The News Collaborative of Central Florida is looking for a strategic and proactive individual to serve as a contract Project Manager. The Collaborative is a group of independent local news outlets and aligned partners working toward a more informed and engaged Central Florida.

As its first-ever Project Manager, you’ll lead the creation of a governance structure for the Collaborative, manage all aspects of the Collaborative’s meetings, liaise between the various partner organizations, and pull in key stakeholders as well as the broader audience through engagement work.

We know there are qualified candidates who may have relevant skills and experiences that don’t look exactly like what’s described here. If that’s you, please don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds and with varied perspectives and experiences.

This contract job will be approximately 20 hours a week and can be done remotely. The contract salary is $30,000.

You can apply for the position here.

The Project Manager position includes the following responsibilities:

Governance

Lead the effort to create a governance structure and complete required agreements, including but not limited to:

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreement between members of the collaborative. This describes how the group will operate, requirements for membership, editorial standards the partners will uphold, ways in which members will utilize available grant funds, ways in which members will work together on news coverage, content publishing, and other endeavors, and understandings for awareness-building and public engagement activities planned as part of this project.

Meetings

Organize and lead regular meetings of the Collaborative and representatives, including:

Compilation and distribution of meeting agendas
Ensuring adequate meeting space
Notification of meetings
Compilation and distribution of meeting notes
Following up on action items to ensure completion

Assessment & Impact Tracking:

Build a plan to track the impact of the Collaborative’s work with support/guidance from an external consultant/expert.
Collect desired data and anecdotal information.
Create impact reports for sharing with Collaborative partners, the public, funders, and other key stakeholders.

Engagement:

Support engagement activities, including:

Community gatherings related to the work of the Collaborative
Collaborative events
Use of audience engagement tools

Distribution:

Build a distribution plan including:

Establishing/enhancing a digital presence
Exploring targeted communications

Admin tasks

Maintain running knowledge of Collaborative budget expenditures

RELATIONSHIPS:

Internal:  Maintains communication with the News Collaborative of Central Florida Task Force Committee members and especially the committee chair.
External:  Maintains contact with external community groups, organizations, stakeholders, and audiences.

 SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED:

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
Project management experience preferred
Experience in journalism is preferred but not necessary
Excellent organization and interpersonal skills
Ability to conceptualize the organization’s mission and to communicate that to others
Must be deadline-oriented and detail-oriented

DISCLAIMER: The information presented indicates the general nature and level of work expected of employees in this classification. It is not designed to contain, or to be interpreted as, a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and objectives required of employees assigned to this job.

MORE ABOUT THE NEWS COLLABORATIVE OF CENTRAL FLORIDA:

The News Collaborative of Central Florida is a collective of independent local news outlets and aligned partners working toward a more informed and engaged Central Florida. It grew out of the Central Florida Journalism Ecosystem Summit, created in 2024 by Central Florida Public Media, Central Florida Foundation, and Oviedo Community News. Partners and participants include Orlando Sentinel, WKMG News 6, WUCF, Orlando Business Journal, Winter Park Voice, Vox Populi, LkldNow, Osceola News Gazette, Community Paper, and Bungalower.

The Collaborative’s first editorial project focused on the regional impact of Florida’s law against unauthorized public camping and sleeping. Since January 2025, partners have been sharing ideas, coordinating coverage and cross-publishing stories on this and related topics. In 2026, the Collaborative plans to focus its collective editorial attention on issues related to the midterm elections, while also seeking academic partners to engage in research on how best to reach disengaged news consumers.