News Producer (Temporary) - The Seattle Times

As a News Producer (Temporary), you will develop, edit and format stories for Seattle Times digital products with an emphasis on audience engagement. You’ll help promote stories through best practices and experimenting with innovative new ideas. This individual is a core member of our digital audience team and plays a crucial role in maintaining our connections with readers as well as drawing in new ones. Day-to-day work is split between the fast-paced role of managing our homepage and less structured time to work on big-picture, strategic projects geared toward growing our audience. The right person for this role appreciates balance between fast-paced work and slower, more abstract problem-solving. This is a five-month temporary position that runs from March 1 - Aug. 3.

Other qualities include: Expertise in web and mobile analytics, strong communication skills (both online and in-person), loves problem-solving, champions diversity, equity and inclusion in coverage, and exhibits nimbleness, diplomacy, productivity, news judgment, sensitivity and taste.

Schedule: Weekend, evening and holiday work required. Shifts are typically 12:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.

Responsibilities

• Curating and producing the seattletimes.com homepage and other parts of the website. 
• Sending news alerts, including email, desktop and mobile push notifications. 
• Posting Seattle Times stories to social media and engaging with readers. 
• Monitoring trends and readership analytics in real time and providing the newsroom with relevant information on SEO, trending topics and follow-up stories based on trending/breaking news
• Supporting accurate and timely updates and info during breaking news. This could include a range of responsibilities, including contributing to live updates or providing SEO advice to editors. 
• Endorsing and supporting efforts to provide inclusive coverage to reach our audiences.  
• Considering and suggesting ways to include voices from under-represented communities.  
• Working closely with all departments across the newsroom on story planning and promotion. 
• Participating in discussions of newsroom digital and social media strategies. 
• Strategizing and implementing the adoption of digital best practices across the newsroom. 

Qualifications

We are committed to diversity and creating an inclusive newsroom and encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply. If your profile doesn’t match this job description exactly, you may still be a candidate for this position. Please let us know how your skills and experience relate to the role and its objectives.  

• Experience: At least one year of professional experience preferred in a related digital production position (website management/production, audience engagement, social media specialist, content management) role for a newsgathering organization.  
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in journalism/communication or related field, or relevant equivalent experience.  
• Previous professional experience working in digital news media.
• Strong knowledge of AP style, with good grammar and language skills and solid news judgment.  
• Ability to thrive in high-pressure situations when big news hits and deadlines are tight.  
• Familiarity with tools for web publishing and analytics, such as WordPress, Chartbeat, Google Analytics or Marfeel.
• Demonstrate an understanding of how to use digital analytics to inform news judgment and strategy and engage audiences.
• Have some knowledge of, or expertise in, best practices in SEO headline writing.
• Able to analyze facts and make judgments about relevance, newsworthiness, fairness, etc., under pressure and on deadline.
• Comfortable working within a variety of social media platforms including, but not limited to, Facebook, Instagram, X, BlueSky.  
• Native-level fluency with the web, social media savvy and a deep understanding of how people consume information on multiple devices and platforms.
• Be collaborative and team-oriented and able to work across departments to get things done. 
• Possess cultural competence and awareness of best practices related to inclusive journalism. 
• Must understand and uphold the standards, ethics and mission of journalism at The Seattle Times.

Compensation:The full salary range for this position is $59,160 to $69,360.

Benefits:

• Medical, dental, vision, and long-term disability insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Optional life and AD&D insurance and long-term care insurance
• 401(k) plan with employer match
• 10 days of annual sick accrual; unused sick pay accrues to an extended illness bank
• Internet stipend for predominately remote employees
• Subsidized transit cards
• Complimentary Seattle Times subscription
• Wellness program
• Parental leave options

Founded in 1896, The Seattle Times continues its tradition as a family-owned, Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper that cuts through the clutter and provides readers with timely, relevant news. We serve the Pacific Northwest with thoughtful, independent journalism that makes a real difference in our community. And as a media solutions company, we combine cutting-edge digital capabilities and service with the values and integrity of respected traditional media… with an established audience of 1.9 million. At The Seattle Times, you'll find work that matters.

If you need assistance to accommodate a disability, please contact Human Resources at careers@seattletimes.com and provide a description of the reasonable accommodation(s) needed.

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