Reporter or Editor New York Bureau Chief
Job Description
Chalkbeat, the nonprofit news organization covering educational change efforts in the communities where improvement matters most, is seeking a seasoned reporter and editor with management experience to serve as our New York bureau chief.
As the largest school system in the country, New York City provides education inspiration for the entire country. In the past, the city has set the standard for trying to hold teachers and schools accountable for student achievement and for expanding school options for families. Now, the city is setting the pace around providing social services inside schools, while also trying to improve struggling schools through extra resources. If that shift pays off, New York City could become a proof point for advocates who say support, not sanctions, offer the best chance to help the country’s neediest students. Our New York team is answering that question through its daily reporting.
The bureau chief will lead that coverage, with a focus on bottom-up reporting 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 also model incisive reporting and enterprise work for the rest of the team by contributing stories yourself. You will serve as Chalkbeat’s public face in New York, working with our experienced leadership to build a local community strategy and representing the organization at public events. Finally, you’ll oversee the bureau’s budget and office with support from Chalkbeat’s central network.
Who are you?
You are committed to local journalism and respect the transformative power a good story can wield, both as a reporter and as an editor. 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 can 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—school personnel, education insiders, parents, students, and curious citizens—in explaining how the city works. And you’re not afraid to call its 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
- 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
- Experience working in a CMS, preferably WordPress
- Background in data journalism and visual production
- 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
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 from December 26-31.
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.
