Political Reporter

Job Summary

The San Francisco Standard, a leading Bay Area media outlet, is seeking an experienced journalist to join our team as a political reporter. In this pivotal role, you will be responsible for covering San Francisco's dynamic and evolving political landscape during a time of transformative change in the city.

This reporter will produce daily stories alongside in-depth features that explore the impact of politics, government and policy for readers in San Francisco and beyond. This is an exciting opportunity for an ambitious reporter to join a fast-paced and growing newsroom. If you have the experience, skills and drive to thrive in this role, we want to hear from you.

Responsibilities

• Pitch and report quick-turn news, medium-length enterprise stories, and in-depth features
• Develop and nurture strong contacts in City Hall, local and state politics and the broader community to generate scoops
• Stay on top of developments within key offices in the city Ideate and execute investigative stories probing problems and inefficiencies within local government and the activities of top officials
• Contribute regularly to Power Play, The Standard's semiweekly political newsletter
• Work collaboratively with editors, photographers, graphic designers and the video team to bring stories to life
• Represent the publication by occasionally attending relevant events, conferences or speaking engagements

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, or a related field or commensurate experience

• At least 3 years of experience reporting on government, politics or related topics

• Strong familiarity with San Francisco and key political and government figures

• Ability to cultivate sources and break news

• Excellent beat reporting skills

• Familiarity with campaign finance and the ability to spot news from filings Excellent interpersonal skills with a collaborative, enterprising and competitive spirit

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team

• Outstanding writing and editing abilities

• Ability to make granular topics accessible and compelling to readers Working knowledge of AP Style

• Proficiency in generating original story ideas and pitching editors successfully

• Excellent research and reporting skills

• Ability to meet deadlines

• Basic photography skills

• Data visualization and data analysis skills a plus

We are an in-office company and the role requires a physical presence in the Bay Area. This job may require occasional night and/or weekend work. We offer very competitive salaries and excellent benefits.

The pay range for this role is $110,000-170,000. Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate.