Local Politics & Government Editor

Full Time Job
HOUSTON POLITICS & GOVERNMENT EDITOR

Whether it's Houston City Hall, the Harris County government center or any number of arcane government bodies operating throughout the city, county and state, the Local Politics & Government Team explains how what happens in the corridors of power impacts readers' daily lives. If you want to deploy a variety of storytelling approaches to grow the reach of trusted government coverage at a time when the public desperately needs it, this is a prime opportunity to do so at Texas' leading news brand.

The Houston Chronicle – named the state's best news organization by the Texas Managing Editors five years running – is seeking a hard-charging politics and government editor who will oversee a six-person team of journalists covering City Hall, Harris County, campaign finance and contracts, and transportation.

What will you do?
• Shape and lead our coverage of city and county politics, and public policy, with an eagerness to jump on breaking news and the ability to shape enterprise

• Craft and edit coverage through a wide range of story forms (quick-hits, explainers, live blogs, explainers, long-form storytelling)

• Develop beat reporting that is audience-centered and cultivates sourcing, obtains public records and delivers scoops. Develop the talents of staffers, offering constructive criticism of their work and doing evaluations of reporters and editors

• Coordinate daily with reporters in the field to ensure we produce useful content that Houstonians can't get anywhere else

• Work collaboratively with other Chronicle team leaders (including the Capitol Bureau editors), the visual team, the data team and the audience team to bring stories to life

• Identify stories not only by keeping tabs on meeting agendas, but also by spotting trending stories through social media and Google Trends

What will it take to be successful?

The government and politics editor, if not already familiar with the political landscape of our ''blue city in a red state,'' must work to get up to speed quickly, as this is an election year in Houston, including an open mayoral race as the existing mayor is term-limited. Technically, the city is a nonpartisan local government, but Democrats control the city council, often setting up political battles with the Republican-controlled Texas state government. We're looking for:
• A coach who can help team members juggle daily stories with short- and long-term enterprise

• A manager who understands that daily output results in more awareness of Chronicle journalism, thereby generating news tips and source relationships that lead to deeper stories

• A detail-oriented, hyper-organized planner who is eager to schedule the team's journalistic output days and weeks in advance.

• A journalist familiar with best practices on headline writing, audience planning and social media, knowing that these are key ingredients to getting eyeballs on great journalism

• A journalist who understands coverage of election cycles, including issue-oriented coverage of candidates and following the money that's behind their campaigns

• A journalist passionate about holding power to account, whether that's through shepherding stories about campaign donations to voting rights

Basic Qualifications::
• Have at least 10 years of experience as a senior reporter and/or editor. Knowledge of Houston and Harris County politics is preferred, but not required. (Experience with politics and government in another city, if not Houston, is strongly preferred)

• Be detail-oriented with a proven ability to effectively juggle multiple tasks in a deadline-driven environment

• Deeply understand journalism ethics and legal standards, and an openness to learn and adapt as language changes

• Ability to translate complicated subjects into clear, conversational copy

• Strong communication skills and a collaborative approach to working with colleagues

About the Houston Chronicle:

The Houston Chronicle serves Houston's 2.3 million residents - as well as all of Texas - with content and marketing solutions across two of Houston's largest websites, HoustonChronicle.com and Chron.com, along with our newspaper and magazine brands. The content and innovative business solutions we provide invite readers to join conversations about communities we've been helping prosper for more than 120 years.

About Hearst Newspapers:

With 2,500 employees across the nation, HNP encompasses a network of 24 daily and 52 weekly publications, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News and Albany Times Union, several top digital-only news and lifestyle sites, marketing services businesses, and entertainment businesses such as King Features Syndicate.

At HNP, we are investing in new and innovative ways to tell stories – growing newsrooms, diversifying tools, evolving platforms – to support the millions of people who trust us each month to help them make decisions, take action and be inspired.

Be a part of something bigger – your headline awaits.

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