Senior Producer, Newstalk
HybridDublin, Leinster, Ireland
Job Summary
Lead end-to-end daily production for The Hard Shoulder, including editorial planning, running orders, presenter briefings, guest preparation, studio coordination, and live output between 4pm and 7pm. Set and deliver the editorial vision by shaping distinctive stories, angles, and conversations while forward-planning across the editorial calendar to anticipate major news developments and cultural moments. Generate, develop, and commission original radio ideas, interviews, features, and on-air exclusives that feel fresh and audience-focused, using listening trends and feedback to inform story selection and formats. Manage, coach, and develop researchers, reporters, and contributors to support high standards of accuracy and delivery under pressure. Produce live in studio with confidence, adapting pacing, tone, and running order in response to breaking news, presenter needs, and technical issues. Book high-quality guests, maintain a diverse contact base, and prepare clear briefing material for presenters. Research, verify, write, and edit scripts, cues, questions, and programme material to a high editorial standard across live, pre-recorded, and on-demand output. Ensure all content meets Newstalk editorial standards and complies with legal, regulatory, and ethical requirements, including defamation, copyright, and privacy codes. Champion fair, inclusive, and representative editorial choices to ensure a wide range of voices are considered in programme planning and execution. Contribute to wider Newstalk initiatives, campaigns, and multi-platform content opportunities to help the show connect with audiences beyond the live broadcast.
Required Qualifications
- At least two years' experience in a similar producer or senior producer role
- Ideally in live speech radio
- Ideally in news
- Ideally in current affairs
- Ideally in a comparable fast-paced media environment
- A qualification in journalism
- A qualification in a related discipline
Desired Qualifications
- Excellent editorial judgement
- A strong grasp of current affairs
- A deep understanding of what makes live speech radio compelling
- The ability to lead complex live output calmly and decisively
- The ability to make real-time editorial and production decisions
- The ability to keep the programme accurate, engaging, legally sound and on schedule
- The ability to bring original ideas
- The ability to provide alternative angles
- The ability to provide creative treatments to familiar stories
- The ability to turn those ideas into memorable radio
- Understanding of audience needs
- Understanding of audience behaviour
- Comfort using insight
- Comfort using analytics
- Comfort using listener feedback
- Comfort using editorial instinct
- The ability to grow reach
- The ability to grow relevance
- The ability to grow trust
- Strong contacts
- Excellent guest judgement
- The confidence to secure agenda-setting interviews
- The confidence to secure exclusives
- The confidence to secure distinctive contributors
- Being a collaborative leader
- The ability to motivate
- The ability to coach
- The ability to develop researchers
- The ability to develop reporters
- The ability to develop contributors
- The ability to maintain clear standards
- The ability to maintain accountability
- The ability to write sharp scripts
- The ability to write cues
- The ability to write questions
- The ability to write briefing notes
- The ability to shape running orders
- The ability to shape story treatments
- The ability to balance facts
- The ability to balance tone
- The ability to balance pace
- The ability to balance audience relevance
- Confidence with audio production
- Confidence with editing
- Understanding of how sound can elevate storytelling
- Understanding of how structure can elevate storytelling
- Understanding of how pacing can elevate storytelling
- Digital literacy
- Comfort thinking about how radio content can travel across social
- Comfort thinking about how radio content can travel across web
- Comfort thinking about how radio content can travel across app
- Comfort thinking about how radio content can travel across podcast
- Comfort thinking about how radio content can travel across on-demand platforms
- Excellent knowledge of media law
- Excellent knowledge of defamation
- Excellent knowledge of privacy
- Excellent knowledge of copyright
- Excellent knowledge of Coimisiún na Meán codes of conduct
- The knowledge of when to escalate legal concerns
- The knowledge of when to escalate ethical concerns
- Actively seeking diverse voices
- Actively seeking diverse perspectives
- Bringing cultural awareness
- Bringing inclusivity into editorial planning
- Bringing inclusivity into guest selection
- Being organised
- Being resilient
- Being calm under pressure
- The ability to multi-task
- The ability to prioritise
- The ability to meet deadlines
- The ability to maintain high standards
- Operating in a fast-moving newsroom environment
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