CEO

About Public Media Infrastructure 

Public media has always been powered by a shared belief that communities deserve access to trusted, independent information and the cultural programming that connects them to one another. Public Media Infrastructure (PMI) exists to protect and advance that belief by building the technology backbone that ensures public media can serve every community in America, now and for generations to come.

PMI is a newly established, fully independent 501(c)3 nonprofit organization created to modernize and sustain the infrastructure that public media depends on. Founded by five leading public media organizations — American Public Media Group, the National Federation of Community Broadcasters, New York Public Radio, PRX, and the Station Resource Group — PMI represents the breadth, geography, and mission of the public media system. Supported by a $47 million, five-year grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), PMI will serve hundreds of public media organizations across the country, from large metropolitan stations with dedicated technical teams to small, volunteer-run community radio stations serving rural and underserved communities.

PMI's work is both urgent and consequential. The organization is leading the critical transition from legacy satellite systems to modern IP-based distribution infrastructure, a transformation that must be complete by 2029, while simultaneously implementing unified analytics platforms, next-generation emergency alerting systems, and shared digital services that will strengthen public media organizations' ability to reach and serve their communities. In parallel, PMI is building the economic model that will sustain these services well beyond the initial grant period, ensuring long-term viability without pricing out the smaller public media organizations that depend on them most.

While these initial priorities are clear, PMI remains in a formative stage. Its longer-term scope and service portfolio will continue to evolve as the organization works in close partnership with public media organizations, identifying what they need, aggregating resources and expertise at scale, and delivering shared services and technology that no single station could access on its own. This is a model rooted in shared ownership, mutual accountability, and a commitment to ensuring that every public media organization, regardless of size or resources, has access to the infrastructure it needs to serve its community.

This is a pivotal and historic moment for public media. PMI has the resources, the mandate, and the rare opportunity to transform how public media infrastructure operates across America. The organization's collaborative model, station-centered values, and commitment to universal access position it to become an enduring and essential part of the public media ecosystem for generations to come.

Learn more about PMI at https://publicmedia.tech/.

 The Opportunity 

Reporting to the PMI Board of Directors, the inaugural Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will provide overall strategic leadership and be responsible for the organization's operational, financial, and cultural success. The CEO will oversee a multimillion-dollar budget, build and lead a lean and impactful team, and serve as PMI's primary external face across the public media ecosystem and beyond.

This is a unique opportunity to build something that hasn’t been done before in public media: a modern, collaborative, and station-centered infrastructure organization that can transform how public media operates across America. While PMI begins with a defined set of infrastructure priorities and services, the organization’s longer-term scope is intentionally flexible. The CEO will play a central role in shaping PMI’s evolution, working closely with stations, content providers, and system partners to determine how the organization can create the greatest value for the public media system over time.

As the inaugural CEO, this leader will combine strategic vision with a highly hands-on approach. Success in the role will require both big-picture thinking and a willingness to roll up one’s sleeves; building systems, forging partnerships, and helping translate ideas into practical solutions that serve public media organizations across the country.

Key responsibilities of the CEO include, among others:

Executive Leadership, Strategy, and Governance 

• Strategy Development & Execution: Partner with the Board to translate the CPB contract and budget into a multi-year strategic plan and lead the successful execution of the board-approved strategy and priorities, while helping define PMI’s longer-term strategic direction as the organization grows and its role within the public media ecosystem continues to take shape.
• Board Partnership & Governance: Maintain a transparent, collaborative relationship with the Board, supporting strong governance.
• Organizational Culture: Model organizational values and build an equitable and inclusive culture that promotes teamwork, innovation, and accountability.
• Entrepreneurial Leadership: Apply entrepreneurial thinking to develop new infrastructure models, sustainable business strategies, and innovative solutions that strengthen the future of public media.

Operations and Financial Stewardship  

• Financial Sustainability & Business Model: Oversee the multimillion-dollar budget with strong fiscal controls and compliance, building a sustainable long-term business model.
• Operational Leadership: Oversee the effective management of core organizational functions–including HR, finance, IT, and compliance–through internal leadership and external partners, ensuring strong operational performance and scalability.
• Staff Leadership: Recruit, develop, and manage a high-performing team through clear expectations, accountability, and a culture of continuous learning and professional growth.

Service Delivery and Product Roadmap Development 

• Customer & System Needs: Maintain a deep and evolving understanding of public media organization needs and usage, engaging directly with stakeholders across the system to identify priorities and opportunities where PMI can add meaningful value.
• Service Management: Ensure reliable 24/7 delivery of broadcast, streaming, and on-demand services.
• Product Evolution: Guide the development of short- and long-term technology roadmaps, driving prioritization and collaboration across stakeholders and helping shape PMI’s future service portfolio as technology and system needs evolve.
• Vendor Management: Develop and maintain thoughtful, competitive and well-defined processes for partner selection. Remain up-to-date on media distribution innovation and capabilities throughout the media and consumer landscape.

External Relations, Public Advocacy, and Fundraising 

• Public Leadership: Serve as PMI’s primary spokesperson, championing its mission to stakeholders, funders, and media.
• Advisory & Strategy: Work with the Steering Committee and advisors to reflect diverse system needs.
• Mission Focus: Ensure PMI’s offerings support universal, equitable access to public media, including rural, tribal, and low-income communities.
• Fundraising & Partnerships: Secure national philanthropic support, pursue aligned public-sector partnerships, and expand revenue opportunities to strengthen long-term sustainability.

