Director of Audience Outreach and Community Engagement

Job Description

Job Opening: Director of Audience Outreach & Community Engagement

Job Title: Director of Audience Outreach and Community Engagement

Location: Maine (hybrid) 

Position Type: Full-Time

Reports to: Executive Director

Salary: $64,000 – $68,000

The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting (MCPIR), which publishes The Maine Monitor, is a nonprofit news organization reporting on issues of public interest in the state of Maine. Founded in 2009, MCPIR has grown in size and impact, employing 19 and publishing daily and weekly newsletters. We have quadrupled our staff and increased our newsletter subscribers by more than 200% over the last four years. In addition to The Maine Monitor, which produces critical investigative and in-depth accountability journalism on issues of statewide importance, since November 2025, we produce Monitor Local, a division of The Maine Monitor focused on providing civic news for rural communities across Maine. The Maine Monitor’s reporting is widely respected for its depth and insights, winning local and national awards. 

About the role

The Maine Monitor is seeking a Director of Audience Outreach and Community Engagement to lead our strategy for reaching new readers and engaging communities both online and in-person. We see this role as core to our overall mission, and the individual as part of our senior leadership team. Journalism only fulfills its purpose if it reaches the people it’s meant to serve, and stays with them — and neither of those things happens passively. It requires someone who is willing to learn where different communities across Maine actually get their information, build trust and create opportunities for community conversations around our reporting, and bring what we learn back into the newsroom. This person will build awareness of our work among Mainers who don’t yet know us and deepen the habits and trust of the readers we already have. 

This role will guide how Mainers discover, connect with and help shape our journalism, from search and social media to newsletters, events and beyond. This senior leadership role reports directly to the Executive Director and carries two equally important pillars of responsibility: 

1. Audience growth and discovery — ensure our journalism reaches new readers across the state through digital channels, search and SEO, newsletters, social platforms and emerging technologies. Take the lead in proposing strategic adjustments as needed, informed by data.
2. Community engagement and convening — conceive and oversee the execution of community engagement activities, including informal gatherings, speaking appearances for our staff, tabling at community events, and our formal Monitor Talks live journalism events. Strategically plan community engagement to enhance awareness of The Monitor’s journalism and build trust, strengthen relationships and ensure our reporting reflects the information needs of Maine communities. 

As The Monitor expands into new regions and deepens its statewide footprint, the Director of Audience Outreach and Community Engagement will be central to ensuring our journalism both reaches wider, more diverse audiences and serves as a trusted community resource and convener. This role manages a small team, including the digital editor (a member of the leadership team himself) and an engagement and outreach specialist; it coordinates and collaborates closely with peers across editorial and development to align strategies for growth, engagement and sustainability. 

The position is an exempt position. It requires periodic in-person presence at the organization’s office in Augusta and at events around the state, but otherwise can be done remotely in Maine. 

Specifically, this role will: 

Audience Growth & Discovery 

• Social: Lead social strategy that focuses on new audience discovery and building community. Develop a video strategy in collaboration with the newsroom to reach younger audiences. Provide guidance to editors and reporters on audience-first best practices, including story formats and distribution across text, video and audio. Understand social media trends and usage patterns and stay on top of algorithm and other platform changes to inform the newsroom’s social media strategy. Set social media targets; track performance and progress to goals, including generating regular reports to share insights with the rest of the newsroom. Maintain steady, organic growth and engagement across all social platforms
• Newsletter: Lead newsletter strategy by monitoring performance, working with the editorial team to increase engagement and develop a growth plan. 
• New Channel Discovery: Evaluate new channels for reaching audiences and manage republication partnerships.
• User experience: Analyze KPIs and goals for ideal user behavior, ie. views per session, time on story, etc., and work with the editorial team to increase engagement while adhering to The Monitor’s mission.
• Analyze data: Analyze data demographics so we can better understand who we are serving and who we want to be serving and how to reach them.
• Engagement: Work with reporters to connect with readers and bring them into the reporting process.  

