Associate Editor

This is a Full Time Job

Your Role:

At LAist, we believe Angelenos deserve great local news that meets them wherever they are—online, on-air, in person, on-demand, social and in their inbox. To meet that need, we’re seeking an Associate Editor with strong copy-editing skills who’ll be our lead newsletter writer and assist in polishing our digital stories. We’re looking for somebody to bring energy, creativity, and resourcefulness to our email work. This role will be critical to one of our highest priorities: making LAist a daily digital habit for Southern Californians.

The Associate Editor will also work across the newsroom, social, product, events, membership and underwriting teams to more deeply engage Angelenos on the issues and stories that matter most to Los Angeles. You will help to execute creative strategy around how best to tie in LAist’s multiplatform work into newsletter copy, plus support copyediting needs for stories published to LAist.com. This role has a Sunday through Thursday schedule.

You’ll know this position is for you if you love writing and sharpening news copy, collaborating with others, analyzing data and making data-informed decisions that exemplify strong journalistic standards and serve the regional audience.

In this role, you’ll report to the director of audience engagement and be a close collaborator with the newsroom’s managing editors.

We believe a strong organization includes employees from a range of backgrounds, with different skills, experiences, and passions. If you do not meet every job qualification but have some of these skills and feel you could be a good addition, we would like to hear from you. Please apply and tell us more about yourself.

Work Location: Pasadena, CA | Hybrid

Expected Compensation Range: $38.53 – $41.88 /per hour. Exact hourly rate will be determined by experience and education related to the role, organizational compensation structure, geographical location and internal equity.

Application Process: Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

Application Deadline: Open until filled.

Your Responsibilities:
• Regularly write and edit LAist’s daily L.A. Report newsletter, plus contribute to weekly newsletter products that cover a range of topics, including education and L.A. arts and culture.
• Support dot-com copyediting and homepage needs for the newsroom.
• Help develop newsletter strategies that will help grow a loyal email and digital audience for LAist.
• Work with membership, events and marketing teams to create cohesive storytelling across the organization within newsletters, furthering the brand and mission.
• Collaborate with producers, reporters, editors and external media partners on coverage.
• Play a role in keeping the newsroom on track to meet audience growth goals.
• Assist with planning story coverage for LAist, especially as it relates to writing for LAist newsletters.
• Bring fresh ideas to make content easily accessible for audiences on and off platform.
• Use analytics (e.g. click-through, open rates, LAist.com traffic insights, etc) to make data-informed decisions that help grow newsletter engagement.
• Uphold the organization’s editorial standards, voice, and style on all digital platforms.
• Understand and deploy our promise to practice diversity, equity and inclusion in how we assign, report, edit, produce and distribute our journalism.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Education and Experience
• Bachelor's degree, or equivalent work experience
• 5 years’ experience in digital journalism, social media engagement and/or content production

Required Skills
, Knowledge and Abilities:
• Experience as a journalist
• Experience writing and editing newsletters
• Strong news judgment and an interest in local and regional news
• Outstanding writing skills, particularly for digital platforms — we expect to see writing samples.
• Ability to tell stories in different ways on different platforms.
• An understanding of social media, particularly LinkedIn and its newsletter functionality
• Broad knowledge of digital storytelling tools and trends
• Ability to work collaboratively and effectively with colleagues in multiple departments/divisions
• Knowledge and fluency with AP style and usage
• Advanced knowledge of SEO, particularly for headlines and newsletter subject lines
• Ability to use analytics to drive decision-making
• Experience working with content management systems

Preferred Skills
and Experience:
• Familiarity with Salesforce Marketing Cloud and StoryPorts
• Ability to work with changing deadlines and in a fast-paced environment
• Basic knowledge of HTML/CSS

Reporting to this Position: None

Physical Demands and Working Conditions:
• Must be able to work shifts in the early morning or late evening hours, as necessary for breaking news.
• Must be able to perform the essential duties of the position.
• Physical Demands:
• Required to move about in an office environment and sit for extended periods of time.
• Required to move about in the community.
• Required to occasionally attend and/or table at owned events, partner events, and community engagement opportunities.
• Working Conditions:
• Moderate noise level
• Occasional exposure to prevalent weather conditions.

APMG offers a comprehensive benefits package including Medical plans with HSA and FSA options, Dental, Vision, Life and AD&D, Short-Term and Long-Term Disability, Paid Parental Leave and Paid Caregiver Leave after 1 year, Vacation (3 wks./per year, pro-rated, based on hours worked), Sick time (12 days, pro-rated, based on hours worked), Holiday Pay (10 holidays 2 floating holidays each year), Volunteer Time (8 hours per year), Long-Term Care and Critical Illness insurance options, Employee Assistance Program, 403(b) Retirement Plan, and more.

Southern California Public Radio (LAist 89.3/LAist.com/LAist Studios) is diverse in race, ethnicity, language, culture, social class, national origin, religious and political belief, age, ability, gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation in addition to other markers protected by law.

At SCPR, we strive to create an inclusive environment where we all feel pride in who we are and what we do. We are encouraged to show up as we are – always embracing and recognizing that our diversity is what brings us together. Our fundamental commitment to diversity:
• Enriches SCPR and provides an atmosphere in which all human potential is valued
• Promotes learning through interactions among people of different backgrounds and many perspectives, and
• Enables the organization to prepare all employees to promote social responsibility, equity, freedom, and productive citizenship in a global society

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We are committed to hiring a breadth of diverse professionals and encourage you to apply.