Reporter or Editor New York Bureau Chief
Job Description
We’re looking for the next leader of our New York team.
Chalkbeat, the nonprofit news organization covering educational change efforts in the communities where improvement matters most, is seeking a seasoned reporter and/or editor with management experience to serve as our New York bureau chief.
This is a fascinating time to lead education coverage in New York. The past year has seen an onslaught of news carrying profound implications for students and families in the nation’s largest school district — from a controversial proposal to change admission practices at the city’s most selective high schools to the dramatic early tenure of a new chancellor looking to shake up the system. Chalkbeat has been at the forefront of these and other stories, breaking news and providing smart analysis of the implications on policy and politics — from visiting classrooms to cornering lawmakers in Albany as part of our state coverage.
The bureau chief will lead that coverage, with a focus on the debate around how to create educational equity. You will oversee a team of three reporters and be responsible for story budgets, readership growth, and impact, working to shape and edit stories so they connect to the important story Chalkbeat is telling across the country. You will serve as Chalkbeat’s public face in New York, working with our experienced leadership and engagement team to build a local community strategy, maintain news partnerships, and represent the organization at public events. Finally, you’ll oversee the bureau’s budget and office with support from Chalkbeat’s central network.
This position will report to one of Chalkbeat’s Managing Editors for Local News.
Who are you?
You are committed to local journalism and respect the transformative power of a good story, both as a reporter and as an editor. You’re hungry to break news, eager to understand and inform vital public policy debates, and enthusiastic about creating new models for sustainable journalism. You find coaching reporters energizing, from helping them connect the dots across several incremental stories to instructing them in the fine art of source-building. You get the urgency of making strong coverage decisions quickly, know how to balance quick news hits with enterprise work, and have experience planning longer-term investigative projects. While you love being on the ground and in the community, you’re also inspired by the idea of collaborating with colleagues across the Chalkbeat network to learn and share best practices and get the support you need to lead your team to greatness. You can serve as a guide for our readers — teachers, education insiders, parents, students, and curious citizens — in explaining how schools in the city work. And you’re not afraid to take leaders to task when warranted.
What background and skills do you have?
- 7+ years’ experience in journalism, preferably in digital, with a focus on public policy issues
- Experience covering New York preferred
- Breaking news metabolism and decisiveness under pressure
- Proven strategies for building an effective team and experience managing direct reports
- Strong interpersonal skills with a knack for working with curious reporters and skeptical editors
- Stellar news judgment
- Experience managing budgets and other administrative duties preferred
- Passion for education is a must; knowledge of education is a strong plus, but not required
Note: We know that many strong candidates will not have all the skills we list. That’s OK. What else do you bring to the table? Please tell us!
This is a full-time position with benefits. Chalkbeat offers a competitive salary, commensurate with experience, and a generous benefits package, including a paid winter recess.
About Chalkbeat:
Chalkbeat is the nonprofit news organization committed to covering one of America’s most important stories: the effort to improve schools for all children, especially those who have historically lacked access to a quality education. We are mission-driven journalists who believe that an independent local press is vital to ensuring that education improves. Currently in five locations and growing, we seek to provide deep local coverage of education policy and practice that informs decisions and actions, leading to better schools. Read more about our mission and values.
How to Apply
Please email the following to careers@chalkbeat.org, with “New York Bureau Chief” in the subject line by August 30, 2019:- Links to five relevant clips (as reporter or editor)
- Resume
- Cover letter explaining your interest in the position and one story idea about NYC schools that you’d like to see covered
