Assistant Features Editor

The Seattle Times, a renowned family-owned news organization, seeks an Assistant Features Editor to lead the features desk, overseeing arts, culture, and life coverage for the Greater Seattle area. This role requires a confident leader with excellent communication, time management, and editorial skills to manage staff writers, freelancers, and create compelling stories for a diverse audience.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and execute coverage plans across areas such as music, theater, visual arts, culture, food, and the outdoors.
• Manage a team of staff writers and freelancers, ensuring coverage is relevant, timely, and impactful.
• Represent features at newsroom meetings and collaborate with other departments to create comprehensive story packages.
• Collaborate with editors to ensure that breaking news and feature stories are published on time and meet production deadlines.
• Edit breaking news on tight deadlines, ensuring accuracy and quick dissemination of information.
• Develop story ideas and provide editorial guidance from the pitch phase to publication.
• Use digital analytics to shape coverage strategies and drive audience engagement, subscriber growth, and reader loyalty.
• Stay informed about trends and issues relevant to the covered beats, ensuring stories resonate with the local community.
• Ensure coverage reflects diverse perspectives and promotes inclusivity in both story framing and source representation.
• Foster a culture of diversity within the newsroom and coverage plans, with an emphasis on arts and culture
• Communicate effectively across departments, ensuring integration of visuals, graphics, and digital elements into feature stories.
• Assist in the management of the full features staff, supporting team development and adherence to editorial standards.

Required Qualifications

• At least 4 years of experience in personnel management within a metropolitan daily news organization.
• Proven track record in story editing, planning, and supervising both reporters and freelancers.
• Experience with breaking news, story organization, and crafting feature stories.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in journalism or a related field.
• Strong editorial judgment, story development, and organizational skills.
• Ability to work efficiently under pressure and meet strict deadlines.
• Cultural competence and experience in diverse, inclusive journalism practices.
• Familiarity with social media platforms (X, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, LinkedIn) for story idea development and promotion.
• Excellent grammar, language skills, and news judgment.

Application Deadline: Ongoing until the right candidate is found

For more details and to apply, click here.