Vice President, Talent Strategy

Intro to Position

Reporting directly to the Chief Content Officer (CCO), the Vice President of Talent Strategy serves as the principal architect, relationship builder, and strategic scout for creative, journalistic, and host talent across NPR. In this role, you will work side-by-side with the CCO and editorial leadership to align talent acquisition, career stewardship, and creator partnerships directly with NPR’s long-term multimedia vision.

You will nurture trusted relationships with our established roster of award-winning journalists, hosts, and commentators while proactively identifying, evaluating, and attracting emerging voices from independent media, podcasts, newsletters, and digital platforms. Serving as an executive bridge across Content, People, Legal, and Member station network, you will champion a collaborative environment where exceptional storytellers can thrive and expand public media's reach across platforms.

This is an NPR editorial role covered under the terms of the NPR Ethics Handbook. All editorial staff are bound by this guidance. Editorial staff is defined as staff members who play a role in shaping the journalistic or creative direction of NPR's content, including events.

Responsibilities

• Executive Talent Relationship Management: Serve as the primary executive liaison and trusted advisor to high-profile journalists, hosts, and creative contributors, cultivating sustainable career pathways and retention strategies in close collaboration with the CCO.
• Talent Scouting & Pipeline Development: Design and lead a comprehensive discovery strategy across traditional broadcast, podcasting, newsletter platforms, social ecosystems, and independent journalism to build an ongoing, diverse pipeline of on-air and digital talent.
• Cross-Functional Mediation & Advocacy: Act as the central connective tissue between creative talent, talent representatives (agents, managers, attorneys), and internal executive teams (People Team, Legal, Marketing, and Operations) to align individual goals with organizational priorities.
• Complex Contract Structuring & Negotiations: In close coordination with the CCO, Legal, and People teams, oversee talent agreement frameworks, leading contract renewals, compensation structures, and rights agreements with precision and diplomatic finesse.
• Editorial Standards & Mission Alignment: Ensure all talent recruitment, onboarding, and partner strategies rigorously reflect NPR’s core mission, journalistic ethics, and commitment to public service.
• Audience Forecasting & Metric Analysis: Partner with Content Insights and divisional leadership to evaluate audience consumption trends and identify future talent requirements across evolving media such as video, episodic audio, and experiential storytelling.
• DEI Talent Initiatives: Systematically embed diversity, equity, and inclusion principles into every phase of talent identification, pipeline cultivation, and retention.

The above duties and responsibilities are not an exhaustive list of required responsibilities, duties and skills. Other duties may be assigned, and this job description can be modified at any time.

Minimum Qualifications 

• 12+ years of progressive executive leadership in talent management, talent relations, media recruiting, or creative talent strategy within news, podcasting, digital media, or broadcast entertainment.
• Demonstrated, active network of professional relationships with journalists, creators, literary and talent agencies, management firms, and digital-first storytellers.
• Proven track record of structuring and negotiating complex, multi-party talent contracts, intellectual property rights, and compensation agreements in compliance with organizational policies.
• Demonstrated success building and sustaining diverse, multi-perspective talent rosters that engage cross-generational and culturally diverse audiences.
• Substantive experience acting as a trusted mediator in high-stakes creative environments, resolving interpersonal, contractual, or operational friction with discretion and high emotional intelligence.
• Unwavering commitment to editorial independence, high-integrity journalism, and the civic mission of public media.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience navigating talent relations within a federated, public service, or non-profit media network operating alongside union collective bargaining agreements (e.g., SAG-AFTRA).
• Proven experience executing creator-led co-productions, live podcast tours, or multi-platform distribution partnerships.
• Familiarity with the commercial and sponsorship frameworks unique to digital audio, podcast monetization, and multi-market station networks.

Required Skills/Competencies

• Executive Relationship Building: Exceptional diplomatic presence with the proven ability to build trust quickly with high-profile personalities, agents, and senior internal stakeholders.
• Contractual & Negotiation Acumen: Strong fluency with creative intellectual property rights, talent deal points, non-disclosure terms, and talent contract structuring.
• Audience & Format Vision: Forward-looking creative perspective capable of identifying how emerging digital storytellers can translate their voices to public radio and multimedia platforms.
• Strategic Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to lead complex cross-functional alignments involving Legal, Finance, People, and creative stakeholders without friction.
• Crisis Management & Discretion: Exceptional judgment, confidentiality, and composure when navigating sensitive personnel or creative matters under public or time pressure.

Education Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Communications, Media Studies, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent practical work experience demonstrating equivalent executive capability.

Work Location & Requirements

• Hybrid Permitted: This is a hybrid permitted role. The employee will be required to be in the office at the Washington, D.C. location at least 3 days a week. The employee must also reside in Washington, D.C. / Maryland / Virginia.

Job Type

• This is a full-time, exempt position.

Compensation

Salary Range: The U.S.-based anticipated salary range for this opportunity is $243,000 - $290,000 plus benefits. The displayed range reflects the minimum and maximum salaries NPR expects to offer new hires for the position across all U.S. locations.

NPR Benefits: NPR provides comprehensive benefits for employees and dependents. Regular, full-time employees scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week are eligible to enroll in NPR’s benefits options. Benefits include access to health and wellness, paid time off, and financial well-being. Plan options include medical, dental, vision, life/ accidental death and dismemberment, long-term disability, short-term disability, and voluntary retirement savings to all eligible NPR employees. 

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