Job Details
About Lookout Santa Cruz: Lookout Santa Cruz, a modern, community-centric, mobile-first, digital news source dedicated to delivering high-quality, trustworthy, and non-partisan local news and information. Our standards are high, as shown by our 2024 Pulitzer Prize win for Breaking News. Our mission to foster greater citizen knowledge and participation within the community through robust journalism is succeeding.
Our expanding newsroom team of 10 covers the county deeply and widely, with connect-the-dots, timely local news reporting and an evolving set of useful information.
We built Lookout Local to be a model, and one that can rebuild local news in communities well beyond Santa Cruz. We now expand our innovative model with Lookout Eugene-Springfield, the first step as we move forward with wider expansion in 2026-2027.
Due to a medical leave, we now have opened a key position of interim managing editor, one who can continue to grow our newsroom and shape our reader-centric news products.
Position Overview: Applying and growing the Lookout Local journalism model, the Managing Editor shapes the daily and weekly reports, from working through daily assignments to refining stories to editing, producing a robust set of content that readers now depend upon. Lookout produces multiple news and information products, including newsletters and alerts, and the managing editors job is to keep them all rolling at a high level of excellence and timeliness. We base our revival of local journalism on our ability to produce excellence every day, and through the day, serving readers evolving needs with a wide range of meaningful and local/personal journalism.
The editor leads an established, collegial team of skilled, diverse and experienced journalists. This role requires a demonstrated leader who excels in creating a culture of excellence and collaboration. The ideal candidate will be adept with current and emerging digital tools, and will work closely with the business group to form a cohesive team that meets the needs of readers and the diverse communities served.
The Managing Editor reports to Lookout Locals CEO.
Responsibilities:
Leadership and Team Management:
- Manages a newsroom of skilled journalists, maintaining and growing editorial excellence and range.
- Mentor and develop journalistic talent, ensuring high standards of reporting and storytelling.
- Editorial Direction:
- Ensure the production of high-quality, engaging, and reader-centric news and information products.
- Direct an aggressive editorial calendar and content planning that meets both reader and business objectives.
Digital Expertise:
- Eagerly apply current digital tools, and partner emerging technologies that grow our impact in news delivery and reader engagement.
- Drive innovation in digital storytelling, ensuring content is optimized for various platforms and devices.
- Include video and audio storytelling alongside text, as reader relevant.
- Collaboration with Business Side:
- Partner with the publisher and business team to align editorial and business goals.
- Work collaboratively to create products and initiatives that meet the needs of readers and support business objectives.
Community Engagement:
- Engage with the community to understand their needs and interests, ensuring the newsrooms work reflects and serves the community.
- Represent Lookout Eugene-Springfield at public events and forums, building strong relationships with community members.
Editorial Integrity and Standards:
- Uphold the highest standards of journalistic integrity and ethics.
- Ensure all content is accurate, fair, and non-partisan.
Qualifications:
- Proven significant leadership experience in a similar role within a news or media organization.
- Strong background in digital journalism and familiarity with current digital tools and platforms.
- Excellent editorial judgment and storytelling skills.
- Demonstrated ability to create and sustain a collaborative, high-performing newsroom culture.
- Experience working closely with business teams to align editorial and business strategies.
- Passion for Lookouts mission and a deepening understanding of local community needs.
- Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
What We Offer:
- Competitive salary and performance-based incentives.
- Full-time benefits include highly competitive medical, dental, and optical benefits, and 401(k) with matching.
- Good PTO allowances
- An opportunity to make a significant impact on the revival of local journalism.
- A collaborative and mission-driven work environment.
Application Process: Please send your resume and cover letter to ...@lookoutlocal.com and put Santa Cruz, Managing Editor in the subject line.
Equal Opportunity Employer: Lookout Local, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.
Join us at Lookout and be a part of our mission to provide vital local journalism to the communities we serve!