Who We Are:
Southern California Public Radio (SCPR) is a member-supported public media network whose mission is to strengthen the civic and cultural bonds that unite Southern California's diverse communities by providing the highest quality news and information service on air at LAist 89.3, online at LAist.com and through LAist Live Programming & Events. Since our founding in 1999, SCPR has been a fast growing, innovative, multi-platform public service newsroom. Every day, our staff helps audiences catch up on the latest headlines, solve the complexities of life in Southern California, and connect curious communities to one another.
Position Summary:
The Managing Editor, Daily News is responsible for creating a daily digital habit for Angelenos seeking to navigate, discover, connect and affect change. In partnership with other newsroom leaders, you’ll identify the editorial priorities for the day, communicate our plan internally, create assignments, and organize cross-platform teams to deliver on deadlines. The ideal candidate prioritizes our audience’s information needs, is highly organized and communicative, and can produce high-quality coverage across a range of issues. You love the rush of daily news and finding ways to stand out from coverage in other media outlets.
This managing editor works closely with other top editors to coordinate our daily needs with longer-term enterprise, features, on-demand products and investigations to make sure it all shines across platforms. The managing editor, daily news plays a critical role in ensuring our content is inclusive and adheres to internal style guides. The candidate is also responsible for meeting source diversity goals.
You’ll supervise a team of managers who oversee our daily news team, which serves both audio and digital platforms.
The ideal candidate will have experience leading an editorial team in a daily deadline environment, strong digital publishing experience, a willingness and track record of creating space for creativity as well as delivering consistent, meaningful feedback to everyone on their team. Experience with the practice of engaged and solutions-oriented journalism, or the enthusiasm to embrace it, is also a key requirement.
Compensation:
The salary for this opportunity will be no less than $110,003 annualized and no more than $137,504 annualized. Exact salary determined by experience and education related to the role, organizational compensation structure, budget and internal equity.
Position Responsibility:
- Create a daily digital habit for LAist readers and listeners
- Lead and implement our editorial strategy on a day-to-day basis
- Oversee daily newsgathering and deliver on deadline across platforms
- Set goals for building a local and loyal audience and hold team accountable or performance
- Implement an “audience- first” approach
- Identify improvements in workflow in order to increase cross-team collaboration
- Foster an inclusive, creative and productive work environment
- Accelerate a multi-platform strategy for LAist’s journalism
- Coordinate coverage with senior platform managers
- Working with engagement team and others, find ways for community members to participate in journalism on a daily basis
- Make data-informed decisions
- Ensure a diversity of views and voices are reflected in our reporting
- Manage daily planning process through an effective system of meetings, one-on-one communication, and use of electronic/written communication systems
- Understand strategic company priorities and how the team(s) supports and fits into these goals; communicate this to line staff clearly and consistently
- On occasion, represent SCPR at donor and community events
- Provide clear guidance, feedback and supervision to staff. This includes editorial aspects and performance assessment, identifying professional development plans
- Other duties as assigned
Required Education and Experience:
- Combined 10 years or more of proven, successful experience in journalism (reporting, editing, and/or producing)
- Significant experience in newsgathering and storytelling on digital platforms and radio.
Required Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:
- Strong management skills, including ability to teach, coach, and advance skills of those under direct supervision
- Ability to encourage creativity and high editorial standards.
- Knowledge and commitment to the mission of public media.
- Demonstrated ability in trying new things.
- Understanding of the emerging field of engaged journalism and ability to use non-traditional approaches including use of Hearken, SMS, and other community engagement tools/methods.
- Ability to develop and communicate editorial vision and direction.
- High EQ and a willingness to listen.
- Ability to develop complex story ideas that provide analysis and add context.
- Strong writing, editing, and storytelling skills.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to solve problems creatively.
- Ability to make quick command decisions.
- Ability to effectively execute multiple assignments on deadline.
- Ability to motivate, train and grow employees.
- Flexibility, ability to respond to changing priorities.
- Ability to see opportunities for tapping audience expertise and other news resources.
- Well-established contacts and knowledge of the journalism community.
- Commitment to public service journalism.
Preferred Skills and Experience:
- Experience reporting or editing in California.
- Fluency in Spanish or other languages commonly used in Southern California.
- Training in human-centered design.
Reporting To This Position:
Editors
Physical Demands and Working Conditions:
- Must be able to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
- Physical Demands:
- Required to move about in an office environment and sit for extended periods of time.
- Required to move about in the community.
- Frequent use of hands for data entry/keystrokes and simple grasping.
- Working Conditions:
- Moderate noise level
Southern California Public Radio (LAist 89.3/LAist.com/LAist Studios) is diverse in race, ethnicity, language, culture, social class, national origin, religious and political belief, age, ability, gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation in addition to other markers protected by law.
At SCPR, we strive to create an inclusive environment where we all feel pride in who we are and what we do. We are encouraged to show up as we are – always embracing and recognizing that our diversity is what brings us together. Our fundamental commitment to diversity:
- Enriches SCPR and provides an atmosphere in which all human potential is valued
- Promotes learning through interactions among people of different backgrounds and many perspectives, and
- Enables the organization to prepare all employees to promote social responsibility, equity, freedom, and productive citizenship in a global society
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.
We are committed to hiring a breadth of diverse professionals and encourage you to apply.