Senior Editor, Watchdog

About the role

The senior editor will lead a team of experienced reporters focused on holding local government and powerful institutions accountable in Southern California. The team will cover major L.A. law enforcement agencies, county government, workplace safety, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crises. The senior editor will shape ideas, deepen reporting, and guide the team to produce at least 12 stories each month.

Responsibilities

• Oversee high-impact investigations and daily enterprise reporting that improves the lives of Southern Californians.
• Develop and execute cross-platform strategies for assigned beats that align with LAist's mission.
• Work with the engagement team to foster an audience-first approach in content creation.
• Assign and edit stories, special projects, and other content for accuracy, fairness, and inclusivity across various platforms.
• Provide clear guidance, feedback, and supervision to assigned staff.
• Participate in and lead training sessions for the LAist newsroom.
• Adhere to LAist's digital strategy and collaborate with senior leaders on data-driven decisions.
• Encourage creativity and high standards within the team.
• Develop short- and long-term goals for direct reports.
• Represent LAist at public events.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.
• Five years reporting or editing experience, with two years editing or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of two years supervisory experience.
• Experience in maintaining high journalistic standards under deadline pressure, including accuracy and fairness.
• Experience assigning stories and editing copy.
• Experience with digital news production and presentation.
• Experience covering government or editing local, state, or federal government beat stories.

Qualifications

• Strong writing and editing skills.
• Knowledge of radio, digital, and print style.
• Ability to make decisions on deadline, direct coverage, and communicate effectively with colleagues and supervisors.
• Ability to execute multiple assignments on deadline.
• Leadership and personnel skills to develop high-performing teams.
• Strong communication skills.
• Ability to develop complex story ideas that provide analysis and add context.
• Ability to recognize and act on opportunities for tapping audience expertise.
• Well-established contacts and knowledge of the journalism community.
• Commitment to public service journalism.
• Effective communication and cordial interaction with colleagues across platforms.
• Ability to juggle multiple projects and deadlines.

Skills

• Experience producing and editing audio.
• Experience producing and editing video.
• Fluency in Spanish or other languages commonly used in Southern California.
• Experience as a reporter, producer, or editor in L.A. or Orange County.