Story Desk Manager

About the role

The Story Desk Manager at KHOU, TEGNA’s CBS affiliate in Houston, Texas, will lead the Story Management Desk (SMD), a unified desk replacing legacy assignment and digital desks. This role ensures a single, streamlined workflow for planning, producing, and curating stories across all platforms. The successful candidate will guide a team of content creators in story discovery and presentation, manage daily coverage decisions, and oversee multi-platform newsroom content with a focus on stories that matter to the community.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily coverage decisions and reporter assignments to competitively own the big story.
• Determine the best format and presentation for stories across platforms, including timelines for delivery.
• Plan coverage for upcoming news cycles and lead regular story check-ins throughout the day.
• Maximize audience insights to improve content choices and audience reach.
• Ensure competitive, engaging, and impactful content for all platforms, including digital (website, mobile app, streaming).
• Plan coverage of stories that matter most to the community using editorial judgment and social listening.
• Provide editorial support to MSJs, producers, and photojournalists, reviewing scripts, videos, and content for accuracy, grammar, AP style, digital best practices, fairness, and ethical considerations.
• Lead and communicate newsroom coverage during breaking news, ensuring accuracy, urgency, and balance.
• Uphold TEGNA’s journalistic standards and values across all platforms.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, or at least 5 years of journalism experience in a local newsroom, digital production, or related role.
• Superior news judgment and ability to make fast, sound editorial decisions under pressure.
• Proven record of success handling breaking news.
• Experience managing a team of journalists.
• Demonstrated knowledge of content desk operations.
• Experience helping transform and manage news-gathering systems.
• Impeccable organizational skills with a keen eye for detail.
• Demonstrated success as both a team leader and a team player.
• Effective communication skills.
• Familiarity with the Houston market is a plus.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas.
• Fertility, surrogacy, and adoption assistance.
• Disability and life insurance.
• 401(k) program with 100% company match on the first 4% of pay, fully vested from day one.
• Nine free virtual doctor’s appointments annually through Teladoc for all employees and eligible family members.
• Twelve free annual therapy sessions through Spring Health.
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) and nine paid holidays per year.
• Some roles may be covered by a collective bargaining agreement, affecting benefit eligibility.