The Bay Area News Group -- which operates the Mercury News and East Bay Times online and in print -- has an immediate opening for an energetic reporter and exceptional story teller interested in joining our top-notch housing team, covering an issue that defines the Bay Area and shapes the lives of anyone who lives or works here. We're looking for someone who is passionate about a topic that has the attention of everyone in the region, whether they are newcomers or long-time residents, young or old, rich or poor, renters or homeowners. You should be an experienced self-starter with an affinity for data and an ability to mine sources for a steady stream of daily news coverage and deeper enterprise for online and print platforms. You should be equally comfortable working independently and as part of a team, collaborating with other reporters who cover housing, homelessness, home sales and commercial deals. You will be responsible for the Bay Area rental market, examining everything from how inflation and remote work affect prices to the plight of those at the lower end of the income scale in a market that offers them few options. You'll measure the successes and struggles of government-funded affordable houing programs, and take readers inside the substandard living spaces some Bay Area residents must occupy to get by. You should be adept at finding and telling the human stories of the housing crisis, an issue whose emotional center is at the core of life in the Bay Area. The successful candidate will have at least three years' experience in daily journalism and preferably prior experience writing about housing or real estate. Interested? Email your resume, 6-10 clips and a cover letter highlighting your vision for the job to newsjobs@bayareanewsgroup.com to convince us why you're the right person to join our housing team. Please put the words "housing job" in the subject line of your email.