Food Editor, Chron Jobs

CHRON FOOD EDITOR
Chron is looking for an experienced Food Editor to drive our coverage and craft our short and long-term editorial strategy. We're seeking a versatile journalist who has a vast knowledge of the Houston food scene, focusing on everything from the best BBQ, tacos, crawfish, and drinks spots in town, to the passion locals have for Texas favorites like Whataburger, Shipley's, and more. We want someone who can find unique stories and angles that bring the city and its surrounding regions to life. The ideal candidate will bring a digital-first mindset and deep understanding of what food means to Houston—with a finger on the pulse of the news, and the ability to recognize and dive deep on larger stories. The Food Editor will assign and edit stories that speak to a diverse audience, and will work closely with the editorial director and other editors to ensure all content meets the highest standards of quality, accuracy, and timeliness.
Your duties on the team:

• Assure storytelling makes an emotional connections with readers that illuminate or challenge locals’ love for the area.
• Plan out an editorial calendar that includes offbeat, informative dailies as well as well-reported profiles and features that cast light on what makes Houston's food scene one of the country's best
• Oversee editors and staff reporters, providing editorial direction to assure that content is compelling for a Houston audience and reflects the distinctive voice for the brand
• Write both features and newsy lifestyle pieces, depending on need
• Generate creative story ideas informed by knowledge of trends, issues and topics affecting Houston
• Assign news and feature stories to staff reporters, freelance writers and contributors, seeing the process through from the workshopping stage to editing and publishing
• Work closely with editorial leadership to set editorial tone, assuring daily coverage reflects the brand’s vision and voice

Skills you would bring to the team:

• Top-notch organization skills to assure our editorial systems are humming and the editorial calendar is fed and full
• Excellent writing, editing and communication chops, particularly within news journalism
• Idea generation: Keep fresh ideas flowing to assure the site is fed with compelling content
• High metabolism for turning out must-read stories every day
• Ability to manage a team of writers and editors daily, keeping them motivated and inspired
• Local perspective: You know Houston well, have ideas about how locals spend their weekends, time and money, and what they gripe about over drinks with friends
• Facility with analytics tools and ability to unpack metrics to spot areas of opportunity and growth

Requirements

• Experience managing or mentoring other writers
• Facility with content management systems, analytics tools like Google Trends, social media platforms, and other publishing tools
• Top-notch reporting, writing and editing skills
• Experience in, and understanding of Houston and Texas
• Excellent news judgment and understanding of both media ethics and AP Style
• 5+ years of relevant experience in writing, editing, and managing writers, editors or producers in publishing or digital media
• Strong analytical skills and an ability to use data to make editorial decisions

About the Houston Chronicle:
The Houston Chronicle serves Houston’s 2.3 million residents — as well as all of Texas — with content and marketing solutions across two of Houston’s largest websites, HoustonChronicle.com and Chron.com, along with our newspaper and magazine brands. The content and innovative business solutions we provide invite readers to join conversations about communities we’ve been helping prosper for more than 120 years.
About Hearst Newspapers:
With 2,500 employees across the nation, HNP encompasses a network of 24 daily and 52 weekly publications, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News and Albany Times Union, several top digital-only news and lifestyle sites, marketing services businesses, and entertainment businesses such as King Features Syndicate.
At HNP, we are investing in new and innovative ways to tell stories – growing newsrooms, diversifying tools, evolving platforms – to support the millions of people who trust us each month to help them make decisions, take action and be inspired.
Be a part of something bigger – your headline awaits.