MLex seeks an M&A reporter in Washington

MLex is looking for a journalist in Washington, DC, to cover mergers in the US.

The beat involves coverage of regulatory risk related to mergers, including the coverage of Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission reviews of major deals. MLex seeks to get ahead of the procedural story through deep-dive analyses of the markets and case law to anticipate where regulatory problems may lie. It’s a high-pressure beat in which there’s an expectation you’ll break market-moving news while offering the forward-looking analysis that helps inform investment and corporate decision-making. The readership is exacting but broad, covering law firms advising on deals, the regulators overseeing approvals, investors trading off merging companies’ share-price volatility, and the companies themselves at senior levels.

The work can involve anything from hitting the phones and mining document resources to covering trials, monitoring filings, and attending conferences and networking events.

Purpose of the role:

— To conduct US M&A regulatory coverage, breaking exclusive stories and writing forward-looking commentary and analysis on emerging M&A situations, particularly those of interest to the hedge-fund arbitrage readership.

— To lead the coverage through hands-on mentoring and coordination on individual stories and longer-term story management, with deference to and in coordination with the Global Chief Correspondent and reporting to the Managing Editor.

— To coordinate with the rest of the global MLex teams to ensure joined-up coverage of international mergers often undergoing parallel reviews in multiple jurisdictions.

— To be a point of contact for the outside world, particularly the US, representing MLex’s US M&A coverage in the press, and to subscribers among the legal and hedge-fund readership.

Key result areas: 

Increase quality and quantity in US M&A breaking news and commentary.
Cement MLex’s reputation among hedge funds as the go-to outlet for news and commentary on regulatory M&A situations.

Key competencies/skills & experience:

An ability to break exclusive news day in, day out.
An ability to pursue hard-to-get information from evasive sources.
An ability to build and maintain a network of sources in the regulatory community.
An ability to train and inspire others, leading by example and through soft-management skills.

To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to Americas Managing Editor Tony Cooke at cooke@mlex.com.