Orange County Biz Journal seeks a real estate reporter

The Orange County Business Journal, one of the premier regional business newspapers in the country, is seeking an enterprising, aggressive reporter to join our editorial team and cover the real estate beat.

For business journalists interested in both commercial and residential real estate, this is a rare opportunity.

Orange County is the epicenter of California’s real estate sector, with the country’s largest private real estate owner, the state’s largest residential land developer, and dozens upon dozens of other well-known and emerging firms and executives, billionaires and upstarts alike, all based here.

You’ll cover a dynamic housing industry — the area is home to many major homebuilders’ West Coast operations, if not their headquarters — and a residential real estate market that runs from $50 million mansions along the coast to new workforce housing projects further inland.

You will cover new development in and around Disneyland, as well as the area’s vibrant hospitality industry.

You will break both local and national stories on a regular basis, and your byline will be a fixture on the front page of our paper.

Turnover in this position is rare. Every real estate reporter at the OCBJ over the past 20 years has used this position as a significant stepping-stone in their careers.

We’re seeking first-tier business journalists who have a track record of breaking stories, cultivating relationships and sources, and meeting deadlines.

You’ll be writing stories for a savvy business audience; we serve a readership that includes business owners, senior executives, and the most influential businesspeople in our community.

An attention to detail is a must.

The full-time position requires reporters who can juggle multiple tasks, including writing news-driven articles, weekly columns, and longer features for our paper.

A sophisticated understanding of business and real estate – including a working knowledge of financial statements – is preferred, but not necessary. You will have mentors on staff.

Journalists will be joining one of the most respected, and widely-read, local business publications in the country. We are the primary source of local news for most of our subscribers, which includes most of OC’s major corporate and community players.

The Orange County Business Journal is a truly anomalous print publication, whose financial performance today surpasses the dot-com boom peak of 2000. We have remained profitable over the course of the pandemic and continue to invest in the paper.

Our editorial excellence has put us in a position to grow while other print media shrink.

The right candidate will have a chance to grow with us, with possibilities beyond.

Candidates can send their resume, and relevant clips, to Editor Mark Mueller, at mueller@ocbj.com.

Our offices are in Irvine. Staff are expected to live in Orange County while working here, and come to the office on a regular basis.