Social Media Editor/Reporter

The Los Altos Town Crier of the California Bay Area is seeking a full time News Reporter/Social Media Editor to join our editorial team.

The successful candidate will have a dual role: They will be responsible for reporting general assignment breaking news and enterprise stories. When they are not writing impactful, timely stories, they will be in charge of creating and posting content on all LATC social media channels. This person will report to the Managing Editor and Editor in Chief.

As a reporter, you will be motivated to chase stories in one of the most tech-centric, affluent areas in the world. You can easily shift between breaking news and longer form, issue-based investigations. Experience covering city politics is a big plus.

Job responsibilities:

News Reporter (75% of work week):

Write accurate, timely, impactful stories for the people of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Mountain View

Procure art for your story, whether you take photos yourself or work with one of our freelance photographers

Report on a diverse range of topics and be able to juggle multiple deadlines at once

Be a cooperative and enthusiastic member of the newsroom

Social Media Editor (25% of work week):

Create visually consistent, informative posts for Instagram grid using Canva or InDesign

Produce (and potentially host) weekly reels covering the top stories of the week (see examples at instagram.com/losaltostowncrier)

Post articles to Facebook

Design content strategy to improve reach and engagement with the goal of courting new subscribers

Maintain a consistent message and voice across platforms

MUST HAVE SKILLS:

Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications or equivalent work experience

2+ years of experience in print media design/production

Excellent oral and written communication skills.

Strong command over English language + knowledge of AP style

Experience creating social media content + familiarity with different platforms

Enthusiasm for quality journalism

A willingness to be flexible to the needs of the newsroom

A desire to further the goals of the newsroom

IDEAL SKILLS

Adobe Premiere, Adobe Indesign and/or Adobe Photoshop

Experience creating engaging Instagram reels/TikToks

Experience managing a brand across social media platforms

Experience writing/compiling newsletters

BENEFITS/COMPENSATION:

Salary: $40,000 to $44,000

We pay 75% of health and dental insurance, you pay for dependents. Option available for vision

$25,000 life insurance

All federal holidays off

Week off between Christmas and New Years Day

16 days PTO after one year

401k option

Family-oriented atmosphere

To apply, please send a resume, cover letter and three writing clips to Managing Editor Jennah Pendleton at jennahp@latc.com. You may also include examples of social media content you’ve produced.

About the Los Altos Town Crier:

The Los Altos Town Crier is an award-winning print and digital newsroom with a circulation of 15,500 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Currently in our 77th year of operation, the Town Crier is beloved locally and recognized regionally for its excellent news coverage of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Mountain View. We pride ourselves on being an independent newspaper that still delivers impactful news to the doorsteps of thousands of people every week.