Education Lab Reporter

Society of Professional Journalists; Seattle, Northern (WA, KY); Hybrid; USD 62,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) plan

Paid vacation

Remote stipend

Wellness program

Job summary

The Seattle Times is hiring an Education Lab Reporter focused on early childhood and elementary education. You’ll report on equity in education, costs for families, and policy impacts, with strong storytelling and data skills.

We seek a reporter with at least four years of experience, a college degree, and the ability to cover state, local, and federal education issues while collaborating with a dedicated team and engaging with the community.

Qualifications

• Four years minimum reporting experience, preferably in a metropolitan daily newspaper.
• Experience covering education and understanding education policies at multiple levels.
• Commitment to equity in storytelling and sourcing.

Responsibilities

• Be curious and develop a diverse story list on education issues.
• Use empathetic interview techniques and write with authority.
• File public records requests and analyze databases for story ideas.
• Collaborate with photographers and designers to illustrate stories.
• Pitch solutions stories and engage with the community.
• Demonstrate strong ethics and digital-first reporting when needed.

Skills

Education reporting

Interview techniques

Data analysis

Public records requests

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

The Seattle Times, a family-owned news organization and one of the nation’s premier regional news sources, is looking to hire an Education Lab Reporter. This reporter will focus on early childhood education and elementary education. Education Lab is a team focused on equity journalism from early childhood to post-secondary that is financially supported by local foundations and other groups. It combines in-depth reporting with an ambitious community engagement effort. This reporter will join a dedicated team that has been an industry leader for more than a decade. We’re looking for an experienced journalist who can dig into the full range of childcare and early childhood education issues, including equitable access and how families are grappling with costs and other challenges of caring for their young children. We want to identify promising solutions and explore what roles governments and the private sector can play in preparing children for their futures. We also want a reporter who can deftly handle the intersection of early childhood education with the traditional K-12 system, and break down policy debates into approachable and interesting stories. Successful candidates will have experience covering education systems, and a strong understanding of education trends, policies and challenges at the state, local and federal level. We are looking for a collaborative reporter who can help the team cover the most pressing education issues of our time.

Responsibilities

• Be curious and widely read about education issues, and be ready with a diverse, ever-growing story list that mixes daily stories with longer-term enterprise and watchdog pieces.
• Use good, empathetic interview techniques to gain a better understanding of your story and the people in it.
• Write with authority based on understanding of your subject matter. Show your excellent command of language, and self-edit for crisp, clean copy.
• Be comfortable filing public records requests and flexing your investigative muscles on a daily basis.
• Analyze databases to find your own story ideas.
• Work closely with photographers and graphic artists to illustrate your stories.
• Pitch solutions stories that interrogate responses to problems.
• Make engagement part of your reporting. We want your creative ideas for how we can better interact with our community.
• Be a good team member. We pride ourselves on trusting and supporting each other and being flexible during unexpected moments of need.
• Model unimpeachable ethics and standards.
• Master new digital tools and write with a digital-first approach when warranted. (i.e., writing iteratively in breaking-news situations.)
• Demonstrate a commitment to equity and inclusion in story choice, sourcing and framing.
• Contribute to coverage of major breaking news and larger newsroom initiatives. Participate in a staff rotation covering occasional weekend and holiday breaking news shifts.

Qualifications

• Experience: A minimum of four years’ reporting experience, preferably at a metropolitan daily news organization. You should have at least a year with a specific emphasis on education or state and federal government.
• Education: College graduate or equivalent combination of education and experience.

We are committed to diversity and creating an inclusive newsroom and encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply If your profile does not match this job description exactly, you may still be a candidate for this position. Please let us know how your skills and experience relate to the role and its objectives in your Cover Letter.

Preferred skills

• You should be able to read education research and quickly separate the wheat from the chaff.
• It is our job to reach underserved communities, many of which include immigrants. Fluency in a language other than English is an advantage.

Compensation

The full salary range for this position is $62,425 to $104,700. We typically pay between $62,425 to $85,000, depending on experience and qualifications.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, and long-term disability insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Optional life and AD&D insurance and long-term care insurance
• 401(k) plan with employer match
• 10 days of annual vacation accrual, increasing with tenure up to 20 days
• 10 days of annual sick accrual; unused sick pay accrues to an extended illness bank
• 9 paid holidays
• Monthly internet stipend for predominately remote employees
• Subsidized transit cards and parking costs
• Complimentary Seattle Times subscription
• Wellness program
• Fertility coverage (with lifetime limits) for eligible employees
• Parental leave options

Please Note

This position requires the successful completion of pre-employment assessments including a criminal background check, a drug screen (excluding cannabis), and a motor vehicle report once an offer has been made. This position requires that you have access to reliable transportation to respond to work assignments. If you opt to use a personal vehicle for transportation, you must be able to provide proof of a valid driver’s license and auto insurance meeting the company's liability limits prior to hire. Finally, please note that this is a union-represented position.

Founded in 1896, The Seattle Times continues its tradition as a family-owned, Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper that cuts through the clutter and provides readers with timely, relevant news. We serve the Pacific Northwest with thoughtful, independent journalism that makes a real difference in our community. And as a media solutions company, we combine cutting-edge digital capabilities and service with the values and integrity of respected traditional media… with an established audience of 1.9 million. At The Seattle Times, you'll find work that matters.

If you need assistance to accommodate a disability, please contact Human Resources at [e-mail] and provide a description of the reasonable accommodation(s) needed.