Assistant Editor and Writer, De Los (Temporary)

The Los Angeles Times is seeking a temporary line editor who will be responsible for assigning and editing staff and freelance stories for The Times' platform, De Los. The person in this role should expect to be editing most of the time, with some opportunities to write. 

De Los, through compelling narratives, social media and stunning visual display, brings to life the vibrancy of the U.S. Latino experience with a focus on culture and identity. This treasured space for Latino storytelling builds on the success of the Latinx Files newsletter, digital Día de Muertos altar and packages on the Chicano Moratorium, Fernandomania @ 40 and LA Vanguardia. The initiative is multi-platformed in approach, with rich visual storytelling, provocative commentary and live events. 

The ideal candidate should have experience editing internal and freelance writers for clarity, structure and tone as well as writing breaking news stories and news features. This editor has to be a nimble digital thinker skilled at editing breaking news, entertainment, cultural and music stories. They will work with De Los' editorial director and the design director to ideate, produce and execute on storytelling that will engage with the Latino community in Los Angeles and beyond. You can read some of the stories on De Los' homepage to get an idea of its coverage and distinct voice.

The editor will build freelance pieces in our content management system and should be comfortable communicating on Slack with various stakeholders, including art directors, writers and other editors. They may also have to make art and photo requests. 

This person will play a key role in the evolution of our initiatives to reach the Latino community through Instagram and TikTok, while focusing on executing on digital best practices across multiple platforms.

In this role you will:

• Work with the editors to stay on top of trending topics and assign and edit freelance and staff stories
• Collaborate with managers, the design team, fellow editors and social media strategists to evaluate which aspects of coverage are working best and to further the audience engagement direction for the L.A. Times Latino Initiatives
• Work with freelance writers and content creators on the storytelling while maintaining the team's overall mission
• Work with reporters on how best to present their stories in ways that will engage our readers
• Handle contract and production duties for freelance assignments authorized by editorial management
• Provide support to other areas of the digital publishing world, including social media, audience analytics and community engagement
• Collaborate with editorial staff, including photo, design and copy desks, to produce stories on all platforms
• Use designated tools, such as an authorized CMS, to clearly communicate editorial coverage plans in a clear and timely manner
• Offer guidance to staff on conceptualizing, reporting and writing content to ensure quality, accuracy and fairness
• Provide timely verbal feedback and coaching to staff

Requirements:

• At least 10 years of experience writing with at least two years of editing in a professional newsroom setting
• A deep understanding of the Latino community
• An understanding of audience data and analytics and a track record of using data to make informed decisions 
• Versatility in working across different social media platforms and different mediums including words, images, videos and gifs
• Proven ability to edit for a digital audience and an understanding of the tone and language that resonates online
• Skilled at editing copy with a conversational tone, balancing the writer’s voice with clarity and sensitivity needs
• Excellent time-management skills
• Ability to work effectively in a team environment
• High energy and enthusiasm for journalism and visual storytelling
• Ability to work on a tight deadline
• Skilled at writing off the news quickly and crafting news features 
• Positive self-starter capable of performing under pressure and making good decisions
• Proficiency in Spanish is a plus

This full-time, temporary position is expected to start in January or February and last six months. It will be based in El Segundo, Calif. Occasional night and weekend work is possible. 

Qualified applicants should upload a resume, cover letter and portfolio to Editorial Director Fidel Martinez. For your cover letter, select a story you edited, hyperlink, and, in brief terms, share how you made it better. Please also include desired skills, qualities and characteristics that tell us more about you as a leader. You should also include samples of editing work/applicable clips.

The L.A. Times is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all qualified applicants regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We actively work to create an inclusive environment where all of our employees can thrive. This Privacy Notice for Los Angeles Times sets forth how we will use the information we obtain when you apply for a position with us. Explore our company history, achievement, values, mission and more on our career site. 
 
The pay scale the Company reasonably expects to pay for this position at the time of the posting is $52.43 to $56.36 and takes into account a wide range of factors including but not limited to skill set, experience, training, licenses, certifications, and other business or organizational needs. Compensation will be determined based on the above factors along with the requirements of the position. At the L.A. Times, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for the role. Please visit our career site to view the benefits available to our employees. We recommend adding our applicant tracking system domain (@dayforce.com) as a safe sender or contact, sometimes these emails get filtered to candidates' spam folders.
 
The Company is a mandatory vaccination employer for COVID-19 and its variants. The Company requires that its employees be fully vaccinated as of their start date. If you require a medical or religious accommodation, we will engage in the interactive process with you. Proof of vaccination will be required prior to start. If we make you an offer and you are not yet vaccinated, we will accommodate a delay in start date.