SENIOR PRODUCER & EDITOR, Documentaries

GBH enriches people's lives through programs and services that educate, inspire, and entertain, fostering citizenship and culture, the joy of learning, and the power of diverse perspectives.

At GBH, we believe in the advantages of coming together to build community, mentor and learn from colleagues, and connect more deeply with our mission. As a result, the majority of our staff are hybrid and work both from home and onsite. Our current hybrid approach requires staff to work onsite a minimum of two days each week, every Tuesday and Wednesday, Hybrid staff are also welcome to come in additional days each week or may be asked to come in on other days by their manager.

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW

GBH’s Documentaries Unit is dedicated to creating long-form non-fiction content for national broadcast and digital platforms. We are committed to upholding the core public media values of accuracy, integrity, and fairness while producing impactful documentaries that inform, challenge, and inspire the public. The Documentaries Unit consists of GBH’s flagship brands: FRONTLINE, NOVA, and American Experience.  Our mission is to produce exceptional, journalistically sound documentaries that illuminate critical issues, foster civic dialogue, and serve as an essential resource for education and a well-informed community.

FRONTLINE is investigative journalism that questions, explains, and changes our world. We’ve been American television’s top long-form news and current affairs series since 1983, and we’ve won every major journalism and broadcasting award available. As PBS’s flagship investigative documentary series, we seek both to foster a work environment and to produce journalism that values inclusiveness and reflects the broad perspectives of the American public.
NOVA is the most popular primetime science series on American television, demystifying the scientific and technological concepts that shape and define our lives, our planet, and our universe. Our work is regularly recognized with the industry’s most prestigious awards.  In addition, science educators across the country rely on NOVA for resources used in the classroom as well as in museums, libraries, and after-school programs.
American Experience is PBS' flagship historical documentary film series. The duPont, Emmy, and Peabody Award-winning series is the go-to source for smart, relevant, and insightful history. The rigor, precision, and journalistic integrity we bring to each story we tell serve as the foundation for one of the most exciting ways for anyone to engage with American history.

JOB OVERVIEW

Reporting to the Executive Producer and Editor-in-Chief for FRONTLINE and Documentaries, the Senior Producer and Editor will act as a trusted editorial advisor and collaborator and will work with content producers to deliver editorial output for FRONTLINE and American Experience across multiple platforms—from development through production to publication. The Senior Producer and Editor will work closely with the Executive Producer, the Senior Director, Digital Media, as well as FRONTLINE’s Senior Editorial Team to conduct rigorous review of editorial content for these series, including long-form films, short videos, podcasts, interactives, web-based interviews, transcripts, etc.

The Senior Producer and Editor will advise producers and reporters on editorial issues throughout production and oversee research and vetting across platforms to ensure that editorial content meets both FRONTLINE’s and American Experience’s high editorial and legal standards, assuring that the reputation for these series remains unassailable.

This position serves a critical editorial gatekeeper across FRONTLINE’s and American Experience’s platforms before content is distributed to millions of people worldwide. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Act as a liaison and a main point of contact for FRONTLINE and American Experience with independent film production teams, GBH staff producers, production partners, and other news organizations to produce documentary programming and other forms of quality editorial content.
• As assigned by the Executive Producer, provide editorial oversight and review of FRONTLINE and American Experience productions.
• Act as a key liaison with FRONTLINE’s Special Counsel and GBH’s Legal team on editorial output across platforms; assess and resolve fair use and other legal issues.  
• Oversee editorial vetting of content before broadcast or publication and ensures all legal issues are addressed.
• Produce for the Transparency Project and ongoing publication of archive interviews for FRONTLINE.
• In partnership with the EP and Senior Director, Digital Media, develop and direct editorial strategy and overall direction of American Experience reboot in consultation.
• In collaboration with GBH’s Senior Director of Digital Media, manage and oversee all digital content including, short-form videos across platforms, long -form archival interviews, and future podcast content for American Experience.
• Provide editorial review of archival films for rebroadcast and for YouTube distribution for American Experience.
• Communicate internally with other GBH stakeholders about American Experience’s editorial planning and programming strategies.
• Offer editorial feedback on program listings and titles, essays for American Experience programming.
• In collaboration with the Managing Director, Operations and Special Projects, vet and evaluate potential series funders for American Experience; create sponsorship packages.
• Field and evaluate story proposals and treatments on behalf of the Executive Producer, advise on viability.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

SKILL SET

• Dedication to fair, rigorous and impactful investigative journalism.
• Excellent writing, organizational and communication skills; an enthusiastic collaborator.
• Proven ability to manage and maintain relationships within institutions and across different institutions.
• Capacity to oversee new initiatives within an organization.
• Ability to identify fresh, impactful stories best told in documentary form.
• A deep understanding of film production and journalism standards and experience in ‘film fixing’ to meet such standards.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience required.
• 10 - 15 years of relevant work experience in journalism.    

JOB SPECIFICS

Staff position

Hybrid position

LOCATION

1 Guest Street, Boston, MA 02135

This position is located in Boston, MA, and requires on-site presence.