Engagement Reporter, Education Lab

Are you passionate about finding innovative ways to interact with audiences and make our journalism more useful to communities? If so, we want you to join us as an Engagement Reporter for The Seattle Times’ Education Lab, a community-funded team that focuses on solutions to inequities in education.

This is a unique position that blends community engagement projects with reporting and web production. In this position, you’ll have an opportunity to write stories that bring a variety of community members’ perspectives to light, plan events big and small, help our team of reporters better talk to readers, edit student contributors, promote stories online and write a weekly newsletter.

We are always interested in improving and are looking for someone who is ready to tackle big questions. What is a new way to tell an important story? Does our work reflect the diversity of our region? How do we help students tell their own stories?

Successful candidates will have some understanding of education systems and a proven track record of building and expanding communities, online and in person. Our engagement reporter will be flexible and nimble, detail-oriented and a good collaborator.

Responsibilities

• Be curious, widely read and ready to engage in a diverse mix of stories.
• Demonstrate a commitment to equity and inclusion in story choice, sourcing and framing.
• Collaborate with our readers and the community to create stories about education ranging from early childhood to postsecondary.
• Have experience with successful event planning and execution.
• Facilitate conversations online and in person. A high comfort level with speaking in public is helpful.
• Use audience engagement tools such as social media, Hearken and Typeform.
• Examine analytics and use these tools to inform story choices.
• Produce a weekly newsletter.
• Be a good team member. We pride ourselves on trusting and supporting each other and being flexible during unexpected moments of need.
• Model unimpeachable ethics and standards.
• Master new digital tools and write with a digital-first approach when warranted. (i.e., writing iteratively in breaking-news situations.)
• Contribute to coverage of major breaking news and larger newsroom initiatives. Participate in a staff rotation covering occasional weekend and holiday breaking news shifts.

Qualifications

We are committed to diversity and creating an inclusive newsroom and encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply. If your profile does not match this job description exactly, you may still be a candidate for this position. Please let us know how your skills and experience relate to the role and its objectives in your cover letter.

• Experience: Two or more years of experience in journalism, preferably for a daily publication.
• Education: College graduate or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Fluency in another language is a plus.

Work Location: This is a hybrid role requiring some work in our Seattle office.

Compensation: The full salary range for this position is $62,425 to $85,000. 

Benefits: 

• Medical, dental, vision, and long-term disability insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Optional life and AD&D insurance and long-term care insurance
• 401(k) plan with employer match
• 10 days of annual vacation accrual, increasing with tenure up to 20 days
• 10 days of annual sick accrual; unused sick pay accrues to an extended illness bank
• 9 paid holidays
• Monthly internet stipend for predominately remote employees
• Subsidized transit cards and parking costs
• Complimentary Seattle Times subscription
• Wellness program
• Fertility coverage (with lifetime limits) for eligible employees
• Parental leave options

Please Note: Please note that this position requires the successful completion of pre-employment assessments including a criminal background check, a drug screen (excluding cannabis), and a motor vehicle report once an offer has been made. This position requires that you have access to reliable transportation to respond to work assignments. If you opt to use a personal vehicle for transportation, you must be able to provide proof of a valid driver’s license and auto insurance meeting the company's liability limits prior to hire.

Founded in 1896, The Seattle Times continues its tradition as a family-owned, Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper that cuts through the clutter and provides readers with timely, relevant news. We serve the Pacific Northwest with thoughtful, independent journalism that makes a real difference in our community. And as a media solutions company, we combine cutting-edge digital capabilities and service with the values and integrity of respected traditional media… with an established audience of 1.9 million. At The Seattle Times, you'll find work that matters.

If you need assistance to accommodate a disability, please contact Human Resources at [email protected] and provide a description of the reasonable accommodation(s) needed.