Jobs

Help create more optimism: Come work with Project Optimist!

If you want to bolster the future of journalism and democracy, build community and inspire problem solvers, this is the workplace for you. We support employee mental health with flexible hours, paid time off and a people-first mentality. We want to help you grow professionally and will incorporate your continuing education and career goals into your position. Project Optimist is an equal opportunity employer and encourages candidates of all backgrounds and experiences to apply.

Position: Social media storyteller - 5-10 hours/week

Mission: Help Project Optimist reach diverse audiences through Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, with a potential to move into TikTok and Twitter. Drive new subscriptions to the newsletter. And engage with the greater Minnesota community online and in person.

Responsibilities:

Experiment with different engagement and storytelling techniques.
Create content with live and produced video, audio from our podcast, photos, commissioned or curated art and more.
Highlight the solutions journalism we produce and report your own stories from the field. This could look like short interviews, news dispatches or multimedia posts gathered in the community. We’re not prescriptive, and there’s room for creativity!
Help promote events and share highlights from them.
Follow the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics.
Include coverage of traditionally marginalized groups and do so with care, with feedback from members of those communities in mind and with asset framing, a practice that defines people by their aspirations and contributions before exploring their shortcomings.

Needed skills and experience: An understanding of journalism ethics. Experience with multimedia storytelling. Familiarity with multiple social media platforms and how to drive engagement within different algorithms. Able to measure and gauge success of different posts. Ties to Central Minnesota, preferably the St. Cloud area. Preferably some experience with solutions journalism.

Even if you don’t think you meet all the qualifications for this job, please apply anyway. We will train you, if it’s the right fit.

Pay: $20/hour at the start. This position could grow into a permanent and full-time job. For now, we’re looking for part-time help.

To apply, send a resume and cover letter to nora@theoptimist.mn with the name of the position in the subject line.

Position: Managing Editor - full time

Mission: Develop and expand high-quality and unique journalism content through Project Optimist, including solutions journalism and local art, in order to grow audience and support our mission to engage problem solvers in greater Minnesota, spur collaboration across divides and encourage optimistic thinking.

Responsibilities:

Help develop the editorial side of Project Optimist – be proactive and develop systems and processes that support the organization’s journalism.
Commission, edit and produce solutions journalism using the Solutions Journalism Network’s model.
Shepherd short-term and long-term journalism projects on multiple media platforms.
Support, coach and coordinate freelance writers, photographers, artists, audio journalists, etc.
Curate, edit and lay out content on Project Optimist’s platforms: newsletter, website and podcast.
Follow the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics.
Include coverage of traditionally marginalized groups and do so with care, with feedback from members of those communities in mind and with asset framing, a practice that defines people by their aspirations and contributions before exploring deficits.
Collaborate within Project Optimist and with outside organizations.
Work with the marketing team to promote content and grow audience.
Work with the events team to derive content from our dialogue series.

Needed skills and experience:

Experience managing creatives: 2+ years of experience coaching and collaborating with staff or freelance writers, artists, photographers, etc. Experience could be in professional, collegiate or community organizational settings.

Experience editing journalism: 2+ years of experience editing news content, enforcing style preferences, line-editing for typos and providing feedback on content to ensure clear and concise copy.

Experience producing multimedia content, including video, audio and print.

Experience producing solutions journalism.

Desired, not required: Experience in a startup organization or a nonprofit organization that required flexibility, independence and teamwork.

Desired, not required: Experience with design thinking or user-centered design.

Even if you don’t think you meet all the qualifications for this job, please apply anyway. We will train you, if it’s the right fit.

Salary band: $55,000 - $70,000, plus insurance stipend, paid time off and opportunities to move into executive editor or senior reporter positions.

To apply, send a resume and cover letter to nora@theoptimist.mn with the name of the position in the subject line.

Position: Chief Revenue Officer - full time

Mission: Raise revenue for Project Optimist operations and growth through sponsorship sales, ad and branded content sales, member and large donor fundraising and grant scouting. The revenue will support unique, solutions journalism, local art, community building and problem solving programs, as well as journalism training and media literacy education.

Responsibilities:

Develop a sustainability plan for Project Optimist and other important internal systems.
Coach and advise the executive director on revenue matters.
Develop relationships with large individual donors and bring in donations.
Scout and identify large grants to support Project Optimist programs and work with the executive director to apply.
Develop and launch ad sales and branded content programs for the newsletter and website.
Sell sponsorships for Shades of Purple event series, SOP podcast and other large journalism projects.
Execute the 2023 fundraising plan and develop a plan for 2024, etc.
Eventually: Hire and supervise sales and development staff.

Needed skills and experience: Five years of experience in fundraising or sales. Connections to central Minnesota. Commitment to the mission of Project Optimist. Self-directed and entrepreneurial - able to forge new ground for the organization. Creative in how you approach potential partners.

Salary: $65,000, half via commission, with an insurance stipend and opportunities for rapid growth.

To apply, send a resume and cover letter to nora@theoptimist.mn with the name of the position in the subject line.