Features Editor
The Press Democrat, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting, is seeking a veteran editor who can guide our news organization’s coverage of features journalism into the future by taking an innovative approach to on-platform and off-platform digital products while keeping our legacy print products colorful and vibrant.
Our Features Editor is part of the newsroom leadership team, coordinating with other editors on daily and long-term content planning while also managing food (both home cooking and restaurants), wine, entertainment, art, pop culture and gardening coverage.
The successful candidate will manage a team of five reporters and a network of freelancers to produce four standalone features sections each week. Additionally, this journalist will manage several special publications a year, working closely with a designer to plan, build, edit and closely proofread these publications, which include an end-of-year photography magazine and two special publications on wine.
The Press Democrat is a healthy, locally owned news organization that believes quality journalism is the foundation of our future. We offer a chance to live in one of the best places in California while growing your career at our family of publications, including opportunities to contribute to our award-winning Sonoma magazine.
Our news products enjoy some of the highest readership rates in California. To build on this foundation, the successful candidate will:
Be intensely digitally focused
Be supremely organized and able to plan daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal content
Enforce deadlines for reporters
Strengthen stories not only through sound organizational editing and encouraging reporters to dig deeper, but also through exploring alternative story forms and innovative digital approaches
Be adept at coaching writers to do their best work. This includes evaluating story ideas and coaching writers on journalistic principles and journalistic writing, including — when applicable — reworking stories for structure, clarity, brevity and reader engagement
Be familiar with the arts, entertainment, food, dining and wine scene in Sonoma County / Wine Country, or willing to learn
Know AP Style backward and forward
Be able to carefully proofread pages and special publications for style, design, photo choice and inaccuracies
Be able to collaborate with other editors, page designers, photographers and online content producers to ensure the best use of resources
Be able to manage experienced and inexperienced reporters alike with fairness, firmness and encouragement
Be resourceful, able to pivot or solve problems when content plans fall through
This position is based in Santa Rosa, an hour north of San Francisco, where vineyards give way to redwood forests and a scenic coast. The region, home to 650,000 people, is an international destination for tourists and produces some of the best food, wine and beer on the planet. Two colleges, along with thriving tech, farm, government and outdoor recreation sectors make this region of diverse communities an exciting and dynamic place to be a journalist.
The Press Democrat offers a competitive compensation plan, including medical, dental, vision and life insurance benefits, 410K and paid time off. Any job offer is conditional upon completion of a pre-employment background investigation.
To be considered, click "apply" or visit our company career page at www.sonomamediainvestments.com/jobs. Please include a cover letter describing how you would approach this position and ensure our features coverage is competitive with other news outlets, sophisticated and fun. Also, send up to six samples of superior work you have written or directly enhanced. This can include work on digital-only platforms.
The salary range is $75K - $95K, depending on experience.