Want to help shape the future of California journalism by mentoring a new, diverse generation of reporters? The CalMatters College Journalism Network is looking for an assistant editor who can work with our team of student reporters to craft compelling stories about how higher education policy affects students across California. 

Launched earlier this year, the College Journalism Network is already drawing attention for its innovative, collaborative reporting model. We cover higher education from the ground up, while providing paid training to students from backgrounds underrepresented in newsrooms. You’ll report to our College Journalism Network Editor as part of a three-person team that also includes a training coordinator/reporting coach. 

Here’s what we’re looking for:

A capable and insightful editor with experience in both long- and short-form journalism, who can help take our student fellows’ work from good to outstanding. Can you whittle down a 3,000-word opus to a pithy 1,500 words on deadline? Talk a student through an encounter with a nervous source or reluctant administrator? That’s the skill set we’re looking for. You should be well-versed in the possibilities of digital media; bonus points for multimedia skills (audio, video, data, graphics), investigative reporting chops and/or experience working with student journalists.

Someone knowledgeable about higher education, ideally in California, and willing to mine your network of contacts for reporting leads and training opportunities for our fellows.

A strong believer in elevating student voices, within both our coverage and the mini-newsroom we are building. Our reporting process is collective, driven by the fellows’ interests and expertise about their own campuses. We’re looking for an empathetic player-coach who will help build the CJN community and serve as a mentor for our fellows, many of whom are students of color and/or the first in their families to attend college.

Someone familiar with California’s diverse communities and committed to telling stories that reflect those communities, while supporting an internal culture of equity and inclusion.

Here’s what you’ll be doing:

• Running a small team of student reporters — hosting weekly meetings, developing story ideas and coaching fellows through the reporting process
• Editing stories produced by your team and other fellows in the network (quantity will vary, but will average about 2-3 stories/week), packaging them and publishing them in our WordPress system
• Working with CalMatters’ data, graphics, photography and social media teams to produce the best presentations for the biggest audiences
• Pitching in with other duties related to building the network. These could include recruiting new fellows, contributing reporting to our stories and/or appearing in public to discuss our work

Ideally, you’d already be based in California, though remote work is possible during the pandemic. This is a part-time, contract job (about 20 hours per week) that could grow into something more as the College Journalism Network expands and CalMatters grows its editing staff. To apply, please send a short letter of interest along with your resume and samples of work you’ve written and edited to jobs@calmatters.org. Read more about the College Journalism Network here. 

In four years, CalMatters has become the largest newsroom covering California policy and politics. We are committed to creating a newsroom that better reflects the communities we cover, and strongly encourage journalists of color and other candidates from backgrounds underrepresented in journalism to apply. Questions? Email us at jobs@calmatters.org.