The Austin American-Statesman is seeking a champion digital journalist to cover Texas A&M athletics for statesman.com.
The ideal candidate will have a track record of creating diverse coverage portfolios that show authority of topic, tactical proficiency of SEO best practices and new-age reporting techniques on and off platform.
Candidates should be detail-oriented and strong collaborators. We want a writer raring to own and evolve coverage of Texas A&M, from breaking news to the latest audience trends and the most compelling stories on the beat. Growing readership is the mission. As a result, beat focus will be malleable from season to season but generally focus on football, basketball, recruiting and any high-interest topic de jour.
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This is a full-time hourly position. Night and weekend work is a requirement during peak sports seasons. Writer will focus on Texas A&M and reside in College Station, Texas, but can be assigned to swarm other topics as needed.
Responsibilities:
- Own coverage of Texas A&M athletics on and off platform and be equally adept at delivering top-shelf enterprise, breaking news and SEO-focused content that anticipates audience needs for maximum impact.
- Build a robust network of sources and become the mandatory source for Aggies news and information.
- Monitor SEO trends and master engagement best practices to pinpoint readership needs and deliver with maximum proficiency.
- Track daily progress to goals using metrics software (Parse.ly) and adjust beat strategy to ensure sustainable growth year-round.
- Monitor sports conversations of Texas A&M, including on Reddit, TV, message boards and social media, to stay in tune with reader needs.
- Monitor new-age reporting techniques to evolve beat coverage year to year.
- Proactive collaboration with a robust SEC coverage team across the USA TODAY Network.
- Contribute to other needs and perform additional responsibilities as assigned.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's or master's degree in communications, journalism or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Track record for breaking news, authoritative writing/analysis, enterprise and investigative work.
- Track record for turning quick-strike trending news for maximum audience gains.
- Top-notch writing, editing and headline-writing skills.
- Proven experience in search engine optimization.
- Excellent news judgment.
- Excellent communication skills.
- Experience with advanced storytelling techniques on multiple platforms.
- Effective communicator; able to get along with diverse personalities.
- Able to multitask and excel under intense deadline pressure in a rapidly changing industry.
- Ability to act calmly and decisively in complex breaking news situations.
- Strong knowledge of AP style.
- Able to work early morning, night or weekend shifts.
HOW TO APPLY:
We are eager to learn more about you and how you fit this role. When you apply, don't limit your upload to a resume; show us what you've done. To do so, put together a single document file that includes the following, in this order:
1. Your resume - one to two pages.
2. A cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job.
3. Links to 3-6 online samples of your work. Show us what you've produced or had a hand in that best reflects what you can do in your desired role.
It is important that these items be assembled into a single document and uploaded in PDF format. Completing these steps will ensure that your application receives the highest consideration.
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