Today Desk Team Leader

The Star Tribune is the Upper Midwest’s largest news organization, with audience numbers consistently in the top five in the country amongst regional and national peers. Building on an extraordinary legacy that includes seven Pulitzer Prizes and hundreds of other awards, the Star Tribune is an unrivaled force for journalistic excellence in Minnesota. It is also a company under transformation – realigning its core purpose for a new age of media consumption through innovative new partnerships, technology strategies, and a refreshed strategic direction. Our company has a new vision to create the leading model for local news in America – driving innovation in media to make every Minnesotan’s life better. We’re looking for dynamic leaders to help create that model. We’re excited to work with people who care about journalism and democracy and are eager to re-invent one of our state’s most trusted companies for a completely new era of growth that embraces new technologies and strategies for excellence.

Job Summary:

The Star Tribune is looking for aggressive, ambitious and creative editors to lead its Today Desk, a new department that will bring an added sense of urgency, collaboration and experimentation to the Star Tribune’s coverage of breaking and trending news, major events and issues.

Editors and reporters on the Today Desk will charge at stories that Minnesotans are talking about with a clear and simple mission: Put the needs of digital readers first. To that end, the Today Desk will be a standalone department with its own leadership, staff, mission and goals. It will work closely with the Audience, Photo, and Graphics teams, and collaborate with Metro, Sports, Business, and Features. It will also work with our colleagues in product and technology to develop new story formats focused on live and developing coverage.

Although some of the stories it produces may run in print, the needs of the newspaper will not dictate its day-to-day approach.

As an editor, you will work closely with reporters to identify the stories the Star Tribune will own every day. You will help keep readers continuously informed on breaking news with both live updates and audience-friendly entry points such as FAQs, explainers or other service pieces that help them understand what that news means. You will also keep a close eye on what our readers are talking about on search and social media, surfacing stories that will surprise, delight and engage our audience across our digital platforms.

Some essential qualities that would make you a good fit for this job:

Communicating and collaborating is built into your DNA.
You are comfortable leading and coaching reporters, helping them frame stories or approaches before/while they’re writing, not only after the story has been filed.
You thrive in breaking news situations, editing and posting quickly and working with reporters and other editors to update them throughout the day.
You are open to experimenting with different ways to tell stories across all our digital platforms.
You are creative and entrepreneurial; you spot engaging story ideas and angles that many of us - and especially our competitors - are missing.
You’re comfortable with analytics, SEO and other tools of a digital newsroom, and willing to use them to help sharpen and identify the coverage that serves readers.

Other Qualifications:

You have 3-5 years of experience editing stories on deadline, and an ability to quickly make complex topics understandable.
You’ve led a team of reporters or have other relevant managerial experience.
You have strong people skills and an ability to give and receive constructive feedback.
You have a curious, audience-focused mindset.
You can write headlines that entice readers and ensure that Star Tribune stories appear at or near the top of search results.
You like being a key part of a high energy team.
You are committed to coverage that represents and speaks to the breadth of Minnesota’s diversity.
You are a team player committed to creating an inclusive workplace.

Pay: Annual pay is $87,566, based on the Star Tribune’s Newspaper & Communications Guild contract.

To apply: Upload a resume and a memo outlining how you would approach the job, along with a link to your work portfolio.