Features General Assignment Reporter

The Seattle Times, a family-owned news organization and one of the nation’s premier regional news sources, is looking for a General Assignment Features Reporter. As a member of our features team, it will be your job to spin up a regular supply of daily features off the news, balanced with occasional longer, more enterprising stories that spotlight the people, places and passions that characterize the Northwest.

Our features desk covers arts and entertainment, food, travel, outdoors, local communities and culture, nightlife and events around the Greater Seattle area. We are seeking a talented, adaptable General Assignment reporter who can join our team to boost our coverage around the desk, specifically targeting breaking news and trending stories across our beats (think: art spaces opening and closing, local media news, local TV-related news, consumer travel news out of SeaTac, news off the outdoors beat, trailhead construction updates, localization of national news and more) with time also built into their schedule to report on communities, culture and the unique aspects of life in the Northwest. 

The ideal candidate will be able to juggle priorities and deadlines deftly, quickly jumping from a breaking news topic back to a longer-form feature or other reporting as the news cycle dictates. We’re hoping to find a journalist who thrives in that high-paced environment and can make this beat their own. 

Schedule: Mostly Monday-Friday, daytime shift; night and weekend work is occasionally required. This is a hybrid role requiring some work in our Seattle office.

Responsibilites:

• Though this reporter will be general assignment, there is an expected focus on covering culture – stories on diverse topics, including everything from slice-of-life profiles to local media news and features as well as localization of national news – with an emphasis on Seattle-area neighborhoods and communities. This reporter will also cover trending news topics in Seattle and around the country.
• This reporter will balance those ongoing coverage priorities/beats with breaking news, which will occur across features beats. Deftly managing these conflicting priorities and being able to quickly re-sort priorities is essential. We’d like you to find features in the news, and news in the world of features.
• Writing quickly and accurately – and with flair – is essential. 
• The hope is this person will bring joy to our desk by highlighting uplifting stories from around the region, particularly ones that have a Pacific Northwest spin. 
• Communicate precisely and promptly with sources, other journalists in the newsroom (including photojournalists on our team, with whom they’ll work most frequently), PR professionals and your editor. 
• Meet deadlines, juggling quick-turn pieces and breaking news with some long-form or enterprise thrown in. 
• Follow both local and national news to look out for topics that we should cover in town or localize from out of town. 
• Pitch stories frequently to features editors and be receptive to stories as assigned by editors. 
• This reporter should prioritize inclusivity in their coverage, developing a range of sources and story ideas that represent the cultural diversity of the Pacific Northwest.  
• Works occasional nights or weekends when news or coverage plans require it; this reporter will also be part of the newsroom’s rotation of weekend metro shifts. 
• Understands and upholds the standards, ethics and mission of journalism at The Seattle Times.

Qualifications:

We are committed to diversity and creating an inclusive newsroom, and encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply. If your profile doesn’t 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.   

• Experience: One to two years of experience in a reporting role at a metropolitan daily news organization. Preferably candidates will have experience with breaking news – and a track record of features reporting balanced with that nose for news. 
• Education: Bachelor’s degree or relevant equivalent experience.
• We’re seeking someone who exhibits the 6 C’s: curiosity, creativity, collaboration, compassion, competitive spirit and coachability.  
• Must have interest in all general features desk topics such as culture, arts, entertainment, travel, outdoors food, etc. Expertise or interest in travel, communities, neighborhood and culture is a bonus.
• Demonstrate experience with handling conflicting priorities and deadlines while meeting expectations. 
• Possess sound news judgment, from knowing what to pitch to your editor to knowing what to jump on, how to headline your story with the most pertinent details – and down to which details you include in a story. 
• Be able to work quickly and accurately on strict deadlines. 
• Requires a strong level of accuracy, honesty, fairness and ethics. 
• Possess cultural competence and familiarity with best journalistic practices related to equity and inclusion.
• Have excellent grammar and language skills.
• Be adept with social media and comfortable using all available platforms (including but not limited to X, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit and LinkedIn) as news sources, story idea development tools and avenues through which we can promote our work.

Compensation: The full salary range for this position is $62,425 to $104,700. We typically pay between $62,425 to $85,000, depending on experience and qualifications.

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: this position requires the successful completion of pre-employment assessments including a criminal background check, a drug screen for controlled substances (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. Finally, please note that this is a union-represented position.

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.