Executive Sports Director

The Austin American-Statesman is seeking a cutting-edge Executive Sports Editor to lead statesman.com into the future.

The ideal candidate will build a culture of robust and sustainable audience growth by relentlessly evolving on and off platform digital strategies to establish the Statesman as the mandatory source for sports information in Texas - especially for college and high school sports.

The Executive Sports Editor will work with the sports editor and an experienced staff to manage all sports operations to achieve maximum results, including talent acquisition, budgetary discipline and upholding the highest journalistic standard in the industry. A culture of digital-first innovation, personal and professional growth and big thinking is a requirement. We need a strong leader who will take ownership of improving the product while steering the American-Statesman into the future.

Comfort teaching urgent and deep storytelling reporting techniques, mastery of SEO/headline optimization and a culture of relentless improvement is required.

Responsibilities

• Creatively execute tactics on growing readership through storytelling, SEO-focused ideation and headlines.
• Plan and execute robust initiatives that involve collaboration with Network partners to deliver maximum results.
• Ensure posts are high-quality talkers and timed to meet people’s needs and take advantage of off-platform interactions, including social cards, vertical video reels and more.
• Create, track and communicate key social engagement metrics.
• Keep track of sports buzz and what’s trending across social platforms.
• Create smart, thoughtful, engaging, sophisticated content strategy for a variety of formats to significantly grow audience.
• Provide leadership on developing new strategies on search and social platforms and for unmined topics.
• Contribute to other needs and perform additional responsibilities as directed.
  
  

Requirements

• Bachelor's or master’s degree in communications, journalism, marketing or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• At least 5 years' experience as a respected sports journalism leader, with focus on digital content and multimedia platforms.
• Experience in high-level decision-making with complex, impactful or sensitive news content.
• Advanced understanding of various news and information content management systems.
• A history of successful leadership, collaboration, innovation and goal achievement.
• Demonstrated change leader who collaborates and communicates effectively with diverse peoples and personalities.
• Demonstrated record of leading a coverage team, including remote writers.
• Proven history of guiding strong watchdog, enterprise and features work across multiple platforms.
• Strong social media skills.
• Understanding of best uses of live and recorded video and how to inculcate video skills throughout the team.
• Ability to work well on deadline.
• Ability to write with accuracy and precision.
• Excellent communication and time-management skills.
• Approachability, personal charisma, comfortable with public speaking and a commitment to staff.
• Understanding of the changing sports media landscape and ability to adapt strategies that address continually changing market and consumer needs and desires.
• Strong competitive instincts and intellectual curiosity.
• Ability to effectively manage and coordinate in an environment of accountability.
• Track record in recruiting a highly successful sports journalism team.
• Command of media law and Principles of Ethical Conduct.
  
  

How To Apply

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:

• Your resume - one to two pages.
• A cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job.
• Links to 3-6 online samples of your work. Show us what you’ve produced or had a hand in that best reflects what you can do in your desired role.
  
  

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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