Executive Director - NC Health News

Job Description

Career Opportunity
NC Health News (NCHN), a non-profit online-only publication recognized for high-quality reporting, seeks a visionary and strategic leader to serve as its next Executive Director. The ideal candidate will guide the organization in delivering rigorous, impactful health journalism and advancing its long-term strategic vision for informing and improving public health statewide.

Mission: NC Health News is an independent, statewide news organization dedicated to covering health care in North Carolina employing the highest journalistic standards of fairness, accuracy, and extensive research. NCHN was founded in response to the decrease in health reporters around the state. NCHN believes that to make the best decisions about the state’s health care system, the citizens of North Carolina need the best information possible. NCHN seeks to become the premiere source for health reporting in North Carolina.

Reporting Structure: The Executive Director reports to a Board of Directors and leads a team of 13.

Budget: 2026 fiscal year budget of $823,000

Salary: The salary is commensurate with experience and begins in the $90,000 range. Benefits include 100% medical, dental and vision insurance, three weeks of vacation, 12 paid holidays and a 3% retirement match.

Working Environment/Location: Mostly remote with moderate travel/Must live in NC

Key Responsibilities of the Executive Director

The Executive Director provides visionary leadership and strategic oversight, driving the organization’s mission by ensuring editorial excellence, financial sustainability, and operational effectiveness, while building strong relationships with funders, partners, and the community. This role has a direct impact on shaping public health discourse, expanding the outlet’s reach, and empowering communities through trusted, high-quality reporting. The next Executive Director will pilot and coordinate efforts to truly scale statewide and achieve financial and operational sustainability by building NCHN’s distribution syndication, strengthening reader engagement, increasing revenue, and formulating a longer-term business strategy.
 
Leadership, Strategy & Board Engagement

• The Executive Director works with four direct reports, including the Editor-in-Chief, to guide the organization in delivering rigorous, impactful health journalism and advancing its long-term strategic vision for informing and improving public health statewide
• Put strategic goals into action by aligning people, resources, and partnerships around the mission
• Foster a culture of journalistic integrity, innovation, inclusion, and accountability
• Champion the organization’s work in the public sphere, ensuring clear, compelling representation across community, media, and stakeholder group
• Partner with the Editor-in-Chief and the Board of Directors to strengthen governance, support board recruitment, and enhance overall board effectiveness
• Serve as an advocate for the newsroom’s mission to funders, partners, and the broader community

Revenue Generation

• Develop, implement, and evaluate an annual comprehensive revenue generation strategy, including fundraising segments: sponsorships, partnerships, foundations, individuals and major gifts, grants, and events
• Cultivate and steward relationships with donors, funders, and community stakeholders
• Serve as the organization’s chief fundraiser, ensuring meaningful growth through hands-on engagement with key supporters
• Supervise contract support for selling ads and sponsorships
• Design and manage revenue generation and development operational calendar, ensuring timely and impactful organizational efforts

Financial Management

• Lead and manage financial planning, budgeting, and reporting to support long-term sustainability, partnering with Board and Editor-in-chief
• Align financial decisions with strategic priorities, balancing short-term needs with long-term stability
• Ensure responsible, transparent financial oversight and strong fiscal controls, including monitoring cash flow, expenses, and revenue targets
• Prepare NC Health News for annual audits
• Work closely with external bookkeeper and accountant to ensure accurate bookkeeping, audits, and compliance
• Oversee invoice and expense management, banking operations, and QuickBooks data entry and reporting
• Report regularly to the board on financial health, risks, and opportunities, working with a bookkeeper and accountant to craft digestible and accurate financial reports

People & Operations Management

• Develop staffing strategies to recruit, develop, and retain a high-performing team
• Collaborate with the Editor-in-chief to ensure a well-developed, engaged editorial team
• Manage staffing, human resources, and organizational policies, systems, and benefits to ensure effective and equitable operations
• Manage organization’s payroll, retirement, and benefits, ensuring effective and appropriate alignment to operational needs
• Oversee all day-to-day operations to ensure effective, efficient, and mission-aligned execution, compliant with regulatory and ethical standards
• Manage contracts, vendor relationships, and technology systems to support operational needs

Editorial Support

• Collaborate with the editorial leadership to set long-term organizational goals that complement journalistic objectives
• Prioritize budget allocations that reinforce investigative, public-health-focused, and statewide reporting priorities
• Support newsroom independence while ensuring sustainable operations and growth
• Help develop partnerships and distribution strategies that expand audience reach and impact

The Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications:

• Proven executive or senior directorial leadership experience with a healthcare, media, or journalism nonprofit
• Keen understanding of independent journalism and its role in a healthy democracy
• Deep empathy and desire for all North Carolinians to have access to the information, resources, and care that support their overall health
• Proven experience in donor outreach, solicitation, and stewardship
• Experience with local community grassroots initiatives, policy, and advocacy
• Outstanding strategic planning experience, with ability to apply varied and thoughtful approaches for sustainability
• Excellent people management skills, with experience and appreciation for coaching and developing diverse work groups; experience managing staff within creative spaces a plus
• Strong fiscal management skills, with functional knowledge of QuickBooks and ability to disseminate and relate financial information to a variety of stakeholders
• Demonstrated experience in developing and managing budgets
• Effective grant-research and writing skills
• Excellent communication, collaboration, influence, and public speaking abilities
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in media and organizational culture
• Bachelors degree or equivalent work experience in journalism, healthcare, and/or nonprofit management; advanced degree preferred

 
About NC HEALTH NEWS
NC Health News has provided information on health news, trends, and state policies to the people of North Carolina to help them make health care decisions for themselves, their families, and in the case of policymakers and providers, their constituents. Our team publishes 5-7 original, in-depth articles each week that we promote on social platforms and in a twice weekly, free e-newsletter. With this expanded capacity, NC Health News will expand their audience products.

NC Health News reports with an understanding that good health is more than your diet and exercise routine or the medications you take. It's affordable insurance. It's safe drinking water. It’s knowing what to look for in a home for your aging parent. It's accessing quality care when you need it from a trusted, local provider. It can be hard for North Carolinians to figure out what complicated laws and corporate policies mean for their everyday life: Their health, family, care choices, and their wallet. For 15 years, NC Health News has been breaking down how health policies ultimately affect residents of our state, and our work has grown in influence and reach. NCHN has been in the vanguard of rebuilding North Carolina’s journalism ecosystem, creating strong ties with audiences, peer publications and influencing policymakers. More than 130 outlets trust NCHN’s reporting and reprint or reference its articles each year.

Want to know more? Visit https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org

How To Apply
Join NC Health News and play a critical role in shaping its future while driving impactful change in the community.

To apply, click on the link for this position at https://jobs.armstrongmcguire.com/. You will see instructions for uploading your compelling cover letter and resume. Cover letters should be responsive to the mission of NC Health News as well as the stated responsibilities and qualifications.

Please provide all requested information to be considered. In case of any technical problems, contact talent@armstrongmcguire.com. No phone calls, please, and no applications will be accepted by email or directly from third-party posting sites.

NC Health News is committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. As an equal opportunity employer, we welcome applicants from all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, religion, national origin, or veteran status. Our reporting—and our mission—are strengthened when our team reflects the diverse North Carolina communities we serve.

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