Searchlight New Mexico/searchlightnm.org, is seeking an inspirational and innovative leader to guide this award-winning newsroom to new heights of audience growth and impactful investigative journalism that drives change in the interest of New Mexico residents.
Searchlight New Mexico is a non-partisan, nonprofit news organization based in beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico. In a landscape of shrinking media resources, our mission is to spur reform by exposing abuses of power by government, industry and other institutions through rigorous investigative journalism on topics of local, regional and national interest. We believe great reporting empowers people to demand honest, effective public policy.
New Mexico is a land of great beauty, culture and tradition. It also has a long history of problems that have dampened economic investment and socioeconomic progress. Poverty rates and childhood hunger are among the highest in the nation, while economic growth and educational achievement are among the lowest.
The state is also home to scientific research facilities that produced the first atomic bomb and remain at the heart of the federal government's mission to modernize its aging stockpile of nuclear weapons.
Since its founding in 2017, Searchlight NM has been blessed by strong editorial leadership, award-winning journalists and robust funding. Our new executive editor will build on those successes but won't be bound by what we've done in the past. We want a person who can continue to push us into the future, who can attract and retain top investigative reporters and gifted story tellers, and who can find new ways to expand our audience and funding reach.
The ideal candidate has a track record of producing journalism that holds the powerful to account and inspires meaningful reforms. This is a person with impeccable news judgement and a deep knowledge of public record laws and data journalism. The editor must also have an strong understanding of media law, journalism standards and ethics.
We also want someone who is collaborative and actively seeks out partners among traditional media and nonprofits like ProPublica and the Marshall Project that can help us expand the scope, depth and reach of our work.
The editor's primary job is to produce great journalism, but also works with the executive director to attract local and national funders and explain the importance of our work to various communities across the state.
The right editor also knows the importance of diversity and inclusion in our work and workplace. Searchlight NM offers a competitive salary and health and dental benefits. We also believe in providing a work-life balance that allows our journalists to enjoy all that this great state has to offer while still producing the best work of their careers.
Responsibilities: Uphold the highest journalism standards across digital and print platforms, strongly support the First Amendment and conceive, pursue and execute watchdog reporting.Provide leadership and be knowledgeable in state and local news, investigative journalism, public service, and government issues.Develop strong connections with communities and journalism organizations across the state.Attract, retain and develop top talent.Work with executive director to attract local and national funding, which could include travel to various journalism and funder conferences.Requirements: Bachelor's or master's degree in communications, journalism, marketing or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.Minimum of five years in significant leadership roles in a newsroom with demonstrated success.Clear understanding of the First Amendment and the highest regard for upholding those standards.Experience in high-level decision-making with complex, impactful or sensitive news content.A history of successful leadership, innovation and goal achievement.Demonstrated change leader who collaborates and communicates effectively.Personal charisma, comfortable with public speaking and a commitment to staff interaction.Understanding of the changing media landscape and ability to adapt strategies that address continually changing market and consumer needs and desires.Demonstrated strong competitive instincts and intellectual curiosity.Demonstrated ability to effectively manage and coordinate in an environment of accountability.
