NPR’s Audience Relations team is the public face of NPR for audience interactions. The team is responsible for the npr.org contact form and help pages — managing thousands of emails to NPR each week, and responding directly to an incredibly broad variety of questions and comments regarding NPR’s programming, platforms, and products. Audience Relations also communicates important listener feedback and insights to teams across the organization and helps insure that NPR’s leadership can make decisions informed by the needs and expectations of its audience. The Audience Relations team works as part of the Corporate Communications department in NPR’s Marketing Branding, and Communications division.
The Audience and Community Relations Associate is responsible for direct communications with listeners, and exercises critical judgment in handling conversations that may at times be highly sensitive in nature. As part of the Audience and Community Relations team, this individual will research and respond to listener inquiries, communicate with program and product managers across the organization, track and report analytics, lead tours, assist with training new staff, and support the Corporate Communications department with various projects and initiatives.
- Manages a high volume of listener correspondence. Is able to identify communications that are sensitive in nature, and respond or escalate for special handling. Regularly partners with internal experts to gather and share information related to listener inquiries. Tracks internal analytics and identifies trends in audience communications to help create effective response strategies, and to share information about audience communications with other groups.
- Conducts research in order to accurately and appropriately respond to listener inquiries, comments, and questions about NPR programming. Reviews story audio and transcripts. Communicates with NPR journalists, editors, and other programming staff as necessary.
- Offers listeners technical assistance with the NPR website, apps, podcasts, and other digital offerings. Tests errors and identifies troubleshooting solutions. Communicates regularly with NPR’s digital media project managers and product owners. Creates newsletters and/or dashboards to track errors and identify trends in audience communication about NPR’s digital media offerings.
- Partners with the Audience Relations Sr. Manager to compose, edit, and maintain the extensive database of listener response templates and help articles.
- Acts as a liaison between NPR and the public by providing tours of NPR facilities for the general public, visiting specialty groups, events, stations, VIPs and others. Makes contributions and offers updates to the tour script. Trains new staff, interns, and volunteers as tour leaders.
- Takes on various projects for Corporate Communications. Projects may include (but are not limited to) writing for internal communications, blog writing, staff bios, meeting/event support, basic coding and graphic design.
- The Audience and Community Relations Associate must have 1-3 years experience working in communications and public relations, or a related field.
- Proven formal writing and proofreading skills.
- Proven experience managing multiple projects of varying levels of complexity and difficulty across organizational units.
- Some public speaking experience.
- Must be able to work independently, juggle priorities, and set personal objectives to meet team goals.
- The candidate must have excellent interpersonal skills, demonstrating the ability to work well with the public, as well as with a variety of people at all levels across organizational departments and divisions.
Preferred Skills
- Proficiency with the Adobe Creative Suite
- Proficiency with Excel
- Proficiency with Powerpoint and/or Keynote
- Some knowledge of HTML and JavaScript
- Cover letter required.
NPR offers a competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits package including health and wellness benefits, retirement, and work/life balance programs, as well as opportunities for career growth and development.