News Editor, Public Safety and Health

Application instructions for this and all current OPB employment opportunities are available at OPB's careers page.

About OPB

OPB is a leader in public media, serving diverse communities of the Northwest with fact-based, in-depth news and information about politics, the environment, science, arts, history, and cultures; business, education and more. Powered by the generous support of members, OPB seeks out a variety of voices in our communities and lifts up authentic stories of the people, places, events and issues of the region, providing context and a deeper understanding. OPB’s independent journalism and programs are available at opb.org, on OPB Radio and OPB TV. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook. 

The Opportunity

Our news team is growing, and OPB is adding a Public Safety and Health News Editor to our editing team. The editor will oversee a team of up to four reporters whose beats cover public health, legal affairs, criminal justice and public safety. These beats overlap and are interconnected to our society's concerns related to equity as well as gaps in Oregon's social safety net. We're looking for someone with strong news judgment who understands the technical side of editing a story for both audio and digital audiences and can help reporters both execute specific stories and craft a broader vision for their beats. We understand that not every interested applicant will identify with our preferred knowledge, skills and abilities, and not every potential applicant will have supervisory experience. We're seeking candidates who have the drive and curiosity to take on a leadership role and dive deep into these subjects.   

Our newsroom includes —45 staff and works closely with other content teams to ensure OPB’s daily news digest reflects the stories and conversations of utmost importance in our region, Oregon and Southwest Washington. We believe in a collaborative coaching model of editing -- editors are expected to guide and support journalists through new projects, build beats and stories in partnership and prioritize their growth and development.

 In this role, you’ll have a supportive team of editors to collaborate with as you work through possibilities and ample opportunities to grow as a journalist and leader.  There's a lot of opportunity here and we'll lean on your expertise to bring an agreed upon strategy to fruition. To give you a sense of what that could look like, some of our editors are managing podcasts and long-term multiplatform storytelling while others execute key partnerships with news organizations in support of the topics they manage. If you are looking to work in an organization that is committed to and taking actionable steps to become the region's most trusted primary news source, we urge you to apply! 

Position Details

The Public Safety and Health News Editor leads OPB’s Public Health and Safety team, assigning and editing stories for reporters for the radio and web, planning and leading coverage of enterprise reporting and breaking news on health and safety beats, and ensuring OPB’s coverage sets the standard for our region. This position serves as a member of OPB’s news editing team and reports to the Vice President, News, Talk & Podcasts. This editor will edit newscast items, radio and digital features, magazine conversation scripts, and longer-term investigations and projects as part of their daily duties.

Your team comprises three beat reporters: public health, legal affairs, criminal justice, and public safety. We have put these beats on the same team as a recognition of their overlap and the need to report at their intersections through a lens of equity for all Oregonians.  The team's Northstar is unearthing, interrogating, and explaining the holes in the state’s social safety net and the possible solutions.

Supervises

The position plans, assigns, and approves work; responds to grievances, disciplines, and rewards, recommends hiring and hires; recommends salary adjustments; prepares and signs performance reviews; and leads project teams for up to four employees.

Responsibilities

90% - Supervise and edit a team of beat reporters covering public safety, public health and legal affairs.

Supervise and edit a team of beat reporters covering public safety, public health and legal affairs.

• Help reporters build beats and sources
• Provide strong guidance through stories from idea generation to final product
• Edit stories for radio and digital platforms, including newscast items, short web stories, enterprise and watchdog features and magazine conversations.
• Ensure OPB’s public safety, public health and legal affairs coverage is the regional leader in speed and substance by monitoring other sources and leading iterative reporting efforts when news breaks.
• Ensure that reporters adhere to editorial and ethics policies and maintain high journalistic standards to ensure that accuracy, thoroughness, and fairness are central characteristics of all content presented.
• Leads team in a way that fosters an environment of belonging and in which diverse backgrounds, experiences, ideas and work styles are valued. 
• Supports the growth and development of team members, offering coaching, recognition, and feedback to optimize performance and employee engagement. 
• Ensures team understands their work priorities, responsibilities and contributions and how they align with department goals, organizational strategies and mission.

5% - Represent OPB in public settings, both news-related (on air appearances on Think Out Loud®, newsmagazines) and for fundraising and member service purpose

5% - Other duties, as assigned.

Working Conditions

Most work is done Monday through Friday, though some evening and weekend work should be expected. Most work is done in an office, studio, or other indoor location, with extended working periods at a computer. Occasional local or regional travel is required to attend events and visit bureaus.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, or a related field, or equivalent combination of experience that provides the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities for this position.
• 1-year supervisory experience including leading and fostering a sense of belonging, guiding team through high-stress situations and supporting the growth and development of employee(s).
• Experience editing and covering daily and continuing hard news stories related to this team’s beats. 
• Demonstrated ability to meet daily deadlines.
• Exceptional time management, organizational and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to recognize a wide range of stories appropriate for OPB across radio and digital platforms.
• Ability to work with digital audio workstations and office computer software.
• Enthusiasm for the mission of OPB and for the role of public media in a changing journalism environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supervising a team of reporters. 
• Experience covering or editing topics related to social justice and social safety nets, particularly public health, public safety, criminal justice and legal affairs. 
• Experience using digital audio recording and editing equipment. 
• Experience editing reporters for radio or web.
• A voracious news consumer with a passion for journalism.
• Bilingual in English and another language, preferably one spoken in communities in the Pacific Northwest (for example, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese and Russian).

We know that this list of requirements is extensive and that people from underrepresented groups are sometimes less likely to apply if they don’t meet all the listed criteria. If you’re unsure of whether you’re qualified, please still apply! We want to meet you.

Additional Information

• This position reports to VP News, Talk and Podcast and is benefit eligible.
• The hiring range for this exempt position is between $78,000 and $92,000 annually, depending on qualifications.
• For the safety of our employees, the contractors/vendors we work with, and the public we serve, OPB has a mandatory COVID vaccination policy and all employees are required to show proof of vaccination.

How to Apply

For application instructions, please visit OPB's careers page. You will be asked to create an account, upload your resume and please upload your cover letter under "additional materials" In your cover letter, please tell us about why you are passionate about covering and editing beats at the intersection of public health, legal affairs, criminal justice and public safety in the Pacific NW region.

Once you click “submit” you cannot make changes to your application.

This position is open until filled.

OPB is an Equal Opportunity Employer.