Assistant Managing Editor/Politics & Accountability

Dallas News Corp.•Dallas, TX

35d

About The Position

The Dallas Morning News is seeking an editor with a significant track record in political journalism to be the Assistant Managing Editor/Politics & Accountability. The foundation of this job is accountability, and the ideal candidate will bring high-end knowledge and experience in that arena. This editor will manage our political team, with reporters in Austin, Dallas and Washington, D.C., and oversee our local government accountability team, with editors and reporters focused on the City of Dallas, Dallas County and Collin County, helping these teams thrive and develop with high-impact journalism and innovative ideas. Our Austin reporters will be part of a joint capital bureau, working with reporters from the other Hearst papers in Texas. This editor will work closely with editors from the other newsrooms to plan ambitious political coverage that goes deep on the most important issues and drives conversations that help our readers understand their government. Accountability journalism is a signature goal of The Dallas Morning News and this editor will lead the charge in the newsroom, working with other editors and reporters to infuse coverage on every team with the distinctive journalism that will make a difference in our community. The ability to draw out the best in people you work with and a comfort and mastery for managing change is essential. A person who is cool under pressure and deadlines will do well. Other good traits: organized, enthusiastic, compassionate, formidable. As part of the newsroom's senior leadership team, this editor will be central to carrying through our digital priorities as well as developing key strategic efforts. This person should be a natural collaborator and a strong partner with other senior leaders on projects and initiatives. In addition, this manager should be devoted to the growth and development of all DMN staffers and to DEI efforts.

Requirements

10 years or more of experience in editing and reporting
Excellent editing, time management, planning and prioritization skills to manage daily assignments and long-term enterprise
Concrete understanding of SEO best practices and how to optimize a story's digital presentation, including headlines, links, tags and visual elements
Deadline decision-maker
Good news judgment, accuracy, speed, grammatical precision, a flair for headlines
Proven ability to plan, work in advance
Adapts quickly to changing technologies and workflows
Juggles multiple assignments
Communicates clearly and effectively with colleagues
Bachelor's degree in journalism or related field

Responsibilities

Manage the growth of accountability journalism in the newsroom, through training, coaching and mentoring
Manage reporters and other editors with an eye toward sharpening their skills and knowledge of accountability journalism
Plan for short-term coverage and long-term projects with an eye toward accountability journalism that differentiates our report from a list of competitors
Generate content ideas that include an emphasis on the diversity of voices, stories, subjects and perspectives
Ensure stories are reported fairly, accurately and thoroughly, with sharp, compelling writing
Take a hands-on approach to breaking news across digital platforms and display a willingness to create content as needed
Show strong organizational skills and the ability to multitask on deadline
Build trusting relationships with staffers and foster their growth and development
Display exceptional news judgment with the ability to recognize the digital potential of stories that will resonate with our audience
Build stories with links, tags, SEO best practices, attractive web headlines and multimedia when appropriate
Monitor analytics for stories and work with reporters to suggest approaches for improvement
Work with audience editors to evolve and shape coverage to deepen engagement with our digital audience
Provides day-to-day leadership and supervision to assigned staff, ensuring operational goals and objectives are met effectively and efficiently
Responsible for all aspects of employee management, including recruitment, interviewing, selection, onboarding, and retention
Conducts regular performance evaluations; provides constructive feedback and coaching to support employee development and accountability
Administers progressive discipline and counseling as needed, in alignment with company policies and procedures
Oversees scheduling, workload distribution, and delegation of responsibilities to ensure balanced team performance and productivity