California State Investigative Editor & Team Lead

NEWSWELL at Arizona State University; Sacramento (CA); On-site; USD 105,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) with match

Vacation time

Parental leave

Tuition reductions

Professional development

Cell phone reimbursement

Job summary

NEWSWELL at Arizona State University seeks a Senior State Investigative Reporter/Editor to lead high‑impact accountability journalism serving Western US newsrooms. This player/coach role edits projects, mentors a small team, and pursues complex public records work across California and the West.

You'll mentor colleagues, manage legal and safety risks, and drive audience engagement through innovative storytelling, data analysis, and diverse publishing formats.

Qualifications

• FOIA/OMA strategy, document analysis and source development with meticulous verification.
• Financial literacy to understand budgets, audits, pension disclosures and contracts.
• Solutions journalism with evidence standards; transparent limitations.
• Data reporting: spreadsheets, data cleaning and trend identification; charts/maps.
• Storytelling: distill complex information; strong organization across investigations.
• Digital fluency: SEO-aware writing and audience collaboration.
• Risk awareness for legal, safety and trauma-sensitive practices.
• Leadership and mentorship to guide reporters on ethics and craft.
• AP style proficiency; commitment to fairness and inclusion.

Responsibilities

• Conceive, develop and produce original investigative and accountability stories with measurable civic impact.
• Serve as first or second editor on projects; mentor local journalists.
• Integrate solutions journalism and audience engagement into workflows.
• Lead complex public records reporting and data-driven storytelling.
• Develop and protect sensitive sources; travel to assignments as needed.
• Collaborate with editors and impact producers to present stories across formats.
• Engage with communities at events; use multiple digital publishing formats.
• Pilot tools, including responsible AI, to enhance research and workflow.

Skills

Investigative reporting

FOIA/OMA

Public records

Data reporting

Leadership

AP style

SEO writing

Source development

Mentorship

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in journalism

Equivalent education/experience

Tools

SQL

R

Python

ArcGIS

QGIS

Job description

NEWSWELL at Arizona State University seeks a Senior State Investigative Reporter/Editor to lead high‑impact accountability journalism serving Western US newsrooms. This player/coach role edits projects, mentors a small team, and pursues complex public records work across California and the West.

You'll mentor colleagues, manage legal and safety risks, and drive audience engagement through innovative storytelling, data analysis, and diverse publishing formats.