Kansas City Star seeks an engagement producer – part-time

The Kansas City Star, winner of nine Pulitzer Prizes, is seeking a creative, high-energy journalist to join our team as a part-time engagement producer.

This person will be responsible for helping deepen the news organization’s relationship with local communities using digital and in-person audience engagement tactics.

This part-time position is based in the Kansas City metro area and reports to The Star’s assistant managing editor for engagement & experimentation. The ability to participate in in-person community events in the Kansas City area is an essential part of this position.

The successful candidate will bring a commitment to meeting the information needs of local readers, a willingness to represent The Star at community events, and audience-focused approach to newsletter writing.

This part-time producer will be expected to write and curate 1-2 weekly community newsletters featuring submissions from community organizations, help organize audience call out forms and submissions, and assist in organizing The Star’s in-person event programming.

Successful candidates will bring a positive attitude, an excitement to connect with The Star’s readers, a willingness to listen to community feedback, and an enthusiasm for experimentation.

In this role, you will need to:

• Curate and write 1-2 weekly community newsletters with submissions from community organizations that help to inform, delight and engage local readers
• Champion The Star and our journalism at in-person events in our community
• Think about audience first and always, with a commitment to tactics that grow The Star’s local readership
• Create social media promotional materials for engagement efforts in collaboration with Audience team
• Demonstrate a commitment to clear communication and organization, especially when working with partner organizations
• Work well in a team environment, both virtually and in person

The successful candidate should meet many of the following requirements:

• A familiarity with communities in the Kansas City area
• Knowledge of audience engagement tactics and metrics to measure success
• College degree or equivalent work experience
• At least 1-2 years of reporting experience
• Excellent news judgment and a demonstrated ability to “see the story” that is going to matter to readers
• Must have reliable transportation. Must have valid driver’s license and vehicle insurance required (at least minimum insurance required for the state in which the employee works)
• Unwavering commitment to accurate, ethical journalism
• Ability to work collaboratively to aggressively tackle stories with urgency
• Comfort with a job that will be fast-paced and constantly evolving as our region grows

To apply, include a persuasive cover letter, your resume and four to six examples of your best audience engagement work — this could include copies of newsletters you’ve written, examples of social promotion you’ve created or a brief description of an event you’ve helped to execute.

For more details click here.