Senior Assignment Editor, Digital (PBS News)

Location: Arlington, VA (Campbell Place office). Most positions are onsite or hybrid depending on role.

About the role

The Senior Assignment Editor, Digital leads daily news production on PBS.org/Newshour and its associated platforms. This first-of-its-kind position is grounded in trending news and audience, working closely with the deputy managing editor and senior coordinating producer of video to create a new approach to multiplatform daily news. This person will drive daily news coverage, recognizing news opportunities and search potential; guiding reporters and producers to report and produce relevant, original content; writing headlines, editing copy, selecting sound bytes, and putting the audience first. They’ll plan coverage for the biggest stories of the day and make assignments that pique curiosity and feed discovery. The senior assignment editor will manage a small team focused on news, news video, and wire and partner content for the website, and coordinate with other digital team leads to move reporting across platforms. Strong headline writing and text editing are essential, as is a relentless pursuit of better, faster, and more relevant content. The editor will work with senior digital and broadcast leadership to expand audience reach across all platforms and will be a leader in developing new products and approaches to news.

Responsibilities

• Assigns, supervises and edits daily news stories in text and other formats.
• Uses data to plan daily news coverage on site and across platforms.
• Regularly reports to digital staff on news performance and adjusts assignments accordingly.
• Works closely with the digital leadership to coordinate publishing news and reporting across platforms.
• Coordinates staff schedule for daily news desk coverage and fills shifts on that desk when needed, with an eye toward maximizing effective use of existing resources and the creation of distinctive, brand-consistent content.
• Develops coverage plans for major events, in close consultation with senior digital and broadcast colleagues.
• Identifies future stories of likely interest to existing and potential PBS News audience.
• Supervises producers/reporters.
• Mentors and coaches staff, particularly on how to shape ideas into actionable and reportable stories.
• Performs related special projects or other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Superior editorial judgement.
• Strong news judgment, writing and copy editing skills.
• Exceptional judgment crafting and signing off on final headlines and metadata.
• Track record of using analytics and other tools to drive decision-making and set team goals.
• Experience making daily assignments and high-volume editing in all formats.
• As part of a small team, ability to jump into different stages of production to help move content to publish.
• Experience reshaping processes and tools to attain more efficiency.
• Experience managing production processes.
• Demonstrated ability to shape content for different platforms and their audiences.
• Project management skills with ability to balance and manage multiple priorities on daily, weekly, and long-term schedules.
• Fluency with common CMS publishing systems, social media, basic video editing and website analytics software.
• Strong collaborative skills with ability to develop strong relationships across departments.
• Effective communication and proven leadership skills.
• Experience managing reporters and/or producers, and supervising a team.
• Successful execution of day-parting strategy.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism preferred.
• 7 or more years of experience, ideally three managing online daily news production and guiding movement of stories.
• Or equivalent combination of training and experience.

Pay

$90,000–$105,000 per year

About WETA

WETA, the flagship public media station in the nation’s capital, produces and distributes content that informs, inspires, and enriches lives. As the second-largest producing station for the public media system, WETA creates programming to explore history, arts, and culture, partnering with acclaimed filmmakers such as Ken Burns and Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. National WETA productions include The American Revolution and Finding Your Roots, among many others. WETA is also home to PBS News, the primary daily, breaking, and special news producer for PBS. Its broadcast productions include PBS News Hour, Washington Week with The Atlantic, Horizons from PBS News, and Compass Points from PBS News, as well as specials, documentaries, and a robust footprint across digital platforms. Locally, WETA serves audiences across Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland, through television, radio, and digital platforms. Audiences access WETA on broadcast channels WETA PBS, WETA UK, WETA Metro, WETA World, and WETA PBS Kids, and digitally through the free streaming platform WETA+. Listeners tune into WETA Classical, the exclusive home for classical music in the Greater Washington area, via radio, online, and the WETA Classical app.