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POLITICO

National Security Reporter

POLITICO, Arlington, VA


POLITICO is seeking a smart, aggressive reporter to cover national security strategy in Washington - ranging from the halls of Congress to the National Security Council.

We're looking for a strong reporter to help POLITICO readers navigate policy debates and political tensions surrounding the war in Ukraine, crises in the Middle East, threats from China and flashpoints around the world.

You'll focus on the intelligence committees on Capitol Hill, diplomatic communities, the National Security Council and elsewhere in the administration to get our audience inside the room with those weighing how the U.S. should engage with allies and adversaries.

The successful candidate will possess a passion for politics, a thirst for high-impact stories, strong writing skills and a drive to set the agenda in Washington. You'll have a track record of delivering scoops and enterprise reporting in a fast-paced daily newsroom.

You'll join a team of enterprising and hard-charging reporters covering the Intelligence Community, foreign policy, the Pentagon and cybersecurity.

Your work will appear across all POLITICO platforms, including politico.com, the POLITICO Pro subscription service and our must-read newsletters - both in the U.S. and Europe.

What You'll Need:

  • An excellent grasp of national security policy and politics
  • An ability to build and manage sources on a competitive beat
  • Established ability to write clearly and accurately on deadline
  • Proven ability to break news and handle a demanding, fast-moving reporting job
  • Skill in identifying conceptual scoops that stand out from the daily report
  • To apply: Submit a cover letter, resume and 3-5 clips (as PDFs) via the POLITICO jobs portal.


We are driven by our values. We are relentless contributors, disruptors of the status quo, collaborators, talent cultivators and DEI stewards. Our culture is defined by grit, total integrity and a prioritization on innovation.

We value our people. We offer a competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits package, including health and wellness benefits, commuter and cell phone reimbursements, retirement plans, as well as work-life balance flexibility and opportunities for career development. Click here for more on what we offer and what it's like to work for POLITICO.

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The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)