The San Francisco Standard seeks an experienced breaking news reporter/editor to join our fast-paced news team. This role requires someone who can quickly and accurately report on developing stories under tight deadlines. We are hiring on a five-month contract beginning in June, but contract employees are automatically considered for new staff roles in our fast-growing newsroom.

We are looking for a utility player comfortable serving as a reporter on some days and as an editor on others, tackling various subject material. This position will require evening work until 9 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The successful candidate will be a self-starter with excellent writing skills and news judgment, capable of working independently at times and collaboratively with others. You relish the adrenaline rush of breaking news, hopping on tips and leads and finding creative ways to stay ahead of the competition. You are capable of rewriting tasks and assembling feeds from multiple reporters into a coherent narrative. You also enjoy coaching other team members and helping them become better reporters and writers.

Responsibilities:

• Monitor wires, social media and other sources to stay on top of emerging local and regional news stories
• Be the first to report and write crisp, compelling headlines and leads on breaking news events
• Rewrite and synthesize background information and context into cohesive breaking news updates as more details emerge
• Bring fresh, buzzy ideas daily and be comfortable carrying out short-term enterprise stories
• Juggle multiple stories at once and pivot quickly between different topics and events
• Collaborate with photographers and videographers to obtain compelling visuals for online and print stories
• Work cooperatively with editors and producers on story placement and packaging across platforms
• Identify news angles, enterprise follow-up stories from breaking developments
• Edit the work of other reporters on evening or weekend shifts, both breaking news and short feature stories

Requirements:

• At least four years of experience editing/reporting/writing breaking news
• Demonstrated ability to produce clean, accurate copy under deadline pressure
• Proven track record of working in an analytics-driven digital newsroom environment
• Excellent news judgment and ability to set priorities
• Keen nose for finding news on social media and via other sources
• Thorough understanding of SEO principles and a knack for using data to make coverage decisions
• Ability to multitask and manage time effectively in a fast-paced environment
• Strong communication, collaboration and teamwork skills
• Strong command of AP style, journalistic ethics and libel law
• Bachelor's degree in journalism or related field preferred, or equivalent work experience

This is a high-pressure, high-reward position for someone passionate about breaking news. If you have the skills and experience, we want to hear from you.

This job requires in-office work and you must be based in the Bay Area.

For this role, we're considering candidates who are self-employed contractors and can commit to 40 hours weekly from May-September.

The pay range for this role is $1700 to $2400 weekly. Actual compensation packages are based on several factors unique to each candidate. We encourage you to apply even if you don't fit the preferred job qualifications.