The Gazette in Cedar Rapids Iowa is seeking a dynamic government and politics editor to lead a team covering government and politics at the national, state and local levels. The ideal candidate has demonstrated excellence in creating agenda setting coverage plans, is comfortable working across platforms and through content sharing strategies, has background in watchdog and accountability reporting and is comfortable with data and analysis stories. The ideal candidate should support daily beat reporting, but really push to execute enterprise reporting on multiple platforms. They should be comfortable integrating digital tools and strategies into the team’s coverage.

This is a hands-on role and the ideal candidate needs to be a strong coach who is passionate about developing content from the idea stage through the editing process. Our ideal candidate provides constructive feedback to staff and wants to be a key newsroom leader. You should be passionate about open and transparent government, explaining how government works  --  including what happens when it doesn’t . The government team has a focus on enterprise reporting for all platforms as well as short- and long-term reporting projects. This is a supervisory position within the newsroom.

Iowa is a swing state and election season doesn’t end. A crowded field is already emerging for the 2014 Senate race and the Iowa Caucuses are redefining themselves. We’re looking for someone who can sort through what is – and isn’t – being said as candidates repeatedly criss-cross the state on the campaign trail and helps examine the impacts of the statements or silence.

At the state level, efforts to modernize the state’s tax policies and education system are ongoing at a split-control statehouse. Recovery dollars in the wake of massive flooding in 2008 have aided in ongoing recovery and redevelopment across the region.  The Cedar Rapids area is a major player in the food and energy sectors, while the region is also home to a major Big 10 research university, multiple major health care providers and companies with major interests in energy, aviation, manufacturing and agriculture. 

Our organization:

Our news operation is converged and combines digital, print and broadcast for The Gazette, TheGazette.com, KCRG-TV9 , kcrg.com, as well as several  niche sites. Our company has a strong tradition of being independent and is employee-owned. The majority of our news team is focused on enterprise reporting, and we have a strong spirit of collaboration with other news outlets. While we’re focused in Cedar Rapids -- Iowa’s second-largest city – we have bureaus in Des Moines and Iowa City. The region is rich with things to do outside of work hours.

Qualifications & Requirements:

Ideal candidate will be a flexible, self-motivated, creative go-getter and problem solver who works well on a team and has excellent communication and team building skills. Candidate must be highly organized, a confident decision maker and committed to ongoing improvement and coaching. Candidate must also have strong writing skills and sound news judgment. Candidate must be attentive to detail and thrive in a fast-paced and deadline driven environment. Must have strong understanding of digital storytelling and social media skills and its applications.

A Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications or related course of study is preferred. Candidate must demonstrate ability to work quickly and accurately and must have ideas on how to present news in an ever-changing media landscape. Understanding of Web concepts and ability to regularly engage the audience is required, while some understanding of video is desired.  Five years of experience as a supervising editor or content manager preferred.

To Apply:

Please send a brief cover letter, resume, four clips or work samples to Thegazettecompanyhr@thegazettecompany.com or apply online at http://thegazettecompany.com/application/

About The Gazette Company SourceMedia Group provides unparalleled content in personal ways that enrich lives, drives collaborative opportunities to strengthen communities and discovers new and inventive ways to deliver credible information. This is made possible due to our ever-expanding family of products including our best-loved brands The Gazette and KCRG-TV9. With that kind of power giving voice to our community, it’s easy to see why we are the media company of choice in Eastern Iowa.