Public Safety Coverage Editor

Advance Local; Portland (OR); On-site; USD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare benefits

401(k) plan

Generous paid time off

Paid parental leave

Flexible spending accounts

Job summary

Advance Local in Portland, Oregon is seeking an experienced editor to lead our Public Safety coverage. This role emphasizes high-impact accountability journalism, providing a chance to oversee fast-paced reporting as well as longer investigative pieces.

With a competitive salary ranging from $75,000 to $95,000, the ideal candidate will have 5+ years of newsroom experience and solid leadership skills. Join us to impact regional public discussions on crime and justice.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional newsroom experience with 3 years of leadership experience.
• Proven ability to coach journalists effectively.
• Experience managing multiple reporters and editors.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily and long-term investigative journalism.
• Coach reporters to enhance their work quality and storytelling.
• Set the standard for quick, accurate reporting.

Skills

Leadership

News judgment

Editing skills

Public records law understanding

Team management

Education

Bachelor's degree in journalism or communications

Job description

Job Description

Strengthening and empowering all of the communities we serve.

The Oregonian/OregonLive seeks an experienced editor to shape our Public Safety coverage, with an emphasis on high-impact accountability journalism and narrative storytelling. This editor should be able to elevate quick hits but also have the ambition to take on investigations and multipart series - and a keen sense of which stories will most benefit from more time and resources.

With a team of fast-moving breaking news reporters and proven investigators, this editor will have the opportunity to lead coverage that exposes policy and institutional failures, improves public understanding of crime and justice systems, and shapes the regional conversation.

The salary range for this position is $75,000 to $95,000 per year, depending on experience.

You’ll lead a talented mix of early-career and deeply experienced journalists, including supervisors who report directly to you. As the team's senior editor, you'll oversee our breaking news team editors and provide backup to ensure all-day coverage. You will also supervise senior public safety reporters directly, with a focus on daily and long-term investigations.

What you’ll be doing:

• Public Safety Oversight: Set the tone for fast, accurate, iterative coverage while directing resources toward some of the newsroom's most ambitious reporting.
• Steer enterprise and accountability: Coach reporters and editors to identify the stories that merit deeper digging and help them deliver long-term work with clear lines of effort and smart pacing.
• Elevate the journalism: Provide sharp editing that helps reporters' work shine and makes readers pay attention.
• Manage and develop people: Coach individual reporters (from new to veteran) to draw out their best work; provide direct feedback that improves reporting, writing, sourcing and story framing. Partner with the supervisors who report to you and help them become stronger managers.
• Champion experimentation: Encourage smart risk-taking in story forms, workflows and how we convey information to readers — including responsible, effective use of AI and emerging tools to improve our journalism and speed.
• Raise the bar on public safety coverage: Ensure our journalism reflects high standards, strong verification and a public-service mindset — especially in moments that matter most to readers.

Our ideal candidate will have the following:

• A bachelor’s degree in journalism or communications, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 5+ years of professional newsroom experience, with 3 years leadership experience supervising or leading others.
• Prior management experience with a track record of coaching journalists to do their best work.
• Demonstrated ability to edit both long-term enterprise and iterative breaking news — and to switch gears quickly.
• Strong news judgment and a clear sense for stories: what matters now, what will matter next, and what deserves more attention.
• Calm, confident leadership in fast-moving situations; high standards for accuracy, fairness and urgency.
• A strong understanding of public records law and data — and how they can elevate both breaking and enterprise coverage.
• Comfort experimenting with new tools and formats, including thoughtful use of AI and other emerging technologies.
• Experience managing other managers is a plus.

What success looks like:

• Readers get the first and best version of major breaking stories — and our coverage grows smarter, deeper and more useful as it iterates.
• Reporters and editors feel coached, challenged and supported, with clear expectations and real development.
• The team consistently generates enterprise that originates from beat knowledge and daily reporting.
• We identify and adopt best practices quickly, and we’re open to new ways of telling stories and delivering information.

Additional Information

Advance Local Media offers competitive pay and a comprehensive benefits package with affordable options for your healthcare including medical, dental and vision plans, mental health support options, flexible spending accounts, fertility assistance, a competitive 401(k) plan to help plan for your future, generous paid time off, paid parental and caregiver leave and an employee assistance program to support your work/life balance, optional legal assistance, life insurance options, as well as flexible holidays to honor cultural diversity.

Oregonian Media Group is a part of Advance Local Media, one of the largest media groups in the United States, which operates the leading news and information companies in more than 20 cities, reaching 52+ million people monthly with our quality, real-time journalism and community engagement. Our company is built upon the values of Integrity, Customer-first, Inclusiveness, Collaboration and Forward-looking. For more information about Advance Local, please visit www.advancelocal.com .

Oregonian Media Group is the most trusted source for news and information in Oregon and Southwest Washington. A digitally focused company, Oregonian Media Group provides content when and where readers want it - online, on smartphones and on tablets - through OREGONLIVE and a range of digital products. As the largest media company in the state, Oregonian Media Group is also advertisers' strongest media partner, with an innovative suite of products to help them connect with their best customers.

Advance Local Media is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, encouraging applications from people of all backgrounds. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or any other category protected under federal, state or local law.

If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please contact Human Resources and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

Advance Local Media does not provide sponsorship for work visas or employment authorization in the United States. Only candidates who are legally authorized to work in the U.S. will be considered for this position.