Deputy Sports Editor
About The Position
Chicago Public Media is seeking an innovative, audience-minded Deputy Sports Editor for the Chicago Sun-Times. The role helps lead sports coverage across digital platforms, shaping daily priorities and coverage while exploring storytelling and distribution formats that serve Chicago sports fans. The Deputy Sports Editor partners with the Sports Editor and works closely with sports reporters and colleagues in Audience, Visuals, and Product. The position requires strong sports-news judgment, rigorous editing standards, and experience with video, social platforms, and other digital formats. It serves as acting Sports Editor when needed.
Requirements
- Strong editing skills and sound news judgment under deadline pressure.
- Deep knowledge of sports and experience editing sports journalism.
- A track record of leading or contributing to change in a digital newsroom, particularly through social video, platform-native storytelling, or other new-media formats.
- Strong understanding of audience behavior and best practices for Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and emerging channels.
- Experience working with reporters, visual journalists, and audience specialists to produce journalism across text, photo, video, and live formats.
- Familiarity with audience metrics and ability to use performance data and feedback thoughtfully in editorial decisions.
- Strong collaborative instincts, clear communication, and a solutions-oriented approach.
- Curiosity, initiative, and comfort experimenting with new tools, formats, and workflows.
- Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, or a related field.
- Experience as a sports editor is required.
- Willingness to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as news demands.
- Working knowledge of social platforms relevant to sports audiences, including Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and emerging platforms.
Nice To Haves
- Chicago sports knowledge is preferred.
Responsibilities
- Help lead factual, accurate, fair, and compelling coverage of Chicago sports across Chicago Public Media digital platforms.
- Partner with the Sports Editor on daily news planning, major event coverage, and long-term editorial priorities.
- Serve as acting Sports Editor when needed.
- Edit breaking news, game-night coverage, and major sports moments quickly and effectively, ensuring accuracy, fairness, and clarity.
- Drive social-first and video-forward storytelling, including vertical video, live coverage, explainers, analysis, and platform-tailored formats.
- Work with reporters to identify stories, personalities, and franchises suited to recurring audience engagement and innovative formats.
- Collaborate with Sun-Times and WBEZ editors and Audience, Visuals, and Product teams on story packaging, promotion, platform strategy, and experiments to improve discovery and engagement.
- Use audience data, social listening, and platform knowledge to inform coverage decisions while maintaining independent editorial judgment.
- Help develop workflows and newsroom habits that make the Sports team faster, more creative, and more effective across emerging formats.
- Engage with sports fans on social platforms during major news moments and games, and support promotion of the Sports team’s journalism.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
- Vacation and holidays.
- Life insurance and disability coverage.
- Retirement savings.
- Commuter benefits plan.
- Competitive salary and benefits package.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
