Associate Regional Editor - East-end of Long Island and Connecticut

Patch is hiring Assistant Regional Editors
Are you a passionate and entrepreneurial online journalist and leader? Want to be part of a dynamic and innovative team of journalists, engineers, designers and business pros who are creating a bold new solution for our industry? Do you think that traditional news media just don’t get it anymore? Would you like to manage a team of local editors running news sites aimed at transforming community journalism and re-engaging communities? If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, keep reading …

We’re Patch.com, a start-up that’s radically reinventing community journalism. We launched in February 2009 and we now operate hundreds of local news sites in towns with populations under 70,000, and we continue to expand! Patch is founded on two core principles: that news matters in towns across the country and that we can create a successful business model to sustain it. Even as many newsrooms have been downsized or shut down, Patch is investing millions to create a nationwide network of news sites using our dynamic platform to produce meaningful daily and enterprise journalism and pioneer new forms of storytelling to serve communities. We have won acclaim in the industry and coverage in The New York Times, Forbes Magazine, Bloomberg, NPR's "Talk of the Nation," "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer," and numerous industry blogs and Web sites. We've recently also announced Patch.org, a new initiative that will allow us to collaborate with local foundations and journalism schools to cover under-served communities.
Patch.com is looking for smart, innovative journalists to join our team as Associate Regional Editors, who will become part of a regional team devoted to creating cutting-edge journalism and collaborating with the extended Patch team to innovate in the community journalism arena. We see this as nothing less than the future of online journalism. Visit patch.com to learn more about our mission and to visit our news sites.

Job responsibilities (to include, but not limited to):
· Assist Regional Editors with all aspects of managing a region consisting of 12 local editors, each running their own site. Local Editors are tasked with reporting, writing, editing, assigning, taking pictures and video, maintaining an events calendar and a database of local business listings, getting users involved, and liaising with important community figures.
· Actively work with Regional Editors to ensure that the sites provide an invaluable source of trusted news and information that will improve people’s lives.
· Assist with any initiatives to drive the region’s sites to become a landmark in their communities.
· Work collaboratively with colleagues in a region and across the country to cover impactful breaking news, features, and enterprise stories while also looking to create new ways to connect with and engage communities
· Assist with identifvying and developing deep ties, visibility and strategic partnerships in the communities in the region that strengthen coverage
· Work collaboratively with regional publishers and the business team to raise the visibility of the sites in the region
· Provide vacation relief coverage in region where necessary and appropriate
Required skills:
· At least 4 years of experience in community journalism
· Keen understanding of SEO and the ability to analyze regional site traffic reports, and make decisions based on them
· Eye for talent and appreciation for, and ability to train and mentor, young journalists
· Experience in online journalism, including comfort with technical aspects of web publishing and social media tools and trends
· Experience editing photography and video
· Must have a firm grasp of AP style.
Desired skills:
· Passionate about the web, social networking, and of course community journalism
· Ability to quickly grasp the interests, rhythms, and identity of a region and its constituent communities.
· Unparalleled organizational, time management and interpersonal skills
· Solid news judgment
· Thrive in a fast-paced environment
· Entrepreneurial spirit and drive; start up experience a plus
Education/ Industry background:
· Bachelors degree in journalism or similar discipline and 4-5 years experience managing editors or similar
Unique requirements:
· Must be a flexible, independent, self-starter – you’ll work virtually all of most of the time from home, coffee shops and other community locales, your car, meeting weekly with your team one-on-one and all together
· Tools for the job … best of all we will provide them: including a laptop, smart phone, camera, police scanner, etc.
· Must own a car
· Must be willing to relocate if there isn't a region open near you
· Ability and willingness to work various hours outside of the typical M-F and 9-5 including some nights and weekends.

If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity or other editorial positions that may be available with Patch, please contact me at Lauren@Patch.com.