Weekend Editor

The Los Angeles Times has an opening for a weekend editor who will oversee digital and print news operations on Saturday and Sunday, while taking on additional editing duties on weekdays.

The weekend editor will work four days a week (Thursday through Sunday). On weekends, the editor will help to plan local coverage and oversee a rotating staff of reporters based throughout the state. The editor will identify and assign breaking news and feature stories and work with the photo and audience departments to assign compelling photos and videos. While responsible for editing and booking stories for the print edition, the weekend editor will also bring a “digital first” ethos to The Times’ online coverage, quickly posting and updating major breaking news stories. 

Weekend editing duties will include the monitoring of local wires, social media and breaking news services to identify and assign stories that will resonate with our core Southern California readership. The weekend editor will also collaborate with Metro, Entertainment and other departments on coverage as needed, and will help plan and communicate follow-up stories to weekend late editors and the weekday early morning editors.

On weekdays, this editor will handle other duties under the guidance of the deputy managing editor for California. Those duties could include overseeing specific topics, jumping into breaking news and filling in for other editors as circumstances dictate.

Job applicants should have extensive experience editing breaking news, features and accountability stories and be capable of elevating work from younger, less experienced reporters. Qualified applicants must be skilled communicators who embrace collaboration and teamwork. Above all, they will keep the needs of our readers in mind. 

Responsibilities:

• Identify, assign and edit breaking news stories, features, obituaries and enterprise across a variety of subject areas

• Collaborate with editorial staff, including photo, design and copy desks, to produce stories on all platforms Communicate editorial coverage plans in a clear and timely manner

• Provide guidance to staff on conceptualizing, reporting and writing content to ensure quality, accuracy and fairness

• Write engaging headlines and SEO components with a digital, diverse audience in mind

• Respect and meet tight deadlines that will include brisk turnarounds on edits for multiple news posts each day

• Offer guidance to staff on conceptualizing, reporting and writing content to ensure quality, accuracy and fairness

• Undertake the responsibilities of the role using the tools, software or technologies required at the time

• Help writers and editors develop their talents and elevate their work

• Adhere to the company's editorial ethics policies and guidelines and other company policies regarding employee conduct

 Requirements:

• A minimum of five years of editing experience

• Excellent skills in line editing, combining strong news judgment, fluency in style and deep knowledge of taste and legal considerations

• Ability to navigate digital platforms and stay on top of current events

• Proven ability to work well in a team setting and juggle multiple tasks in a deadline-driven environment

• A nuanced understanding of audience data and analytics and a track record of using data to make informed decisions on coverage

• Ability to foster excellent communication with peers, supervisors and the newsroom

• An ethical and inclusive approach in the workplace that promotes collaboration

• An excellent team player and effective communicator who’s able to work comfortably with a wide variety of personalities and skill levels and across departments

• Versatility and adaptability, working not just across production platforms but also across subject areas

This position is listed as Assistant Editor in the Los Angeles Times Guild and will be based in El Segundo, Calif. The editor will work in the office on Thursdays with the option of working remotely on Fridays and weekend days. Hybrid work arrangements in other locations may be considered. Night work may occur in this role.

Qualified applicants should submit a cover letter, resume and editing samples to Deputy Managing Editor Monte Morin at https://jobs.dayforcehcm.com/en-US/nantmedia/CANDIDATEPORTAL/jobs/1256.