Assistant Editor

The Beaumont Enterprise seeks an enthusiastic and versatile Assistant Editor to serve in the No. 2 leadership position in its newsroom. The right candidate will serve as the most senior reporter in the newsroom, while also participating in digital efforts and filling in for the editor when necessary.

The Assistant Editor’s main duty will be to work with the editor to plan and execute in-depth coverage. But they also many edit stories, handle breaking news and help oversee a daily news operation that produces a daily paper, daily and weekly email newsletters, special sections and a website that sees hundreds of thousands of visits each month.

The ideal candidate will be a leader and a planner who knows how to strategize and execute a wide variety of content — from in-depth features to concise breaking news. In the digital-focused newsroom, hitting deadlines, writing SEO headlines, growing audience and driving social media engagement are key metrics. We need a mature, ambitious staff member who knows how to stay organized and juggle a number of short- and long-term assignments at once.

The assistant editor also is in charge of the newsroom when the editor is away, including some weekend and evening editing duties.

The Enterprise routinely is an award-winning publication that, more importantly, produces impactful journalism that captures the spirit of the community and serves its readers well.

Responsibilities can include (but are not limited to):

Write in-depth news articles on a variety of topics that show an understanding of our community and resonate with our readers.
Demonstrate sound editorial judgment, including an understanding of institutional guidelines on ethics, tone and subject matter.
Edit stories for clarity, accuracy, readability, content, style and grammar for the daily newspaper, website and magazines. When necessary, provide feedback to reporters and make suggestions on sources or additional facts needed for stories.
Aid in speaking to a targeted audience across newsletters, social media and the website.
Stay in tune with emerging digital trends and experiment rapidly in the digital space.
Be flexible in a changing, fast-paced environment and fill in for reporting vacancies as needed

Requirements:

Passionate about covering community news and being part of the community we serve.
Good communicator able to assist in fostering a strong newsroom mission and culture.
Must be able to thrive in a rapidly changing and uncharted media environment.
Availability to work some nights and weekends

Other requirements (if you don’t have these exact qualifications, tell me how what you do have makes up for it):

3 years of newsroom experience
Management experience
Experience with content management systems
Dexterity with a variety of social media platforms
Knowledge of AP style
Understanding of digital analytics
Must have a current driver’s license or the ability to get one

The Beaumont Enterprise is a daily newspaper in Southeast Texas that most recently won 56 awards from the Press Club of Southeast Texas’ annual contest. Beaumont is a place to grow with a team of committed journalists, who have covered everything from the explosion of a petrochemical plant to catastrophic storms and everything in-between.

Beaumont also is close to the Gulf of Mexico, along a river and between Houston and Louisiana.

The Enterprise, which is Southeast Texas’ oldest business, is a part of Hearst Communications, which notably has been investing in its properties while media companies across the nation have been cutting.

We understand the value of bringing everyone to the table, particularly individuals from traditionally underrepresented communities. As a result, the company has put together a series of goals to improve representation across departments and levels. Hence, we strongly encourage applications from people of marginalized communities.

Send resume and clips to kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com, subject line "Open assistant editor position"