Immigration Reporter

ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.

We are seeking an experienced journalist with a track record of and passion for producing powerful immigration investigative projects. We’re looking for someone brimming with ideas for stories that expose the myriad harms caused by the country’s dysfunctional immigration system and the distorted political debate that stands in the way of meaningful reform. Our previous coverage has examined the political machine funneling billions to the southern border, investigated the dangerous working conditions immigrants encounter across the country, and exposed the real world impacts of failed federal policies and the children caught within them.

Applicants should have a demonstrated ability to execute rolling investigations and narrative deep dives. They will have an impressive array of sources who they can turn to for help penetrating agencies and making sense of laws and policies. They will have successfully navigated the challenges of gaining the trust of undocumented immigrants and will have shown that they use best practices for trauma reporting.

We’re looking for a journalist who has worked closely with data, engagement and visual reporting teams; one who deeply understands and embraces ProPublica’s accountability mission; someone whose deep knowledge of the beat and sound news judgment will help guide and elevate immigration reporting across our growing newsroom. Ideally, though not required, the candidate will have editing and management experience and interest in working as a player-coach on the immigration team.

We’re looking for someone who:

Has at least five years’ experience in accountability reporting focused on immigration.
Aches to report immigration stories that are both important and powerfully told and has a vision for how they’d approach that coverage at ProPublica.
Brings an accountability lens to the issues of the day through quicker stories reported over a couple of weeks and longer projects that you’d dig into for a few months (or more).
Enjoys and excels at collaborating. ProPublica has built award-winning data, research, visual, engagement and news applications teams. And we routinely partner with national and local newsrooms across the country. Strong communication and coordination skills are key!
Has exceptional organizational skills and the ability to juggle many responsibilities, meet deadlines and handle pressure while remaining calm.
Thinks creatively about different types of investigative storytelling, including rolling investigations, traditional investigative projects, narratives and multimedia formats.
A desire to learn (or experience in) how to provide coaching, guidance and project feedback to colleagues to elevate story ideas and projects.

The expected salary range for this position is $100,000 to $175,000.

This is a good faith estimate of what we expect to pay for this position. The final salary figure will take into account a person’s experience, accomplishments and location. ProPublica is committed to paying its staff equitably, and these ranges should not be considered career salary limits or caps.

The role is full time and includes benefits. We are open to remote candidates for this position.

What you should send us:

The most important part by far is your past work. We’d like to see examples of projects that show how you work. Specifically send us the investigative stories you’ve written or led that you are most proud of. Don’t be shy: Tell us what worked (numbers and evidence of impact are welcome) and how you’d do it differently next time. Show us how you think.
Your resume.

We will begin reviewing applications as we receive them, but we will continue to consider candidates as long as the posting remains live on our site.

Questions? Send them to talent@propublica.org or reach out to Assistant Managing Editor Talia Buford.

We know there are great candidates who may not fit into what we’ve described above or who have important skills we haven’t thought of. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself.

We are dedicated to improving our newsroom, in part by better reflecting the people we cover. (Here is a breakdown of our staff.) We are committed to diversity and building an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and ages. And we are taking steps to meet that commitment. We especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities. We are an equal opportunity employer and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age or any other status protected under applicable law.