Reporter or Editor Community College Reporter
Job Description
If you’re a talented journalist who’s passionate about the future of California, then you might be the perfect candidate to be our first Community College reporter.
With more than 100 campuses throughout the state, California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the United States. These colleges are an important bridge to the state’s future, preparing students for the workforce or four-year colleges and adjusting to the changing demands and opportunities of an evolving economy.
This position is part of a team covering higher education at CalMatters. The team includes another higher education reporter as well as our College Journalism Network with student reporters around the state writing about campus issues. This journalist will also work with other beats at CalMatters as we look at stories about the future of work — how things are changing and how employers, educators and others are responding.
Responsibilities for the job include:
- Developing expertise on the Community College system, a decentralized structure with a variety of experiences and practices statewide, with travel to campuses and close coverage of policy committees and panels.
- Writing and reporting in a variety of formats: short quick breaking news at times, news analysis, in-depth articles. Stories will also be shared in audio formats for radio, the web and possibly television.
- Collaborating with the CalMatters team covering higher education issues and our data, photography, audio, public events, web production and newsletter teams.
These would be a plus:
- The ability to report and write in both Spanish and English
- Experience with data analysis and data journalism
- Familiarity with California and/or higher education issues
CalMatters, launched seven years ago, is an award-winning nonprofit, nonpartisan news venture dedicated to explaining the policy and politics of America’s biggest state and the world’s fifth largest economy. We produce vivid, original journalism and data-driven news analyses and watchdog reporting that’s distributed on calmatters.org and to more than 250 newspaper, digital and radio outlets statewide.
Compensation and Benefits
The base salary for this position is $70,000 per year; higher compensation may be available for someone with advanced skills and/or experience.
CalMatters offers a complete benefits package with medical, dental and vision insurance – we cover 90% of the cost for employees and 70% for dependents – from a range of HMO and PPO providers. We’ll match contributions of up to 4% of your salary to our 401(k) program, provide life insurance at no cost, and give you an allowance for personal use of your cell phone and a budget for professional development opportunities like classes and conferences.
We are an expanding and collaborative newsroom, successfully forging a new model for sustainable, intelligent, nonprofit journalism. We’re committed to reflecting the people of the state we serve and especially encourage members of underrepresented communities to apply. If you’re interested, please provide a resume, work samples and a cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job.
If you have trouble with this form or prefer to apply by email, write to jobs@calmatters.org with the job title in the subject line.
