Deputy Research Editor

ProPublica

5d•$135,000 - $145,000•Remote

About The Position

ProPublica is seeking a deputy research editor to help lead and strengthen its research team. This role will guide high-impact investigative work across the newsroom while supporting rigorous, collaborative, and responsive research at scale. The research team is crucial to ProPublica’s impactful stories, contributing deep reporting, verification, and sourcing to both long-term investigations and fast-turn accountability journalism. Research reporters often earn co-bylines and contributor credits across various media formats and collaborate with journalists nationwide. The team operates with flexibility, supporting multiple investigations while handling urgent, high-priority requests tied to breaking news. Researchers typically manage two to three long-term projects concurrently, alongside short-term needs, offering expertise in public records, financial and government research, OSINT, and advanced verification.

Requirements

At least three years of experience managing a research team, ideally in a journalism capacity.
Significant in-depth research experience, ideally in investigative journalism, or deep government or other investigative research skills.
In-depth knowledge of financial, corporate, government, legal, or OSINT resources.
An understanding of the use of AI in investigative reporting.
Deep experience identifying, obtaining, searching, and analyzing public records, with a strong understanding of government documents and processes at local, state, and federal levels.
Expert ability to guide staffers in evaluating and vetting information from diverse sources, including proficiency in searching and using premium databases.
Demonstrated ability to identify and quickly use emerging technologies and applications relevant to investigative research.
Experience building morale and fostering professional growth in a geographically distributed team.
Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with an appetite for working across the newsroom and with external partners.
Keen attention to detail and a proven ability to synthesize complex information and identify patterns and connections.
Exceptional organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with a proven ability to manage multiple projects, meet tight deadlines, and perform effectively under pressure.
Willingness and ability to travel occasionally for staff retreats, training, or other required events.
Eligible to work in the U.S.

Responsibilities

Manage research reporters as they work on investigative stories, directly supervising them.
Serve as an escalation point for research reporters and newsroom staff to resolve complex reporting challenges, tight deadlines, and sensitive sourcing or verification issues.
Manage and prioritize incoming research requests, balancing urgent newsroom needs with longer-term investigative projects.
Partner with the research editor to assign work, shape strategy, and ensure consistent, high-quality research support across desks, beats, and regions.
Provide hands-on editorial guidance to research reporters on records strategies, advanced sourcing, database use, OSINT techniques, and verification.
Provide hands-on editorial guidance to text editors and reporters, identifying training opportunities in the newsroom, including coaching on records strategies, advanced sourcing, database use, OSINT techniques, and verification.
Collaborate with reporters and editors to define research goals, frame investigations, and connect information across large volumes of data.
Support and strengthen ProPublica’s research workflows, including documentation, organization, and best practices for cross-team usability.
Build and maintain strong relationships with editors, reporters, partner newsrooms, and other specialty teams at ProPublica, ensuring early and effective integration of research into reporting.
Contribute to hiring, onboarding, mentoring, and performance feedback for a distributed research staff.
Assist with the management and administration of, and help inform contract negotiations for, research tools and resources, including evaluating new technologies, databases, and applications relevant to investigative reporting.
Promote a collaborative, inclusive, and supportive team culture that values rigor, curiosity, and shared success.