Assistant Editor, Data Journalism

The posting, as The New York Times wrote it

The mission of The New York Times is to seek the truth and help people understand the world. That means independent journalism is at the heart of all we do as a company. It’s why we have a world-renowned newsroom that sends journalists to report on the ground from nearly 160 countries. It’s why we focus deeply on how our readers will experience our journalism, from print to audio to a world-class digital and app destination. And it’s why our business strategy centers on making journalism so good that it’s worth paying for.

The Data Journalism team is looking for an experienced journalist with editing, management and data analysis skills to serve as an assistant editor. You'll help to run a group of data journalists who collaborate across the newsroom. You'll also advise on analyses conducted elsewhere in the newsroom.

You should be obsessed with detail and rigor, display a knack for lifting stories to the next level and care deeply about developing your colleagues' talents. Collaboration is at the heart of this role; the Data Journalism team works with virtually every other desk in the newsroom. We'll expect you to deftly navigate these partnerships, which require crisp communication, a problem-solving attitude and a dash of diplomacy.

This is an in-office position and includes regular attendance in the office four days a week. We have a preference for candidates who will work in New York City, with a secondary preference for Washington, DC.

Important application requirement: Please submit a cover letter that describes your qualifications in the context of three stories (or projects) you helped to shape. For each, please provide a link to the work and describe your contributions in one to three paragraphs. Your cover letter should not exceed four pages in total. Within that limit, you are also welcome to provide a more traditional (but brief) description of your career and talents.

Responsibilities

Help to lead the Data Journalism team

Directly supervise several data reporters on the team

Shepherd, shape and stress-test the team's data analyses

Consult on data analyses conducted by reporters outside the Data Journalism team

Be comfortable working on an unpredictable mix of short, medium and long deadlines

Demonstrate support and understanding of our value of journalistic independence and a strong commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world.

You will report to the Data Editor, who is based in New York City.

Basic Qualifications

5+ years of data journalism experience

Proficiency working with data in Python and/or R, spreadsheets and relational databases

Preferred Qualifications

2+ years of leadership, editing and/or mentorship experience

Experience leading a data journalism team

Experience with, and a preference for, working collaboratively on multidisciplinary teams

Experience data-editing in response to major news cycles

Comfort with command-line tooling
[…]
ation. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.

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