Cited Media Productions is seeking a versatile production and project manager with skills and experience at the intersection of podcast production, client support, and business administration. This role also involves hands-on productions tasks on a variety of podcasts, as well as organization-wide leadership and administration (including research, fundraising, business development, and various technical and administrative tasks).

This is a full-time, salaried position. However, we may instead consider a combination of part-time freelancers if we do not find the right candidate for a full-time position. If you interest in a part-time role, please visit this posting.

If you are interested, please email Gordon Katic a cover letter, CV, and links to three pieces of previous audio work that you are proud of. The deadline is August 7^th.

About Cited Media

Founded in 2013, Cited Media is one of Canada’s leading independent podcast production companies. We have produced podcasts like Cited Podcast, Darts & Letters, and CRACKDOWN that have garnered substantial popular and critical acclaim. These projects have an extensive track record of being honoured for reporting excellence and public impact, including by organizations such as: the Canadian Association of Journalists, the Jack Webster Foundation, the National Campus and Community Radio Association, the New York Radio Awards, the Sidney Hillman Foundation, and the Third Coast International Audio Festival.

In addition to Cited Media-published podcasts, we develop podcasts with research-focussed organizations that work in the public interest, especially: universities and scholarly organizations, health authorities, community organizations, professional associations, and other educational and advocacy-focussed not-for-profits. These podcasts generally aim at knowledge mobilization, professional development, or community engagement.

The Role

We are seeking a dynamic individual who can: 1) lead our client podcasts, 2) provide occasional production support to Darts and Letters, and other forthcoming Cited-published podcasts, and 3) provide broad organizational assistance and leadership.

This role demands two distinct skill sets: podcast production experience, and organizational and business development experience. The ideal candidate would possess both, though we would consider somebody who was primarily a podcast producer but was keen to grow into the other elements of the job.

On the production side, you will be tasked with leading teams through all aspects of developing a podcast: from ideation, to building a team, managing the production, vetting the drafts, and presenting the end product. The candidate must have a thorough understanding of journalistic ethics, practices, and production approaches–especially in audio and podcasting. Additionally, you should understand and develop our unique method to academic journalism, which is centred on co-production (in which scholars, students, journalists, and sometimes community members work together in partnership). This means the ideal producer will have cross-sectoral competencies (with some experience working in academic, arts, or not-for-profit sectors), a collaborative mindset, and the patience and problem-solving skills to work with diverse teams towards projects that work in the public interest.

On the organizational side, you will be the backbone of a small but quickly-evolving company, covering a variety of tasks including: accounts management, scheduling, contracting, managing technical systems, and other basic administrative tasks. This will sometimes involve hiring, editing, and mentoring freelance producers and research assistants. Further, you will attract new clients and partners to develop new podcasts or support the growth of existing ones. Additionally, most of our projects (including client-led ones) are grant-funded, and therefore fundraising and financial administration may become an aspect of the role. The ideal candidate would be able to contribute to the continued growth of Cited Media through supporting existing business development strategies, and suggesting new ones.

Summary of Duties

Production & Project Management.

Showrunning, including: building and managing production teams and systems for a variety of podcasts, keeping track of deadlines and targets, and generally guiding a loose idea to becoming a real podcast.
Hands-on audio work, including all aspects of podcast production, from research and booking, to pre-interviews and interviews, scripting and narration, audio editing and mixing, etc. (Note: you must be able to work on Adobe Audition or be able to quickly learn Audition if you happen to work on another DAW).
Supporting other talent as the organization grows, including: discovering, identifying, hiring, mentoring, managing, and editing freelancers (including producers, reporters, graphic designers, and composers).

Client Support & Consulting

Supporting our clients’ visions, including: developing podcast ideas and concepts so that they meet the organization’s knowledge mobilization and community engagement goals, providing general consulting and market research, and vetting/supporting individual show plans and ideas.
Developing workflows with clients, including: crafting effective communication and project management strategies to facilitate seamless work across sectors and workplaces, setting dates for client feedback and input, and problem-solving when deadlines are not met.
Providing support and training to client hosts and partners, including: formal and informal feedback on narration and interview technique, offering hands-on tutorials and sharing helpful resources, and generally providing critical but constructive feedback to interested but inexperienced podcast creators.

