News & Observer seeks a tech and innovation reporter

The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina, is looking for a business reporter to cover our region’s vibrant and growing technology sector.

Raleigh is part of the Research Triangle (along with Durham and Chapel Hill), the country’s oldest technology-focused business park. In recent years, RTP has undergone a rebirth and is home to hundreds of startup businesses, many of them spun out of our three nationally ranked universities — Duke University, the University of North Carolina, and North Carolina State University. In the past year, Apple has announced that it will build a campus here and Google is adding 1,000 jobs. Red Hat was born here, as were Pendo and Epic Games — all billion-dollar companies. The region has also become a life-science hub with startups growing out of both the Duke and UNC medical schools. One such startup, AskBio, was acquired by Bayer recently in a deal with up to $4 billion.

Our innovation and technology reporter will write about tech companies large and small and workplace innovations in any type of business. She must understand the language of both business and technology and be able to translate that language into everyday English. He will follow and predict trends in the field and write about them with expertise. They will also produce a weekly newsletter targeted to the local tech community.

There’s a lot to write about.

And there is a lot here to love. The Triangle is one of the fastest-growing and most diverse regions in the country. In addition to the universities and their offerings, there are art museums, music venues and world-class restaurants. We are home to J. Cole’s Dreamville Festival every spring and the country’s largest bluegrass festival (the IBMA World of Bluegrass) every fall. We’re a day trip away from the ocean or the mountains. We have walkable neighborhoods and miles of greenways for biking, hiking or running.

Candidates must be clear, concise, lively writers. They should have a minimum of three years of experience writing about technology or business for general audiences. Daily newspaper experience is preferred, an ability to write on tight deadlines is a must. Candidates must understand how to use social media to improve and share stories. Candidates should be comfortable with public speaking, moderating panels, etc. And while we have a talented photo/visual staff, candidates should be capable of producing quality photo and video on a regular basis.

The innovation and technology reporter must live in the region. Some moving assistance is available. We have a physical and quite attractive newsroom in downtown Raleigh, but most staffers are now working remotely 2-4 days a week.

This is a philanthropy-funded position. Philanthropy allows the N&O to deepen its coverage and support public interest journalism. Currently three full-time reporters at the N&O are funded through philanthropic partnerships. In all of these partnerships, the N&O evaluates and hires the journalists and retains control over all editorial content.

To apply, go here.