Washington Biz Journal seeks federal contracts reporter

The federal government represents roughly a third of the Greater Washington economy, so this beat is one of the most important we cover at the Washington Business Journal.

The industry straddles official Washington — the White House, Capitol Hill and the Pentagon — and the local business community.

The beat focuses on the public and private companies providing services to the federal government, with an emphasis on defense, IT and other government contractors. Who’s hiring? Who’s firing? Who’s moving? Who’s winning contracts? Who’s losing contracts? And, finally, what does it all mean for the local economy?

We follow the money and the people. The beat will also take a strong business lens to explore how the Trump administration is disrupting Washington. The successful candidate will break down the complex regulatory environment, avoiding the alphabet soup and bureaucratic jargon so prevalent in federal procurement, and find the bigger impact for Washington business.

Coverage areas include: major solicitations, from RFPs to bid protests; local privately held and publicly traded defense and technology companies; industry leaders and personalities; GAO and analyst reports; federal agency budgets and the regulatory environment; and innovation in federal procurement.

A Business Journal reporter is the beating heart of the organization and the business, with the vital task of pumping news, information and life into our products on all platforms. First and foremost, reporters must establish themselves as the go-to source of news, data and perspective in their assigned area of coverage.

The top mission: to own audience, by every measure. Our reporters must marry strong traditional journalism skills – source building, sharp interviewing techniques, strong analytical and investigative reporting skills, clear writing, document use – with online and social media know-how. They are expected to contribute both short-form (daily online posts) and long-form (print) stories to our news products.

Scoops matter. A lot. Scoops serve as the oxygen supporting the rest of our content operations and are vital to “owning” one’s beat. Only by being “out front” of the news can our reporters establish their credibility with their audience, identify the most influential newsmakers, and interpret the news on their beats with authority.

To apply, send clips, a resume and how you’d cover the beat to editor Doug Fruehling at dfruehling@bizjournals.com.