Senior Manager, Community Connections - KPAX

E.W. Scripps · Missoula

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Are you a connector, a listener, and a community champion? KPAX is looking for a passionate and strategic community engagement leader to serve as the station's primary bridge to the people and organizations that define our market. In this role, you'll build trusted relationships across civic, nonprofit, business, educational, and government sectors — translating community insight into action that strengthens our journalism, deepens audience trust, and creates lasting local impact. If you thrive at the intersection of storytelling, strategy, and service, this is your opportunity to shape how KPAX shows up for the community it serves.

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

• Build and maintain relationships with community stakeholders to understand emerging issues, priorities, and opportunities.
• Gather, analyze, and communicate community insights to station leadership, newsroom teams, and partners to inform decision-making and coverage.
• Partner with News to identify story opportunities, connect journalists with trusted sources, and support audience engagement across community channels.
• Serve as the station's primary community liaison, developing trusted relationships with civic, nonprofit, business, educational, and government organizations.
• Represent the station throughout the community and foster partnerships that create long-term value and impact.
• Ensure responsive, professional communication with community members, partners, and stakeholders, ensuring audience inquiries are acknowledged, routed and resolved in a timely and professional manner.
• Lead the planning and execution of forums, town halls, public-service initiatives, educational programs, and other community engagement activities.
• Partner with News, Sales, Marketing, and station leadership to create meaningful opportunities that strengthen audience relationships and community impact.
• Oversee event logistics, stakeholder coordination, and effectiveness measurement to ensure engagement activities are inclusive, relevant, and impactful.
• Develop and execute a market-wide community engagement strategy aligned with station and regional priorities.
• Advise station leadership on community needs, emerging issues, and opportunities to strengthen trust and local impact.
• Lead and coordinate cross-functional community engagement efforts, while sharing best practices, tracking outcomes, and developing team capabilities.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

• BS/BA in related discipline or equivalent years of experience preferred
• Generally, 7+ years of progressively responsible experience in community engagement, journalism, nonprofit leadership, communications, public affairs, partnership development, government relations, or related field
• Valid driver's license, good driving record, and ability to provide proof of insurance with the company required insurance limits.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING:

• Exceptional relationship-building and networking skills
• Strong community listening skills and ability to recognize emerging issues and opportunities
• Strategic thinking and judgment; ability to translate insight into action
• Strong facilitation, public speaking, writing and presentation skills
• Ability to influence across News, Sales, Marketing, Operations and community organizations
• Strong project management and organizational skills
• Empathy, cultural awareness, diplomacy, discretion and integrity
• Ability to work independently and adapt to change
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, CRM/community relationship platforms and collaboration tools
• Strong customer-service mindset, conflict-resolution skills and sound judgment when responding to audience questions, concerns and sensitive community issues

OUR TEAM: We have hikers, rock climbers, mountain bikers, kayakers, runners, skiers, gamers, musicians, community leaders, swimmers, and every other mixture of diverse backgrounds, passions, and life experiences. We are a community of welcoming, mission-focused, and lively people who continue to grow as we grow our company and rise to our full potential in every aspect of our business.

WHERE YOU'LL LIVE, WORK, AND PLAY: Missoula, MT where the Clark-Fork River really does run through this vibrant city. Set at the convergence of five mountain ranges, earning Missoula the name of the "hub of five valleys". Missoula is surrounded by 60,000 acres of wilderness and is an outdoor paradise, with national forests, ski areas, incredible hikes, and bicycling, raging rivers with excellent blue-ribbon trout fishing. Missoula has repeatedly earned its ranking as a top 100 Best Places to live and was recently recognized as one of the healthiest places in the US with the highest life expectancy compared to any other city in Montana. If you seek a life that isn't consumed by your work or your commute, where living is about community, exploring the same trails as Lewis and Clark, as well as new adventures, and a place where "fur babies" are considered part of the Missoulian community than this is the place for you! After Billings, Missoula is the second-largest city and metropolitan area in Montana and is home to the University of Montana, a public research university. Where else can you walk outside and jump on a mountain trailhead or drive two to three hours and arrive at the gates of both Glacier and Yellowstone National Park? The economy is growing, culture and arts are thriving, calling filmmakers such as Paramount's Yellowstone to call on Missoula for some of the most beautiful scenic movie and TV show backgrounds. Truly the last best place!​

Application Review: Applications received by 11/4/2026 will receive priority consideration. Applications received after this date may continue to be reviewed as needed.

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If you are a current Scripps employee, please do not apply on this site. Please access our internal career site at Worklife > My Info > View Open Positions at Scripps.

SCRIPPS’ COMMITMENT TO A CULTURE THAT CREATES CONNECTION:

At Scripps, we are committed to a culture that reflects the audiences and communities we serve. We are intentional about creating an environment where employees, our audiences and other stakeholders feel valued and inspired to reach their full potential and create connections. To successfully deliver on this commitment, we must understand and reflect the values and perspectives those around us embody. That process begins by looking inward to build and celebrate a respectful workplace where everyone feels a sense of belonging and connection. By continuing to cultivate an environment where all employees have a fair chance to succeed, are included, valued, and seen, we will strengthen the connections that drive positive business impact and align with our core purpose. 

ABOUT SCRIPPS:

The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) is a diversified media company focused on creating connection. As one of the nation’s largest local TV broadcasters, Scripps serves communities with quality, objective local journalism and operates a portfolio of more than 60 stations in 40+ markets. Scripps reaches households across the U.S. with national news outlet Scripps News and popular entertainment brands ION, ION Plus, ION Mystery, Bounce, Grit and Laff. Scripps is the nation’s largest holder of broadcast spectrum. Scripps Sports serves professional and college sports leagues, conferences and teams with local market depth and national broadcast reach of up to 100% of TV households. Founded in 1878, Scripps is the steward of the Scripps National Spelling Bee and its longtime motto is: “Give light and the people will find their own way.”

As an equal employment opportunity employer, The E.W. Scripps Company and its affiliates do not discriminate in its employment decisions on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, color, religion, age, genetic information, medical condition, disability, marital status, citizenship or national origin, and military membership or veteran status, or on any other basis which would be in violation of any applicable federal, state or local law. Furthermore, the company will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities unless doing so would result in an undue hardship for the company.

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