State Editor (Temporary)

The Los Angeles Times is looking for an experienced editor to help run our state coverage. The position will be based in the Bay Area or Sacramento and is part of an effort to expand our coverage outside Southern California.

The successful candidate should have a deep knowledge of Northern and Central California and the issues we need to be covering. The editor will have a team of reporters in the region but will also develop a larger coverage strategy that could include collaborations, partnerships and development of a limited number of freelance contributions. We are looking for someone with journalistic vision and a strategic mindset who can help grow the business.

This editor will handle a mix of breaking news, features and more longer-term reporting. Responsibilities will range from anchoring major breaking news stories in the region and running days-long coverage on major stories to editing and developing project and series ideas. The editor will also be expected to help reporters come up with and edit strong investigative stories and projects.

Responsibilities:

• Assign and edit coverage; ensure that reporting is attentive to detail, consistently accurate, delivered with high quality under constant deadlines and edited to conform with accepted journalistic techniques, ethical standards and the style of the publication
• Work with fellow Metro leaders to set a strategic course for the department that prioritizes digital development, grows audience, readership and digital subscriptions and fulfills current company goals
• Apply creativity to story generation, visual element generation and the presentation of news and information in the most relevant, interesting way
• Supervise a team of reporters; help hire and assign reporters for and to appropriate beats; work with other editors to schedule staffers
• Ensure that the department meets digital and print production deadlines and maintains ideal story flow
• Complete administrative tasks such as timecard approval and absence requests for direct reports in Dayforce
• Other duties as assigned

Requirements:

• A minimum of 10 years of journalism experience
• Ability to foster excellent communication with peers, supervisors and the newsroom
• Ability to navigate digital platforms and stay on top of current events
• Proven ability to work well in a team setting and juggle multiple tasks in a deadline-driven environment
• Excellent skills in line editing, combining strong news judgment, fluency in style and deep knowledge of taste and legal considerations; understanding the importance of accuracy and precision
• A nuanced understanding of audience data and analytics and a track record of using data to make informed decisions on coverage
• An ethical and inclusive approach in the workplace that promotes collaboration
• An excellent team player and effective communicator who's able to work comfortably with a wide variety of personalities and skill levels and across departments
• Versatility and adaptability, working not just across production platforms but also across subject areas

This temporary management position is expected to last six months. Occasional night and weekend work is expected.

Qualified applicants should upload a resume, cover letter and portfolio, including a before/after editing sample, to Deputy Managing Editor Maria L. La Ganga and City Editor Cindy Chang at the apply link.

The L.A. Times is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all qualified applicants regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We actively work to create an inclusive environment where all of our employees can thrive. This Privacy Notice for Los Angeles Times sets forth how we will use the information we obtain when you apply for a position with us. Explore our company history, achievement, values, mission and more on our career site.

The pay scale the Company reasonably expects to pay for this position at the time of the posting is $65.87 to $72.12 and takes into account a wide range of factors including but not limited to skill set, experience, training, licenses, certifications, and other business or organizational needs. Compensation will be determined based on the above factors along with the requirements of the position. At the L.A. Times, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for the role. Please visit our career site to view the benefits available to our employees. We recommend adding our applicant tracking system domain (@dayforce.com) as a safe sender or contact, sometimes these emails get filtered to candidates' spam folders.