Assistant Managing Editor

The Seattle Times, a family-owned news organization and one of the nation’s premier regional news sources, is hiring an Assistant Managing Editor to join our Pulitzer Prize-winning newsroom. This individual joins the senior leadership team and oversees local news coverage in one of the nation’s most dynamic cities.  

This position is one of the most critical in our newsroom, overseeing the Metro news operation. It requires someone with a rare mix of skills: thoughtful, decisive leadership; keen news judgment; a vision for coverage that yields vibrant conversation and results; the ability to edit fast-breaking news and in-depth projects; and a positive, team-building approach suited to a highly collaborative newsroom.

The Seattle area’s dynamic natural, political and business environment makes it a rewarding place to pursue deep, sophisticated journalism. A changing climate, affordability challenges and an increasingly diverse population give our journalists many avenues to explore. As an AME, you will be at the center of this coverage.

 

Responsibilities 

• Collaborate with the editor, managing editor and other senior leaders to guide the newsroom. In this key role, this AME will help shape the newsroom culture and provide counsel on budget, policy and coverage decisions.
• Provide leadership, administration and operational management of the Metro staff.  
• Supervise editors who plan, assign, edit and publish daily work.
• Help set news priorities and plan for newsroom-wide coverage that includes breaking news and major enterprise work.
• Help lead community funded reporting labs, including Education Lab, Project Homeless, Mental Health Project and Climate Lab. This includes editing quarterly reports and attending occasional funders meetings. There are no direct fundraising responsibilities.  
• Oversee the Metro staff’s ongoing transformation into an audience focused digital operation. This includes focusing on serving our online audience, publishing stories at optimal times and with digital-first headlines and SEO practices.
• Meet regularly with direct reports to guide their performance and offer coaching. This includes conducting annual appraisals and assistance with onboarding new hires. 
• Recruit and hire new reporters and editors, with an eye toward building a staff that represents the demographics of the larger community. 
• Be inclusive in coverage at every stage of the process from sourcing to how we frame stories to language and presentation, making sure stories fairly represent the rich cultural and political diversity of our region.   
• Collaborate with other departments in the newsroom including photo, design, graphics, business, sports, features and investigations. 
  
  
  

 

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: 8 years’ at a metropolitan daily media organization, including 4 years of supervisory experience. This should include experience managing other editors.
• Education: Undergraduate degree, or combination of related professional work experience. 
• Passionate editor who sets a high standard for yourself and those around you.
• Ability to analyze stories and make quick, informed judgments about newsworthiness, accuracy, fairness and libel under pressure and on deadline. 
• Proven skills with digital analytics. 
• Strong organizational skills and a proven ability to manage projects large and small.
• Strategic thinking, helping guide the newsroom, steer coverage, set news priorities and provide advice on personnel matters. 
• A collaborative nature.
• Must understand and uphold the standards, ethics and mission of journalism at The Seattle Times.
  
  
  

Schedule: Primarily Monday–Friday; occasional evenings and weekends may be required based on business needs.

Work Location: Hybrid position requiring regular weekly onsite presence.

Compensation: The full salary range for this job classification is $115,000 to $162,000. For this position, we expect to pay between $130,000 to $150,000 depending on experience and qualifications.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, 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 vacation accrual, increasing with tenure up to 20 days
• 10 days of annual sick accrual; unused sick pay accrues to an extended illness bank
• 9 paid holidays
• Monthly internet stipend for predominately remote employees
• Subsidized transit cards and parking costs
• Complimentary Seattle Times subscription
• Wellness program
• Fertility coverage (with lifetime limits) for eligible employees
• 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.