Solving Sacramento is a collaborative of non-profit and for-profit local newsrooms, education institutions, and community partners working together to produce and share news stories on the issues that most impact the larger Sacramento metro region. We launched in January 2022 with two initiatives: solutions to affordable housing and solutions to rebooting the arts.
Solving Sacramento seeks a part-time project editor to drive these collaborative solutions-based stories. The project editor is expected to provide day-to-day leadership for participants as they report, edit, and publish news coverage on affordable housing and rebooting the arts.
Terms:
This is a contract position for up to two years, at 20 hours/week at $40/hour. Contingent upon longer-term funding and project assessment, hours per week, compensation and position scope may change after the initial term. The project editor will work closely with the part-time project manager, who is responsible for fundraising and partnerships. Local Media Foundation, as agent for Solving Sacramento, will execute and administer the contract with the Project Editor.
Responsibilities:
Editorial Direction
- Be the voice of the project, ensuring that it stays true to its vision and that the project’s reporting is meeting the goals and strategies set by the partners.
- Support a solutions journalism approach.
- Provide quality control for collaborative reporting,
- Encourage collaboration, especially cross-newsroom coverage.
- Build awareness about the collaboration with media organizations, journalists, university journalism programs, and community members.
Editorial Management
- Develop a deep understanding of Solving Sacramento member newsrooms.
- Act as the central keeper of the collaborative’s editorial calendar, including tracking pitches and story production. In the case of conflicting or overlapping story plans, the Project Editor will look for ways to meld reporting so that the efforts and integrity of each newsroom’s work is maintained.
- Ensure Solving Sacramento is acknowledged properly in all collaborative content and that original reporters and outlets are properly acknowledged. Maintain record of published collaborative stories.
- Convene biweekly meetings among the reporters and editors from member outlets focused on reporting priorities and the collaborative’s editorial calendar
- Design workflows to encourage content distribution across the collaborative members’ platforms
- Manage and produce digital content across website, email, social media and text platforms
- Work with participating outlets to copy edit stories where outlet lacks editorial support
- Directly manage and mentor any interns, fellows or part-time reporters hired directly by the collaborative
- Support collaborative members in developing events and as needed serve as emcee/discussant/facilitator for events
- Track impact of collaborative content
- Attend biweekly Solving Sacramento meetings focused on fundraising and community partnerships
Qualifications and capabilities:
- Knowledge of Sacramento community, both on the news and arts fronts
- A minimum of 2-3 years editing experience
- A minimum of 3 years reporting experience
- Strong working knowledge of journalistic ethics and legalities including libel and copyright law
- Multimedia and social media skills; knowledge of digital content management systems.
- Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills
- Experience working in cooperative, collaborative environments
- Experience in a leadership and/or “public facing” position
- Solving Sacramento strongly prefers that the candidate for this position is neither employed by nor has a contracted position with any member of the Solving Sacramento collaborative.
How to apply:
Please send a resume including 3 references and cover letter to: jobs@localmedia.org.
For any questions, please email penny.riordan@localmedia.org.