Audio Producer

About the role

The Audio Producer is responsible for managing and producing high-quality audio content for MBN's growing portfolio of podcasts, documentary audio, audio essays, and emerging digital formats. This is a full-time mostly technical role that supports MBN’s broader audio production needs, including editing, sound design, scoring, mixing, mastering, narrator/voice-over production, and final delivery across multiple platforms.

Responsibilities

• Create, edit, design, and master audio products.
• Optimize audiovisual products for distribution platforms, emphasizing YouTube.
• Own the end-to-end audio production workflow for MBN podcast and audio products, including editing, episode assembly, sound design, mixing, mastering, and final delivery.
• Edit audio essay scripts and recorded narration for clarity, pacing, recording flow, and listener engagement.
• Produce remote narrator, host, and voice-over recording sessions, including session preparation, direction, take selection, and post-session organization.
• Select best takes and assemble raw recordings within a Digital Audio Workstation.
• Score and sound design episodes using licensed music, sound effects, archival clips, and other approved audio assets.
• Apply editorial judgment to story pacing, tone, transitions, music placement, pauses, and overall narrative structure.
• Maintain consistent audio quality standards across MBN audio products, including loudness, formatting, and platform specifications for Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Deezer, and other distribution platforms.
• Build and maintain MBN’s audio asset library, including music beds, sound design elements, archival clips, show templates, and sonic branding materials.
• Support audio production projects, including narrator tracking, episode scoring, sound design, mixing, mastering, and delivery.
• Support the development of new audio formats, documentary audio projects, bilingual storytelling approaches, and cross-platform audio content.
• Use AI-assisted audio tools where appropriate, including noise reduction, stem separation, automated leveling, voice cleanup, transcription, and related production workflows.
• Stay current on audio production trends, podcast standards, AI-assisted production tools, and emerging digital audio practices.
• Collaborate with newsroom, digital, and production teams in a fast-paced, deadline-driven media environment.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in audio production, journalism, media production, communications, digital media, or a related field; equivalent professional experience may be considered.
• Minimum of 2 years of professional experience in podcast production, documentary audio, broadcast audio, or digital audio production.
• Expertise with Adobe Audition and a working knowledge of Premiere. Knowledge of Pro Tools is a plus.
• Passionate about audio storytelling.
• Demonstrated experience editing, mixing, mastering, and delivering professional audio content.
• Fully understands compression, EQ, noise reduction and all other technical aspects of audio production.
• Experience scoring and sound designing podcasts or narrative audio using music and sound effects libraries.
• Experience producing or supporting host, narrator, voice-over, or actor recording sessions.
• Strong working knowledge of Digital Audio Workstations and professional audio production workflows.
• Ability to manage multiple episodes, shows, or projects simultaneously while meeting deadlines.
• Strong editorial judgment and understanding of audio as a storytelling medium.
• Fully understands delivery standards for podcast and digital audio platforms.
• Ability to use music, silence, archival sound, narration, and sound effects to strengthen narrative clarity and emotional impact.
• Working knowledge of AI-assisted audio production tools, including voice cleanup, noise reduction, stem separation, automated leveling, and AI-supported music or sound workflows.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to incorporate feedback from multiple editors.
• Professional communication skills and ability to collaborate with editorial, production, and technical teams.
• Interest in American history, global storytelling, underrepresented historical narratives, and international audiences is preferred.
• Familiarity with bilingual or cross-cultural storytelling environments is preferred.
• Experience with audio essay or narrative documentary formats is preferred.