Chief Executive Officer, Fort Worth Report

Chief Executive Officer Job Posting 

The Fort Worth Report | Fort Worth, Texas

Lead an award-winning, independent newsroom into its next chapter. 

By 2030, Fort Worth is projected to become one of the 10 largest cities in the United States, at the center of a region whose rapid growth and evolving communities represent the future of Texas. Meeting that moment requires trusted, independent journalism — journalism that connects residents, informs decisions, holds power to account, and ensures people feel seen, valued, and understood.

That is the work of the Fort Worth Report. Our vision is rooted in public service: journalism that reaches everyone, not just a few; strengthens civic participation; and becomes a permanent, community-supported institution serving Tarrant County for generations to come.

We are hiring our next Chief Executive Officer to lead this work — to expand our reach, deepen community ties, and build the financial foundation that ensures independent local journalism in Tarrant County endures.

This is a role for a leader ready to step forward as our chief fundraiser, our public face, and the driving force behind Vision 2030. 

What You'll Do 

You will be the senior leader and chief fundraiser of one of the country’s most ambitious nonprofit newsrooms. Working alongside our leadership team and Board of Directors, you will set strategy, raise the money to fund it, and represent us across Fort Worth and beyond and set the direction for our next chapter of growth, reach, and sustainability.

In this role, you will:

• Own the revenue strategy. Serve as our chief fundraiser, personally cultivating and stewarding a portfolio of major donors and institutional funders while guiding a high-performing revenue team (CRO, CDO, and related staff). Drive a diversified revenue mix of major gifts, foundations, memberships, sponsorships, events, and emerging streams, and meet ambitious annual and multi-year targets aligned with Vision 2030.
• Drive organizational strategy and financial sustainability. Advance the next phase of our strategic plan, overseeing budgeting, forecasting, and financial controls — including a healthy balance of restricted and unrestricted funding and contingency planning for shifts in the funding environment. Evaluate and pursue opportunities for expansion, partnerships, and new initiatives that strengthen the Fort Worth Report's position in Tarrant County and beyond. Make prioritization decisions that balance near-term performance with long-term institutional health and mission integrity.
• Lead the organization and its culture. Build a high-trust, collaborative environment across the organization. Coach the leadership team, empower department leaders, and align the organization around a shared vision for the future of the Fort Worth Report.

• Partner closely with editorial. Work hand-in-hand with our top editorial leader to align audience strategy, resourcing, and growth, while safeguarding editorial independence, which is the foundation of our credibility.
• Partner closely with the General Manager. Work hand-in-hand with the General Manager, who leads earned revenue efforts, finance and business operations and, in partnership with the Chief Development Officer and the CEO, is responsible for revenue generation.
• Steward our brand and audience growth. Guide multi-platform content distribution and audience engagement that meets Tarrant County residents where they are. Steward the Fort Worth Report's brand for consistency in values, voice, and credibility. Ensure that audience growth strengthens public trust and civic value.
• Collaborate with the Board. Serve as the primary liaison to the Board of Directors, partnering with the Board Chair on strategy, governance, and board-led fundraising, and supporting board recruitment, engagement, and development.
• Represent us publicly. Serve as the public face of the Fort Worth Report in the community, across the state, and within the national nonprofit news ecosystem at civic events, partner convenings, in the press, and on stage. Build relationships with area civic leaders, businesses, and community partners, and position the Fort Worth Report as a convener of the conversations Tarrant County needs to have.

Who You Are 

You’re an experienced nonprofit, media, or mission-driven leader ready to take on a role that brings together fundraising, strategy, and public-facing leadership in a trusted civic institution built to last.

You bring:

• A track record of fundraising at scale, including major gifts, institutional grants, and revenue diversification. You've personally closed transformational gifts.
• Senior leadership experience in an organization navigating growth and change.
• Comfort leading in a unionized environment, or a strong record of trust-based labor relations. Financial acumen — you can read a P&L, build a budget, and pressure-test a multi-year forecast. Excellent communication and relationship-building skills — equally comfortable on the ground with reporters, in a room with major donors, and on stage with civic leaders.
• A real belief in independent journalism as essential to civic life.
• Knowledge of (or genuine curiosity about) Fort Worth and Tarrant County and the communities we serve.

You don't need to be a journalist. You do need to deeply respect the craft and the people who practice it, understand the wall between editorial independence and business operations, and be ready to defend that wall when it matters most.

Compensation and Benefits 

Salary and bonus subject to qualifications and Experience. Benefits include PTO,paid holidays,insurance benefits including medical,dental,vision, life insurance plans and 401k plan

How to Apply 

Email your cover letter and resumé to View email address on click.appcast.io

Equal Opportunity 

The Fort Worth Report is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a team that reflects the community we serve, and we welcome applicants of all backgrounds, identities, and lived experiences.

About the Fort Worth Report 

The Fort Worth Report is an award-winning, independent nonprofit newsroom serving Fort Worth, Texas and Tarrant County. As a digital-first civic information organization, we are building a sustainable, community-rooted model for local journalism that informs, connects, and reflects the community we serve. Our journalism is accurate, fair, and free to the public. Our newsroom is independent. Our commitment is to the people of Fort Worth: their decisions, their stories, their future. Learn more about Vision 2030 and a future worth reading.

Questions? Contact Wes Turner View email address on click.appcast.io

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