writing and presentation skills
• Ability to influence across News, Sales, Marketing, Operations and community organizations
• Strong project management and organizational skills
• Empathy, cultural awareness, diplomacy, discretion and integrity
• Ability to work independently and adapt to change
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, CRM/community relationship platforms and collaboration tools
• Strong customer-service mindset, conflict-resolution skills and sound judgment when responding to audience questions, concerns and sensitive community issues

WHERE YOU'LL LIVE, WORK, AND PLAY:

Boise is one of the West's most exciting and livable cities, a place where big-city energy meets the ease of an outdoor lifestyle. Nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains along the Boise River, the city offers a stunning natural backdrop and near-endless recreation - from world-class skiing and snowboarding at Bogus Basin just 16 miles from downtown, to hiking and mountain biking the Ridge to Rivers trail system, to floating the Boise River Greenbelt in summer. Sun Valley, one of America's premier ski destinations, is just a couple of hours away.

Downtown Boise is a thriving cultural hub packed with acclaimed restaurants, craft breweries, live music venues, and a vibrant arts scene anchored by the Treefort Music Festival and the Boise Contemporary Theater. The city is home to Boise State University and its iconic blue turf, giving it a youthful, collegiate energy alongside a rapidly growing tech sector that's earned it recognition as one of the top emerging markets in the nation. The Saturday farmers market, the Historic Egyptian Theatre, and the Basque Block - one of the most concentrated Basque communities outside of Spain - all add to Boise's rich, one-of-a-kind character.

Best of all, Boise consistently rank