At Tiny News Collective, our members come to us for guidance on navigating legal, operational and safety concerns that affect both their journalism and their lives. Many founders are building newsrooms alone, managing tight resources and carrying personal vulnerabilities tied to immigration status, digital and physical safety, harassment and the overall sustainability of their organizations. These pressures are intensifying as threats to press freedom and journalist well-being continue to rise.

To meet this moment, we’re launching a new program focused on response and resilience for early-stage news founders. This program will offer real, concrete support for the everyday risks our members are managing, including digital security, legal questions, mental health and operational stability. 

To help support this initiative, we are seeking a response and resilience program manager. We are looking for someone with strong organizational and communication skills, a keen interest in journalist safety, well-being and security and the ability to listen deeply to the needs of early-stage news founders. This person will offer curated resources and warm handoffs to trusted partners, so members aren’t left searching for help in a moment of crisis.

“When a member runs into a problem, this program manager will work with our team to help sort out next steps,” said Elaine Díaz Rodríguez, membership director of the Tiny News Collective. “Whether that means sharing a short and easy safety training, connecting them with a digital security expert or helping them identify a mental health provider who understands the pressures of journalism, we’re here to make the path easier.” 

What has shaped this work is what we already see across our community: news leaders creating practical security guides and others sharing openly about experiencing online harassment and doxxing and how they assess risk and lean on trusted networks for support.

Across the journalism support ecosystem, incredible organizations offer legal help, digital security training and mental health resources. Our job — and a key focus for the program manager — is to bridge those efforts and make sure the information is accessible, relevant and actionable, especially for those building newsrooms on limited time and capacity.

We are grateful for the generous support of our response and resilience programming from Democracy Fund and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Job description

Tiny News Collective equips visionary news entrepreneurs in underserved communities to transform journalism from the ground up, making it more equitable, accessible and connected. Through coaching, tools and strategic support, we nurture a network of independent media founders to launch and grow community-rooted news organizations that endure.

TNC is launching a new response & resilience program to support our members — early-stage, often one- or two-person newsrooms, many led by BIPOC or immigrant founders — as they face escalating threats to press freedom, personal safety and personal well-being. These members often operate without access to institutional support systems like legal counsel, HR or mental health services.

We are hiring a program manager to be the connective tissue between members’ urgent needs and the ecosystem of support that can help them endure and thrive under these circumstances. This part-time contract-based position will run from January 2026 until June 2026, with a potential option to extend until the end of 2026.

Compensation: $14,400

This part-time temporary employee will work 32 hours per month at a rate of $75/hour, paid twice per month.

This person will:

• Triage individual member challenges around these areas and provide rapid response.
• Ensure warm handoffs to trusted partners and providers.
• Curate and adapt resources for small teams with limited capacity.
• Build and maintain a network of vetted professionals in legal, security and mental health spaces who understand the realities of running a tiny newsroom under pressure.

Responsibilities 

• Conduct structured intake sessions to assess risks across digital, legal, personal well-being and immigration domains among TNC members.
• Develop a short digital risk matrix to help prioritize areas of focus according to likelihood of happening, urgency and impact.
• Create or curate lightweight asynchronous digital safety training that members can implement in under an hour, aligned with best practices and member capacity.
• Maintain a curated list of recommended digital tools and platforms, including options like DeleteMe, Signal, Proton Mail and secure password managers along with guidance on when and why to use them in collaboration with the membership director.
• Support ongoing onboarding to tools like DeleteMe and track adoption among members and staff.
• Identify the most common mental health and emotional well-being challenges faced by TNC founders, particularly those working in isolation or under threat.
• Curate a list of mental health providers, culturally competent counselors, peer-led resources and trauma-informed coaches who understand the journalism context.
• Coordinate one-off regranting efforts to subsidize counseling sessions or mental health support for members when needed, working in collaboration with TNC staff.
• Curate and/or create and maintain a directory of press freedom organizations that can provide legal support for TNC members, including pre-publication review, business compliance and response to threats.
• Participate in exploratory conversations alongside TNC staff to deepen partnerships with other support organizations around these topics.

Deliverables

• Brief summary report of findings from structured intake sessions assessing risks across digital, legal, well-being and immigration domains.
• Digital risk matrix template outlining prioritization criteria (likelihood, urgency, impact)
• Lightweight asynchronous digital safety training module (slides, video, or guide) suitable for completion in under one hour.
• Curated “Digital Tools for Journalists” resource list with guidance on when and why to use tools such as DeleteMe, Signal, Proton Mail and secure password managers.
• Monthly onboarding and adoption report summarizing member and staff engagement with recommended tools.
• Curated directory of mental health providers, peer-led resources and trauma-informed coaches experienced in journalism contexts.
• Curated directory of press freedom and legal support organizations offering services, such as pre-publication review, business compliance and threat response.
• Summary memo or brief identifying potential partnership opportunities and recommendations for collaboration with support organizations.

Expectations

• Maintain transparency by documenting all support activities in agreed-upon systems.
• Provide timely updates and maintain open communication with the membership director and broader TNC team.
• Follow best practices for secure data collection, privacy and reporting.
• Participate in regular check-ins with TNC staff to review progress and identify emerging member needs.

Competencies and skills

• Experience in journalism, press freedom, human rights, digital security or trauma-informed support.
• Strong organizational, project management and communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to handle confidential or sensitive information responsibly.
• Experience working on small, entrepreneurial or mission-driven teams.
• Commitment to equity, inclusion and community care.
• Empathy and cultural competency in working with diverse founders and communities.

How to apply

To apply, please submit your resume and answers to our application questions in this application form. Have questions about the role or Tiny News Collective before you apply? Connect with Membership Director Elaine Diaz Rodriguez via email at elaine@tinynewsco.org.