Summer Assistant Podcast Producer

About The Canadian Jewish News

The Canadian Jewish News (The CJN) is a not-for-profit, award-winning media organization that offers a unique and varied approach to journalism on a daily basis through multimedia storytelling and reporting, ensuring our audience is accurately informed when news breaks. The CJN is Canada’s leading source for local, national and international information impacting the Jewish community nationally while striving to grow awareness and engagement with the next generation of Jewish readers, listeners and influencers.

About the opportunity

Reporting to the Director of Podcasts, the Podcast Producer works daily to create high-quality audio content on one or more of The CJN Podcast Network’s ongoing programs. The Podcast Producer will work closely with a show’s host to brainstorm story ideas, coordinate interviews with guests, cut down interviews in post-production, enhance audio quality, edit together final mp3 files and keep the show engaging for audiences around the world. This is a temporary, 12- to 16-week summer position.

Responsibilities

The CJN’s Assistant Podcast Producer will play a crucial role in the production process by supporting the Director of Podcasts, Podcast Producer, and other team members to create and deliver high-quality audio content. The tasks and responsibilities will include the following:

• Topic Research: Assist in identifying relevant, timely, and interesting topics for the podcast episodes. This may involve staying on top of current events, conducting research, and understanding the audience’s interests.
• Guest Coordination: Help book and schedule guests for the podcast, including contacting experts and other relevant individuals for interviews.
• Script Writing/Editing: Assist in drafting, editing, and finalizing podcast scripts or outlines. This may involve coordinating with writers, hosts, and interviewees to ensure a smooth flow.
• Story Development: Contribute to the storyboarding and overall narrative structure of episodes, helping to shape the episode’s tone, pacing, and key points.
• Recording: Assist with setting up and managing recording sessions, ensuring all equipment is functioning properly (microphones, recording software, etc.). This may also include recording interviews remotely via tools like Zoom, Skype, or other platforms.
• Editing Audio: Help with editing the raw audio, including removing background noise, trimming interviews, and adding sound effects, transitions, and music. This could involve using editing software.
• Quality Control: Review the edited content for audio quality and consistency, ensuring the sound is clear and engaging for the audience.
• Mixing and Mastering: Support the post-production team with mixing and mastering audio, balancing levels, and ensuring the podcast sounds polished and professional.
• Formatting: Format the final audio files for distribution.
• Publishing: Assist with uploading and scheduling podcast episodes on platforms on our website.
• Social Media Support: Help create promotional materials for social media platforms to boost engagement and visibility of the podcast.
• Marketing Campaigns: Assist in developing strategies for promoting the podcast across different channels to increase listenership.
• Audience Engagement: Monitor listener feedback and interact with the audience via social media or emails, helping to gather insights for future episodes.
• Data Management: Help track episode performance metrics, guest information, and other production-related data.

Qualifications, Technical Skills and Requirements:

• Related degree in journalism or broadcasting.
• Minimum 2 years’ experience in journalism, broadcasting or professional podcasting.
• A solid understanding of the required technology, available platforms and industry trends.
• Proven ability to edit high-quality audio using software of choice (Audacity, Audition, Hindenburg, etc.).
• High level of organization and time management to independently keep track of deadlines, recordings, and meetings.
• Journalistic experience to discern what stories are newsworthy, timely and relevant to Canadian Jewish audiences.
• Community connections to help foster news sources and possible partnerships outside of The CJN.
• Able to work independently, often remotely, by releasing episodes on strict deadlines guided by a news cycle that doesn’t adhere to a 9-to-5 schedule.
• Proficiency in WordPress, Zoom, Riverside.fm (podcast recording) and Pinecast (podcast hosting) is a bonus.
• Fluent in English, though other languages are an asset.

Commitment to Inclusion and Accessibility

The CJN supports a diverse candidate and employment experience. We are proud of our dynamic professional team, which reflects the diversity of the Jewish community and general community alike in Greater Toronto. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants from all communities. We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible workplace and believe this is essential to ensure that every member of our team can thrive. Should you require Code-protected accommodation through any stage of the recruitment process, please notify us and we will work with you to meet your needs. The CJN thanks all applicants in advance. This is a short-term summer position. The CJN is a fully remote work environment, with occasional in-person work meetings and planning sessions.

Key skills/competency

• Podcast Production
• Audio Editing
• Journalism
• Broadcasting
• Content Creation
• Digital Media
• Research
• Storytelling
• Audience Engagement
• Content Management