Birmingham Biz Journal seeks a tech and startups reporter

The Reporters for American City Business Journals will join our newsroom and cover markets for one of the hottest economies in the country.

Our reporters must be competitive, nimble and driven to break news about the most important industries, companies and people in the region. They are expected to provide forward-looking business intelligence to savvy readers who will use it to grow their businesses and/or advance their careers. Our content gives them a leg up on their competitors, connects them with decision-makers and delineates growth strategies that work from those that don’t. This usually entails working our source networks and digging up news before it’s announced or readily available.

The ideal candidate will blend traditional journalism skills – source building, sharp news judgment, interviewing prowess and scoop-driven reporting – with online and social media know-how. Reporters in our newsroom don’t just turn in copy. They include videos, slideshows and other multimedia components that advance the story and further engage our audience. They break hard news that sometimes sources don’t want brought to light, but they don’t burn bridges.

• Define a clear and compelling vision for the look, feel and voice of our products, including a thriving digital news operation, a printed weekly edition, and daily emails.
• Report and write short-form and long-form stories for the website and weekly print edition.
• Own the beat, dictating day-to-day coverage and thriving on digging out source-driven exclusives.
• Relentlessly develop sources and manage relationships with high-level executives and other community leaders.
• Scoop competitors on every story of any significance, not only telling them what happened, but why and how.
• Focus on the areas of technology, startups and innovation with a secondary focus on higher education and health care.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience
• Desire and ability to break news and to identify newsworthy events and sources
• Strong analytical and investigative-interviewing skills
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively
• Ability to relate comfortably to a wide range of people, in person, on the phone and online
• A clear drive to develop sources and build audience
• Solid understanding of news writing, journalistic ethics and story structure.
• Ability to leverage relationships with sources to deliver content that differentiates the organization from competitors.
• Multimedia skills, including video, photos, broadcast, on-camera, helpful.
• Proficient with MS Office Products
• Proficient with Web-Based Communication Platforms (Teams, Zoom, Webex, etc.)

To apply, go here.