Candidate Profile

While it is understood that no candidate will offer every desired skill, quality, and characteristic, the following offers a detailed, aspirational view of the ideal candidate profile:

A Trusted & Influential Leader and Exceptional Relationship Builder

The ideal candidate will bring:

• A natural ability to build trust across a complex, decentralized system, earning credibility through consistent integrity, transparency, and follow-through.
• A collaborative and inclusive orientation, genuinely invested in the success of the full system and skilled at engaging diverse perspectives, balancing competing priorities, and exercising diplomatic finesse and political savvy.
• Exceptional curiosity and listening skills; a leader who earns trust by demonstrating that they have listened and understood before acting.
• Confidence and conviction paired with humility; approachable and accessible at all levels.
• A genuine commitment to inclusion, ensuring that the needs of all public media organizations – small, rural, tribal, and underserved community stations, alongside larger market players – are considered prior to decision-making.   

An Entrepreneurial Operator with Strong Business Acumen

The ideal candidate will bring:

• An entrepreneurial orientation and a builder’s mindset, energized by the opportunity to create something new and deliver value for the public media system in ways that have not existed before.
• A hands-on leadership style; comfortable operating in a startup environment and willing to roll up their sleeves to solve problems, build systems, and help bring new ideas to life.
• Nimbleness and resilience; comfort with ambiguity, willingness to iterate, and the ability to learn, pivot, and rebound as circumstances evolve.
• Strong financial and business acumen with an understanding of revenue models, financial sustainability, and the strategic tradeoffs involved in transitioning a grant-funded startup toward long-term self-sufficiency.
• The ability to balance collaboration with decisiveness; able to be creative and open, while maintaining progress and pace.
• Strong familiarity with the business of media, including revenue models, audience dynamics, legal agreements/contracting, and the operational realities of stations at varying scales, or a demonstrated eagerness to develop that fluency quickly.

A Strategic Leader with Technology Proficiency

The ideal candidate will bring:

• A strategic mindset and strong systems-level thinking, with the ability to see the full landscape of the public media ecosystem and make choices about where PMI can create the most meaningful and lasting impact.
• Digital proficiency, including a working understanding of content distribution, audience analytics, emerging revenue models, and the evolving technology landscape shaping public media’s future.
• Comfort navigating the satellite-to-IP transition and the broader infrastructure modernization challenge, with enough technical literacy to evaluate proposals, ask the right questions, and make sound decisions.
• A practical, station-centric approach to technology; focused on what stations need and measuring success by adoption and real-world impact.
• A thought leader’s orientation; energized by peer-to-peer learning, eager to surface and share what is working across the system, and committed to building PMI’s reputation as a trusted source of knowledge and innovation for the field.

A Compelling Communicator, Storyteller, & Ambassador

The ideal candidate will bring:

• Exceptional communication skills that are clear, compelling, and adaptable across audiences including public media organizations, philanthropic funders, technology partners, federal policymakers, and more.
• A natural storytelling ability and the talent to make an accessible, inspiring case for PMI’s mission and value, instilling confidence in stakeholders and building broad coalition around a shared vision.
• Comfort with public visibility and scrutiny; candid, transparent, and consistent in communication, even on difficult or contested topics.

A Team Builder and Skilled Governance Partner

The ideal candidate will bring:

• A proven track record of attracting, developing, and retaining strong talent and building high-performing, mission-driven teams and cultures.
• Experience cultivating strong partnerships with governing boards and applying best practices; comfortable partnering with a new board that brings diverse system perspectives.
• Transparency and accessibility as leadership defaults; an open-door orientation and a consistent communication style that keeps staff, board, and stakeholders well-informed.
• A results orientation; skilled at establishing clear priorities and timelines, holding themselves and others accountable for measurable outcomes.
• A commitment to this moment in PMI’s history, ideally prepared to lead the organization through the duration of its CPB grant period and recognizing that leadership continuity will be foundational to building the credibility PMI needs to succeed.

A Mission-Driven Leader and Champion for Public Media’s Future 

The ideal candidate will bring:

• Authentic excitement about this moment and opportunity; genuinely motivated by the chance to build something lasting and consequential for the future of public media.
• Genuine passion for the mission of public media and a deep belief in its role in serving communities, supporting civic life, and ensuring access to trusted, independent information.
• An unwavering ethical compass and a reputation for personal integrity; someone who will be a trustworthy steward of PMI’s resources and relationships.
• Experience with or a commitment to learning the nuances of the nonprofit media sector, and public media specifically, including its culture, funding structures, stakeholder dynamics, and regulatory environment, in order to be credible and effective.

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation for this role is expected to range from $275,000 - $375,000, with additional bonus potential. Final compensation will be competitive and commensurate with experience. The position also includes a comprehensive benefits package.

Location & Travel

This position is remote and the successful candidate may be based anywhere in the U.S. Additionally, the successful candidate will be willing and able to do a moderate amount of domestic travel. 

Contact 

DSG | Koya has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Cheryl Stevens, Rhonda Taylor, and Claire Hunt. Express interest in this role by filling out our Talent Profile or emailing the search team directly at [email protected]. All inquiries and discussions are strictly confidential.

DSG | Koya is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.