Directs news staff of twenty-six and has primary editorial responsibility for all digital and print products.

Digital First Media is committed to making digital news coverage the focus of newsroom efforts. As the senior editor at the newspaper, you will be responsible for leading the digital coverage while maintaining the quality of print in a changing environment.

We seek editors who use mobile and social media fluently, understand the value and techniques of community engagement and are committed to performing quality journalism on all platforms. Our editors embrace and understand their newsroom’s watchdog role. Our editors don’t see getting-it-right and getting-it-first as conflicting choices, but as dual imperatives guiding a newsroom that will work urgently and always stress accuracy and verification.

Duties (some of which will be delegated):

• Ultimate supervision responsibility for full news staff, including hiring, firing, discipline and performance appraisals.
• Manages budget, working with publisher and finance staff.
• Supervises daily operation producing news, feature, sports and opinion content for digital and print products.
• Coaches staff in digital skills as well as traditional journalism skills.
• Chairs editorial board.  Edits Opinion pages, including writing five editorials a week and selecting and editing letters to the editor and local op-ed columns (Marin Voices).
• Leads newsroom in Digital First approach to news coverage.
• Leads newsroom in engaging effectively with the community.
• Communicates priorities clearly to the newsroom.
• Through blog, column and social media, explains newsroom operations, practices and decisions to the community.
• Models and enforces standards of journalism ethics.
• Leads the transition to regional hub for print production.
• Coordinates with national Thunderdome newsroom in broader coverage matters.
• Collaborates with DFM colleagues in cluster, regional and national efforts.
• Collaborates with publisher and sales colleagues in local operational planning.

Reports to:

• DFM cluster editor (and ultimately to Editor-in-Chief Jim Brady) on all editorial matters.
• Publisher on all local operational and budget matters.

Candidates will be judged on the following criteria:

• Journalism achievements
• Digital skills, achievements and outlook
• Leadership experience and potential
• Community engagement experience and outlook
• Management ability and experience
• Vision

Newsroom: The IJ has a veteran news staff that provides the in-depth and nuanced coverage of the county that passionate and media-savvy Marin residents expect. Important issues include the environment, transportation, education, growth and public pensions.  The IJ has a daily editorial page that is nearly all local, from the editorials to the op-ed columns and letters to the local cartoons at least two days a week.

Community:  Marin is a county of 250,000 residents just north of San Francisco. There is no dominant city, which poses coverage challenges. It has 10 incorporated cities, including San Rafael and Novato with about 50,000 residents each, Sausalito, Mill Valley and Tiburon. The county has numerous small town and villages, including Point Reyes Station, Bolinas and Stinson Beach.  Marin, which is known for its natural beauty and recreation, is surrounded on three sides by the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay. Eighty-five percent of the county is protected as open space thanks to national, state and county parks, the county open space district and the Marin Municipal Water District. The county is liberal (there are three registered Democrats for every registered Republican; 54 percent to 18 percent) and white (86 percent white, 16 percent Hispanic, 6 percent Asian and 3 percent black, according to the Census). Median household income is $90,000 (most years this is the highest in the state) and the median single family home value is $841,000.

Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree.  Ten years of journalism experience, including five years of management experience. For extraordinary candidates, a qualification might be waived.

To apply for this job, email a cover letter, resume, references and links to some of your work to David Little, the NorCal cluster editor, at dlittle@chicoer.com.