State Editor (Temporary)

The Los Angeles Times is looking for an experienced editor to help run our state coverage. The position will be based in the Bay Area or Sacramento and is part of an effort to expand our coverage outside Southern California.

The successful candidate should have a deep knowledge of Northern and Central California and the issues we need to be covering. The editor will have a team of reporters in the region but will also develop a larger coverage strategy that could include collaborations, partnerships and development of a limited number of freelance contributions. We are looking for someone with journalistic vision and a strategic mindset who can help grow the business.

This editor will handle a mix of breaking news, features and more longer-term reporting. Responsibilities will range from anchoring major breaking news stories in the region and running days-long coverage on major stories to editing and developing project and series ideas. The editor will also be expected to help reporters come up with and edit strong investigative stories and projects.

• Assign and edit coverage; ensure that reporting is attentive to detail, consistently accurate, delivered with high quality under constant deadlines and edited to conform with accepted journalistic techniques, ethical standards and the style of the publication
• Work with fellow Metro leaders to set a strategic course for the department that prioritizes digital development, grows audience, readership and digital subscriptions and fulfills current company goals
• Apply creativity to story generation, visual element generation and the presentation of news and information in the most relevant, interesting way
• Supervise a team of reporters; help hire and assign reporters for and to appropriate beats; work with other editors to schedule staffers
• Ensure that the department meets digital and print production deadlines and maintains ideal story flow
• Complete administrative tasks such as timecard approval and absence requests for direct reports in Dayforce
• Other duties as assigned

• A minimum of 10 years of journalism experience
• Ability to foster excellent communication with peers, supervisors and the newsroom
• Ability to navigate digital platforms and stay on top of current events
• Proven ability to work well in a team setting and juggle multiple tasks in a deadline-driven environment
• Excellent skills in line editing, combining strong news judgment, fluency in style and deep knowledge of taste and legal considerations; understanding the importance of accuracy and precision
• A nuanced understanding of audience data and analytics and a track record of using data to make informed decisions on coverage
• An ethical and inclusive approach in the workplace that promotes collaboration
• An excellent team player and effective communicator who's able to work comfortably with a wide variety of personalities and skill levels and across departments
• Versatility and adaptability, working not just across production platforms but also across subject areas