New York Focus is currently seeking:

– Managing Editor 

– Contributing Reporters

Managing Editor

We’re Hiring

New York Focus is seeking a driven, highly-organized managing editor who will help direct our editorial coverage, manage the publication process, and increase the impact and reach of our journalism.

This position is remote, but the candidate should be based in New York state. Please submit a resume, cover letter, and three clips of articles you have edited or written to hires@nysfocus.com. The application deadline is August 15, but we will consider applications on a rolling basis – submit earlier if you can.

About New York Focus

New York Focus is an independent, non-profit newsroom committed to unmasking how power works in the Empire State. We investigate how political decisions are made and how they impact vulnerable New Yorkers. We have a particular focus on Albany, where power is concentrated but which receives alarmingly little scrutiny.

In our first year and a half, our stories have led to the enactment of legislation, been discussed in legislative hearings, been cited in hundreds of local and national publications, and sparked national news cycles. Our core beats include the state budget and legislative processes; climate and environmental politics; the criminal justice system; housing and homelessness; and government transparency and industry influence in politics.

We are entering a growth stage and are expanding our team to publish more stories, pursue longer-term investigations, and grow our audience. By 2023, we plan to employ at least six full-time staff reporters, in addition to editorial and business-side staff.

The Role

As managing editor, you will help produce New York Focus’s coverage from pitch to publication to promotion. Your responsibilities will lie in roughly three stages:

Story generation. Working with staff reporters, you will generate story ideas and guide our major coverage areas. This will involve developing a deep grasp of New York politics by reading other journalism, scouring reports, and maintaining relationships with sources of your own. You won’t be a reporter, but you will actively participate in the project of uncovering stories and directing editorial priorities.

Editing stories and pipeline management. You will work intensively with staff reporters and freelancers from pitch to publication, producing tightly-structured articles, crisp copy, and engaging headlines, ledes, and nut grafs. You will also manage our pipeline, keeping track of each pending story to ensure a consistent weekly output.

Post-Publication. You will work to grow the reach and impact of our articles, including by improving our social media channels and newsletters; booking appearances on podcasts, radio, and TV; securing new partnerships with other publications; and submitting our work for awards. You may delegate to other staff and interns, but it will be your responsibility to supervise their work. In general, you should feel ownership and responsibility not only for the quality of our stories, but also for what happens to them after we hit publish.

About You

The ideal candidate would have: 

• A drive to figure out how power in New York operates; an eagerness bordering on obsessiveness to untangle and reveal the processes and institutions structuring political decision-making
• A nose for stories that uncover new, surprising, and important information, and the ability to strategize with reporters on how to find leads for such stories and report them out
• The ability to structure and package a story to bring out its central thrust, clarify its arguments, and convey why it matters
• The high level of organization and discipline required to manage our pipeline and plan weeks in advance to ensure consistent output
• The ability to capture and succinctly communicate the importance of our stories post-publication, including on social media and in newsletters
• Some familiarity with New York politics and media, potentially including relationships with sources in our coverage areas
• At least three years of experience in journalism, including experience as an editor

Compensation

$65,000 starting salary

Great benefits package

To Apply 

Please submit a resume, cover letter, and three clips of articles you have edited or written to hires@nysfocus.com by August 15. The cover letter should explain why you want to work at New York Focus, what strengths and experience you would bring to the role, and how you would help build our newsroom into a permanent watchdog on state politics.

Consistent with federal, state, and local law, we are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, veteran status, or other protected category. We are committed to an inclusive workspace, and we strongly encourage applications from people of color excited about our mission.

Contributing Reporter

New York Focus is seeking contributing reporters who will semi-regularly produce and publish high-quality, hard-hitting investigative stories, as well as shorter stories following up on those investigations, focused on New York state and city politics.

An ideal candidate would share the enthusiasm we bring to this work and be excited to help build and shape New York Focus. This position is remote, but the ideal candidate lives in or near New York state.

Please submit a resume, cover letter, and clips to hires@nysfocus.com.

About New York Focus

New York Focus is an independent newsroom covering state and local politics, committed to unmasking the operation of public and private power in the Empire State.

In our first nine months, we’ve published investigations of New York’s politicians and power brokers, explainers on under-examined legislation and political processes, and perspectives on nascent popular movements and organizing. Our stories have moved policy, been referenced in state legislature and city council hearings, and been cited by publications including The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Intercept, and Politico. 

Our core beats include the state budget and economic policy; climate and energy; housing and homelessness; immigration and labor; and incarceration and criminal justice.

Responsibilities for the position are as follows:

• Generate original ideas for 1-3 hard-hitting, investigative pieces a month in New York Focus’ coverage areas.
• Work with editors from pitch or commission to publication, often including multiple rounds of edits.
• Promote your pieces through social media and other available channels. 
• Build relationships with sources beyond the scope of an individual article

About You

The ideal candidate would have: 

• Excitement about investigative journalism that promotes accountability in New York State and City. 
• Demonstrated aptitude in reporting in-depth stories.
• Demonstrated ability to uncover information beyond what sources readily say; a nose for where to dig!
• Superb writing ability, including close attention to clarity of prose.
• Willingness to work collaboratively and build strong working relationships with editors.
• Familiarity with the New York media landscape, potentially including relationships with sources in any or all of our coverage areas.

Compensation 

$800 per investigative article. (Rate may be lower for less intensive follow-ups and other shorter stories.) Articles demanding exceptional effort will receive additional compensation. Contributors are not restricted from writing for other publications.

To Apply 

Please submit a resume, cover letter, and clips to hires@nysfocus.com. In the cover letter, please explain why you want to work with New York Focus, how you could help improve our journalism, and what values and strategies characterize your reporting process.

Consistent with federal, state, and local law, we are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, veteran status, or other protected category.

We are committed to an inclusive workspace, and we strongly encourage applications from people of color who are excited about contributing to our mission.