Finance & Commerce seeks reporter

Finance & Commerce, a Minneapolis-based daily business publication focused on covering real estate, construction and development in the Twin Cities and Minnesota, has an opening for a regional planning and transit reporter.

We’re looking for a persistent reporter who asks tough questions but is respectful and professional in the process. Our audience includes professionals working in real estate and development, construction, finance, economic development and business, regional planning, and transportation and transit.

The regional planning reporter covers the Metropolitan Council, a seven-county regional planning agency; planning and development trends across the area, and transit projects and policy in the Twin Cities and Minnesota. The reporter covers transit oriented development along the region’s various light rail transit lines as well as bus rapid transit lines and other transit modes.

This reporter also regularly checks county and city agendas for news that would be of interest to our audience. When the state Legislature is in session, the reporter looks at funding issues and policy for transit and/or transportation. This reporter’s stories frequently appear in our sister publication, Capitol Report and politicsinminnesota.com.

Covering this beat sometimes involves digging through lengthy public documents and translating complicated engineering and environmental studies for our audience. The reporter also needs to keep tabs on various meetings involving key agencies, which may include occasional night meetings.

This job requires a versatile journalist who relishes plunging into our core topics, learning the basics and turning comprehensive stories driven by tough questions that a niche audience demands. The reporter is expected to write daily stories as well as contribute short posts to the Transit Talk blog.

Other requirements: Skepticism; curiosity; a body of published work that shows an ability to engage, explain and enlighten readers; demonstrated ability to break news and come up with enterprise ideas; experience in highly productive newsrooms; attention to detail and accuracy, and experience working under intense daily deadline pressure.

Desired: Journalism education; experience working with public records and documents; experience covering local and state government; knowledge of planning/development issues and transit trends.

Workplace: Our office is in downtown Minneapolis. The reporter works a Monday-Friday daytime schedule (with infrequent night meetings). The Dolan Company offers a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) match, all major holidays off, two personal holidays and paid vacation.

To apply, please send a cover letter that explains why you are the best person for this job, a resume, and five work samples to careers@thedolancompany.com.