Targeting:
Females, Youth/Students, People with Disabilities, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander, English as an additional language or dialect, LGBTQI

PBS Board Director Opportunities

Share your skills and experience to help guide the future of Melbourne community radio, champion under-represented music and support the local music community.

Three positions on the PBS Board will become vacant at the 2026 Annual General Meeting, with each position for a two-year term.

PBS welcomes candidates with a broad range of skills, professional and lived experience, and perspectives who can contribute to strong governance and the long-term sustainability of the station.

A particular priority is appointing one Director with legal and governance expertise who can take on the role of Board Secretary. For the other two positions, PBS welcomes candidates with experience across a broad range of relevant areas.

About PBS

PBS 106.7FM is a not-for-profit, non-commercial community music broadcaster, owned and operated by the Progressive Broadcasting Service Cooperative Ltd.

PBS has broadcast in Melbourne since 1979 and operates a 24-hour specialist music service across FM and digital radio, alongside online streaming, On Demand, audiovisual content and other digital platforms. The station also produces live music sessions, outside broadcasts, events and other activities that support and connect Melbourne’s music communities.

Programming is primarily created and presented by volunteer announcers, with a focus on specialist, independent, emerging and under-represented music from Australia and around the world. PBS is supported by a professional staff team and a large community of volunteers.

PBS is principally community supported. Membership is central to the organisation’s financial model and independence, alongside sponsorship, donations and philanthropy, grants, events and other earned income.

About the Board

PBS operates as a cooperative and is governed by a volunteer Board elected from its shareholder membership.

The Board provides governance and strategic oversight and helps guide the long-term sustainability of PBS. Responsibility for the day-to-day management and operations of the station sits with the General Manager, staff and volunteers.

Directors work collaboratively to provide effective governance, contribute to strategic planning and oversight, and participate in Board subcommittees and other governance work according to their skills and experience.

Skills and experience

For one of the three vacancies, PBS is looking for a Director with legal and governance expertise who can take on the role of Board Secretary.

Across the three positions, PBS is also interested in candidates with experience in areas including:

• governance and not-for-profit or organisational structures

• legal expertise

• strategic planning, risk and organisational leadership

• HR, performance and change management

• fundraising and philanthropy

• media policy and regulatory environments

• marketing, communications and brand management

• audience development

• media sector and music industry experience

• information technology

• revenue generation and business development.

An understanding of, or connection to, independent music, community broadcasting or media is also highly valued.

Personal attributes

PBS is looking for Directors who bring:

• alignment with PBS values and a genuine commitment to community

• independent thinking, sound judgement and the confidence to ask respectful questions

• strategic perspective and an understanding of the distinction between governance and operations

• curiosity, humility and a willingness to learn

• an ability to listen, collaborate and work constructively through differing views

• reliability, preparation and sufficient time to fulfil the responsibilities of the role

• respect for diversity, cultural safety, inclusion and the lived experience of the PBS community.

Diversity

PBS wants its Board to benefit from a broad range of perspectives, backgrounds and lived experience.

We warmly welcome nominations from people of different ages, genders and cultural backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, LGBTQIA+ people and people living with disability.

Commitment

Board positions are voluntary.

The Board meets approximately 10 times each year, generally onsite at PBS at Collingwood Yards in Melbourne, with online participation available where needed. Meetings are approximately two hours.

Directors are also encouraged to contribute to Board subcommittees and other governance work according to their skills and availability. As a guide, the overall commitment is approximately 5–10 hours per month, although this may vary at different points in the year.

PBS will provide governance development and support for Directors, including whole-of-Board governance training planned for early 2027.

How to nominate

PBS is a cooperative, so there is a two-step process for anyone who is not already a PBS Cooperative Shareholder.

To stand for election to the Board, you must be both a current PBS member and an approved shareholder of the Progressive Broadcasting Service Cooperative Ltd.

Step 1: Become a PBS Cooperative Shareholder

If you are not already a shareholder, you must complete this step before you can nominate for the Board.

Contact Kristen Paterson, General Manager, to request a shareholder application form.

Completed shareholder applications must be received by Monday 26 October 2026 to allow time for applications to be considered and approved by the Board.

There is a one-off payment of $50 for five cooperative shares. PBS shareholding provides governance rights, including voting at general meetings and eligibility to stand for election to the Board. The shares are not an investment and do not pay dividends.

Candidates must also hold a current annual PBS membership at the time of the AGM.

Step 2: Nominate for the Board

In early November, approved shareholders will receive the formal AGM notice and call for Board nominations, including information about how to nominate.

Once you are an approved shareholder, you can submit your nomination for election to the Board.

Board nominations close at 7pm on Monday 23 November 2026.

The PBS Annual General Meeting will be held at 7pm on Wednesday 25 November 2026 at PBS, Collingwood Yards, where eligible Cooperative Shareholders will vote to elect the three Directors.

Key dates

Monday 26 October 2026 Applications to become a PBS Cooperative Shareholder close.

Early November 2026 Formal AGM notice and call for Board nominations issued to shareholders.

Monday 23 November 2026, 7pm Board nominations close.

Wednesday 25 November 2026, 7pm PBS Annual General Meeting at PBS, Collingwood Yards.

For further information about the Board, eligibility or the nomination process, or to request a shareholder application form, contact Kristen Paterson, General Manager, at kristen@pbsfm.org.au.

Duty Statement: Australia