College Sports Content Coach

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The Center for Community Journalism, part of the USA TODAY Network, is seeking a dynamic and forward-thinking candidate to join its operation as a Sports Content Coach in the colleges space. The ideal candidate is an experienced journalist who is capable of editing copy, coaching writers to improve and managing sports journalists.

The CCJ is a collection of more than 100 medium- and small-sized newspapers and associated websites in the USA TODAY Network, located geographically from Vermont to Washington state, from California to Florida. Its sports reporters cover local sports, including high school and college sports up to the major conference level. CCJ editors and content coaches manage and direct these journalists to help them best serve the audience available to their communities.

The CCJ’s college beat portfolio includes major brands like Alabama, Duke, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Texas Tech, UConn and others.

The ideal candidate will have AI and automation literacy and a willingness or experience in using it to enhance journalism.   

This position is remote and can be based anywhere in the US, except for Alaska and Hawaii or based at USA TODAY headquarters in McLean, Va. If you live near one of our local newsrooms, you may have the option to use that as a base of operations.

Responsibilities:

• Lead a team of writers who cover sports local to their properties. Manage these writers and help them grow through coaching and feedback.
• Teach them time management and how to identify winning story ideas.
• Edit copy, often under tight deadlines, from writers across the country, including those who report to other editors and content coaches.
• Be part of the CCJ’s high schools or colleges coverage leadership team, learning best practices to share with writers and contribute ideas to help improve coverage.
• Use metrics and analytics to identify what is working in various local audiences and what is not, to best tailor our sports coverage to meet audience.
• Coordinate and work with the other CCJ sports editors and content coaches, as well as others inside the company.
• Be willing to work nights, weekends and sometimes holidays as needed.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's in communications, journalism, digital media or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• At least 3 years of experience working in a news organization.
• Ability to identify stories that sports fans in local markets are talking about and able to leverage those to differentiate in competitive marketplace.
• Strong news judgment, great communication skills and ability to multi-task in a fast-paced news environment.
• Demonstrated commitment to producing and promoting journalism that is impactful and authoritative.
• Experience using analytics to help shape coverage decisions and story execution.
• Ability to manage, coach and motivate sports journalists to strive for improvement and growth.

Application Instructions:

We are eager to learn more about you and how you fit this role. When you apply, don’t limit your upload to a resume; show us what you’ve done. To do so, put together a single document file that includes the following, in this order:

1. Your resume – one to two pages.
2. A cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job.

It is important that these items be assembled into a single document and uploaded in PDF format. Completing these steps will ensure that your application receives the highest consideration.

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The annualized base salary for this role will range between $59,062.50 and $92,285.16.  Base compensation is reflective of many factors, including, but not limited to, the market in which one lives/works, individual education level, skills, certifications and experience. Note: variable compensation is not reflected in these figures and based on the role, may be applicable.