Join the hundreds of talented and innovative team members who are making an impact every day at California Times, incorporating Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union-Tribune, two of the most iconic media brands in the nation. Whether you love to tell compelling stories or want to drive our award-winning powerhouse in new directions, the Los Angeles Times team is the place to be.

Job Description Summary

The Los Angeles Times is looking to hire an assistant editor for audience engagement to work with our entertainment team in our El Segundo headquarters.

We are searching for a multimedia journalist who is a self-starter and is passionate about helping our Entertainment and Arts journalism reach its largest possible audience. If you join our team, you will be part of the digital transformation of our newsroom and a reorientation of The Times around our most important mission: serving our readers.

Job Description

Responsibilities:

• Develop smart publishing strategies for all Entertainment and Arts content


• Act as a team lead for audience engagement editors within the entertainment team, fostering good communication, managing pitches and promotion of our best work and guiding the focus of the team within the department


• Lead online coverage plans for major events from awards shows to book festivals 


• Manage the development and rollout of some of the newsroom’s largest projects and investigations


• Execute digital best practices, recirculation and promotion when required


• Train editors and reporters on digital best practices and audience appetites


• Communicate directly with masthead section editor to set and carry out audience goals


• Iterate and experiment with new platforms, workflows and audience initiatives, with the goal of building community and fostering engagement


• Identify and curate content that can be elevated through new initiatives or other platforms 


• Liaise with the News Desk, photo, video and other departments for opportunities to collaborate


• Represent the voice of readers and subscribers, advocating for their needs


• Collaborate with data analysts to understand our audience and its needs, and with product developers, interactive news designers and UX designers working to improve the digital experience of The Times


• Interact and engage with our readers

Qualifications:

• Must be proficient with Chartbeat or Parse.ly


• Previous experience with Google Analytics or Adobe Omniture preferred


• Passion about the news and its role in serving our democracy


• Optimism about the changes sweeping through the news industry


• Versatility in working across words, images, video and even code


• An ethical and inclusive approach in the workplace


• At least five years of experience managing digital presentation and promotion for a news organization or media brand


• A nuanced understanding of audience data and analytics and a track record of using data to make informed decisions on social media content strategy


• Receptive to feedback and flexible with regard to shifting work responsibilities


• Ability to successfully juggle multiple projects with varying deadlines and timelines


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

As an equal opportunity employer, The Times is always looking to diversify our staff and reflect the communities we cover. Explore our company history, achievement, values, mission and more on our Careers Site.

This position is classified as Assistant Editor within the Los Angeles Times Guild and are based in our El Segundo, Calif., office. Occasional night and weekend work is required.

The Company is a mandatory vaccination employer for COVID-19 and its variants. The Company requires that its employees be fully vaccinated as of their start date. If you require a medical or religious accommodation, we will engage in the interactive process with you. Proof of vaccination will be required prior to start. If we make you an offer and you are not yet vaccinated, we will accommodate a delay in start date. The Company may also mandate that its employees receive vaccine boosters, and all accommodation laws will be followed.

Qualified applicants should upload a resume, cover letter and work samples or links to Assistant Managing Editor for Audience Samantha Melbourneweaver and Deputy Managing Editor for Entertainment and Strategy Julia Turner. Please note, the opportunity to attach additional documents appears on the third screen and is labeled “Upload.”

Thank you for your interest in joining our team at the Los Angeles Times!  We look forward to reviewing your application.