Morning News Producer Job at The Seattle Times in Seattle

The Seattle Times, a family-owned news organization and one of the nation’s premier regional news sources, is seeking a Morning Producer to join our team. As the Morning Producer, you will kickstart the morning news rush by promoting, formatting and curating content for Seattle Times digital platforms. This individual is a core member of our digital audience team and a key part of a highly collaborative group of morning journalists in this mission-critical, high-traffic shift. Day-to-day work is split between the fast-paced role of managing our homepage and less structured time to work on big-picture, strategic projects. The best person for this role will be a news hound who thrives on fast-paced work, has some experience curating news websites, and is excited by the daily challenge of trying to maximize our audience on every story.

Other qualities include: Expertise in web and mobile analytics, collaborative spirit, strong communication skills (both online and in-person), analytical problem-solving skills, champions diversity, equity and inclusion in coverage, and exhibits nimbleness and initiative, diplomacy, productivity, news judgment, sensitivity and taste.

Schedule: Early morning, weekend and some holiday work required. Shifts are typically 5:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.

Responsibilities

• Curate and produce the seattletimes.com homepage and other parts of the website using a mix of audience analytics and news judgment to make decisions.
• Send news alerts, including email, desktop and mobile push notifications.
• A/B test headlines and write SEO headlines to get maximum readership for all our stories.
• Post Seattle Times content to social media and moderate comments on seattletimes.com.
• Monitor trends and readership analytics in real time and provide the newsroom with relevant feedback.
• Support accurate and timely updates and information during breaking news. This could include a range of responsibilities, including contributing to live updates, providing SEO advice to editors, analyzing trending search terms or working with a team to optimize stories for the website and online readers.
• Endorse and support efforts to provide inclusive coverage to reach our audiences.
• Find, prepare and post wire stories to meet readers’ needs, particularly on weekends.
• Consider and suggest ways to include voices from under-represented communities.
• Work closely with all departments across the newsroom on story planning and promotion.
• Participate in discussions of newsroom digital and social media strategies.
• Strategize and implement the adoption of digital best practices across the newsroom, particularly through daily reinforcement of best practices on homepage headlines.

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: At least three years of professional experience preferred in a related digital production position (website management, audience engagement, social media specialist, content management) role for a news gathering organization.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in journalism/communication or related field, or relevant equivalent experience.
• Previous professional experience working in a digital news media role.
• Strong knowledge of AP style, with good grammar and language skills.
• Have expertise in best practices in SEO headline writing.
• Able to analyze facts and make judgments about relevance, newsworthiness, fairness, etc., under pressure and on deadline.
• Ability to thrive in high-pressure situations when big news hits and deadlines are tight.
• Familiarity with tools for web publishing and analytics, such as WordPress, Chartbeat, Google Analytics or Marfeel.
• Demonstrate a familiarity with and understanding of how to use digital analytics to inform news judgment and strategy and engage audiences.
• Comfortable working within a variety of social media platforms including, but not limited to, Facebook, Instagram, X, BlueSky.
• Internet fluency, social media savvy and a deep understanding of how people consume information across devices and platforms.
• Be collaborative and team-oriented and able to work across departments to get things done.
• Possess cultural competence and awareness of best practices related to inclusive journalism.
• Must understand and uphold the standards, ethics and mission of journalism at The Seattle Times.

Compensation: The full salary range for this position is $59,160 to $69,360.

Benefits:

• Medical, dental, vision, 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.
• Internet stipend for predominately remote employees.
• Subsidized transit cards.
• Complimentary Seattle Times subscription.
• Wellness program.
• Parental leave options.

Please note: As a union-represented position, you will be required to join a union and pay regular membership dues.

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.