Organizational Leadership & Administration

Growing the company, including: working with the director on business development goals, engaging new clients, and envisioning new podcast projects.
Supporting the management of the company, including: chairing internal meetings, writing reports, and keeping track of schedules, deadlines, deliverables, project budgets, and project hours.
Conducing basic organizational housekeeping, including: maintaining, managing, and troubleshooting key production systems and tools like Google Drive and Google Workspace, Asana, Adobe Audition, Descript, Riverside, and other tools as necessary.

Qualifications:

You are an experienced producer:

You have experience recording both live and virtual (Zoom) interviews. You know how to capture a good-quality recording. You have experience editing audio in Adobe Audition, and can take tape from a rough cut to a finished mix. On a higher level, you’re passionate about storytelling, and able to edit tape for the most compelling narrative. You have an ear for keeping a production alive and growing, whether that be through music selects, incorporating field sound, or adjusting show formats to keep things interesting.

You can work well in an academic setting:

We work in the post-secondary sector, and therefore a postsecondary degree is important. The ideal candidate would have strong familiarity with higher education – including its cultures, practices, values, rhythms, and institutional bodies. However, we would consider experiences in comparable domains like the public sector, independent media, arts, or not-for-profit sectors. At a minimum, you must be curious about new ideas and you must be able to read, understand, and explain academic texts.

You can work well in a journalistic setting:

You’re comfortable in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented environment. You should also be an open-minded problem solver who takes initiative, isn’t afraid to ask questions, and is oriented towards the public interest, social justice, and being a decent person. You understand journalistic ethics and trauma-informed reporting. You should be able to work with marginalized communities and on sensitive issues, and you know how to create a safe space for them.

You are an strong writer and communicator:

You are a professional, confident, clear, and compassionate communicator. You are experienced with liaising with internal and external clients and partners, you are comfortable with working with individuals from diverse backgrounds, and you can represent Cited Media professionally and respectfully. You will also be able to write clear internal documents (meeting agendas, weekly reports and rundowns, budgets, etc.) and external ones (client emails, podcast proposals, podcasts charters and editorial statements, grant proposals, marketing copy and show pages/blog posts, etc.)

You are detailed-oriented, and you can keep track of administrative needs:

We work on many projects at once, with many clients and partners from various sectors, and most of our work is virtual. This means that you must be a detail-oriented person who can carefully manage our various systems, otherwise our productions are liable to break down. Therefore, you can work autonomously and keep track of deadlines and hours. You’re comfortable with project management platforms like Asana, and virtual platforms like Google Workspace. You practice good file management, you can solve technical problems, and have an eye for making improvements when needed.

You’re excited about business development and have a vision for organizational growth:

A record of organizational leadership and entrepreneurial vision is a strong asset. Cited Media is a small but quickly expanding organization; we still operate more like an indie media startup, and less like an established media organization. The ideal candidate would bring energy, ideas, and leadership to help foster our continued expansion.

The Nitty-Gritty

This position pays approximately $60,000CAN per year, adjusted to be commensurate with your skills and experience.

The role will begin FT over three- or six-month contract, with the aim of extending that contract indefinitely (pending performance, and organizational funding). Cited Media is a small company (3 staff, plus multiple freelancers) that works on a project basis. This means we need continued business development and grant-writing/fundraising to continue, and that will become one of the key responsibilities of this role. If we are able to secure continued projects, there will be continued work.

This position is either completely remote or it is hybrid. Preference would be given to a Toronto or Vancouver-based producer, but anyone in Canada can apply. We have a Toronto office in which we work in-person with freelance producers 2-3 days per week, and the ideal producer would live in Toronto and would be able to do the same. Secondarily, we have many Vancouver-based projects, and therefore we would also give preference to a Vancouver-based producer. However, people from across Canada should not hesitate to apply.

How to Apply