Events and Engagement Development 

• Events: Develop and execute an events strategy to grow and engage our audience and continue establishing The Monitor as a convener of community conversations with newsmakers, our audience and our journalists. Work with the newsroom to plan and organize the Monitor Talks series of live journalism events. Oversee all components of event execution and follow-up, including evaluation of impact and lessons learned.
  • Events planning will require deep collaboration with partners in the editorial and development departments. Monitor events include in-person and virtual productions, reflecting our need to serve the entire state. 
• Community Listening: Develop and deploy community listening as strategic infrastructure for journalism, audience trust and sustainable revenue. This will involve developing partnerships with libraries, nonprofits, civic groups, faith organizations and other established organizations. Community listening will combine in-person events, surveys, online forums and social media drop-in groups.

Team and Organizational Leadership 

• Collaborative innovation: Work with the digital editor to enhance the user experience and shape The Monitor’s digital product roadmap.
• Team management: Lead and mentor a small team focused on audience engagement, fostering a culture of creativity, professional growth, accountability and experimentation. 
• Serve on the leadership team: Collaborate with peers in the design and implementation of strategies that strengthen the organization, expand our footprint and enhance our impact while modeling excellence in professionalism, teamwork and performance. 

Qualifications we’re looking for: 

Required: 

• 5+ years of experience in audience development, community engagement, events strategy or newsroom leadership. 
• Strong and nuanced understanding of best practices for newsletters, social media, SEO, and headline writing with a proven track record of growing audience, customer base or community engagement in one or all of these areas.
• Deep experience in convening and events:
  • Knowledge of best practices in designing and producing events that inform, inspire and build trust.
  • Ability to create meaningful, memorable audience experiences that enhance journalism and connect people.
  • Experience cultivating partnerships with civic, nonprofit and community organizations to expand reach.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate community listening into newsroom strategy and coverage.
• Data-savvy, with experience using analytics to inform both real-time adjustments and long-term strategies. 
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, able to juggle multiple short and long-term priorities and effectively work and communicate across multiple departments. 
• Strong drive for innovation and experimentation, comfortable creating an idea, executing it and analyzing data for real-time changes and long-term strategy. 
• Creativity with the ability to thrive in small, mission-driven environments.
• Willingness to travel within Maine to in-person events.  

Preferred: 

• Leadership and management experience, with a commitment to professional growth of team members. 
• Experience with Google Analytics, Parse.ly, Google Search Console, WordPress, and Active Campaign. 

Why you should join our team: 

• Be part of a nonprofit newsroom with a mission that matters: serving the people of Maine with independent, community-centered journalism. 
• Lead strategies that balance audience reach and community trust, ensuring The Monitor reflects and serves the information needs of Maine’s diverse communities. 
• Manage and mentor a talented team, collaborating across departments to build sustainable growth.

Compensation and Benefits

• $64,000 – $68,000
• Flexible hybrid schedule (approx. 75% remote in Maine, 25% in-person for team meetings, strategy sessions and events) 
• Employer-sponsored health, dental, eye insurance
• Cell phone stipend (nontaxable)
• Retirement savings plan with a 3% employer match
• Expense reimbursement, according to published policy
• Short-term disability insurance
• 15 days of paid time off in the first year of work; 20 days starting with the second year of employment 
• 6 personal/sick days
• Generous paid holiday schedule

To Apply

Via this Google form, please submit a cover letter and resume. The resume should include at least three references and the cover letter should include how your interests align with the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting and how your background and skills make you a strong candidate for the position. Applications must be received before September 15, 2026. Please email contact@themainemonitor.org with any questions or if you have any problems with the Google form.

NOTE: Job offers are contingent on the verification of credentials and other information required by the employment process including the completion of a background check which includes criminal history.

The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting/The Maine Monitor is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, age, marital or parental status, disability, citizenship, sexual orientation, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by law. We prohibit and will not tolerate any such discrimination or harassment.

The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting and The Maine Monitor serve all of Maine and the diverse communities across Maine. We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive board and staff that reflects the society on which we report. We are committed to fostering a workplace in which our employees can grow, express themselves and contribute to the mission and future of our organization.

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