The Seattle Times, a family-owned news organization and one of the last local, private metro newspapers in the country, is looking for an experienced Sports Producer to join our Pulitzer Prize-winning newsroom. As part of this team, you will be primarily responsible for the presentation and packaging of local news online, on mobile devices and on social media. You should be comfortable driving reader engagement through high impact curation and presentation of stories as well as the creation of features unique to digital platforms. In this role, you will collaborate firsthand with editors, other producers, photo and video editors, and other newsroom staff to raise the profile of Sports content across multiple platforms. Ideally, you would have a proven ability to spearhead new content initiatives and products to grow readership and engagement.

Responsibilities

• Crafting the presentation of Sports content on The Seattle Times homepage and Sports channels. Adjusting leads, headlines, photos and teasers to emphasize highest priority coverage.
• Engaging readers with staff-written content via social media.
• Conceiving and executing Sports projects and reader engagement activities.
• Training and coaching Sports staff on digital tools and current best practices for digital publishing.
• Serves as a resource for Sports staffers who have questions about digital publishing tools, social media and changing technology.
• Monitors online traffic and use metrics to guide editorial decisions.
• Ensures proper staffing of the digital sports site, looking ahead to night and weekend needs.
• Takes part in planning of Sports special sections, conceiving, planning and executing digital packaging and special digital features to complement those sections.
• Contributes to the news organization as a whole through committee involvement, planning projects and programs, etc. and by assisting other departments as needed.

Qualifications

If your profile doesn’t match this job description exactly, you may still be a candidate for this position. Please let us know how your skills and experience relate to the role and its objectives.

• Experience: Must have prior digital publishing experience; daily or weekly publishing experience is desirable.
• Education: Requires a bachelor’s degree in journalism or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Must have native-level fluency with the Web and a deep understanding of how people use digital tools to produce and consume information.
• Must be familiar with common web publishing technologies and content-management practices.
• Requires fluency with content-management tools, including blogging platforms such as WordPress, basic understanding of HTML, Web design principles and multimedia production tools.
• Must have knowledge of AP style, understanding of search engine optimization (SEO) principles and strong writing ability, particularly in headlines and summaries.
• Must have deep knowledge of sports and sports journalism, to contribute to story planning, make informed decisions about story play and presentation, write accurate headlines and produce the digital sports report.
• Requires advanced social media skills, including ability to use Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn and other emerging social networks to gather and disseminate news, reach new audiences and track the changing social landscape.
• Requires willingness to master constantly changing technology and adapt to and embrace current and future newsroom publishing and company systems.
• Must have the ability to analyze stories and make judgments about content, libel, newsworthiness, fairness, accuracy, etc., while under pressure and on deadline.
• Requires visual acuity.
• Must have a solid foundation in journalistic principles. Must understand and uphold the standards, ethics and mission of visual journalism at The Seattle Times, regardless of platform.
• Read The Seattle Times and other relevant news sources to keep abreast of current events.

Schedule

Wednesday through Sunday, with variable hours.

Founded in 1896, The Seattle Times continues its tradition as a family-owned, independent newspaper that cuts through the clutter and provides readers with timely, relevant news. As the largest newsroom in the Pacific Northwest, we serve the region with thoughtful journalism that makes a real difference in our community. And as a media solutions company, Seattle Times Media Solutions combines cutting-edge digital capabilities and service with the values and integrity of respected traditional media… with an established audience of 1.9 million. At The Seattle Times, you’ll find work that matters.

To apply, click here.

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