Starting Point Newsletter Writer

Job Description:

The Boston Globe is looking for an experienced, digital-savvy journalist who is intimately familiar with the Boston and New England area to write and produce our daily flagship newsletter, Starting Point. This is a new daily news product from the Globe newsroom, which recaps the biggest news in New England and start a daily conversation for the region. We’re looking for someone who can write with authority, grace, and voice. You should be just as comfortable crafting pithy recaps as you are delving into detailed explainers. You should be comfortable collaborating broadly around the newsroom and occasionally making assignments for the newsletter. If this sounds like you, keep reading.

This position reports to the senior editorial director for newsletters, and is an integral part of our newsroom. The daily Starting Point newsletter writer will ideally have experience with MailChimp, Salesforce, or another newsletter system and quickly learn how to write, produce, and send a newsletter in these systems.

Responsibilities

• Has big ideas about the future of journalism, and how to reach and serve new audiences from a legacy newsroom.
• Can successfully build and grow a mission-critical news product for the Globe newsroom.
• Possesses expert news judgment and feels comfortable making major news decisions independently. 
• Thrives as part of a group setting, and enjoys collaborating with colleagues in a fast-paced newsroom environment. This job will require partnership with colleagues to showcase their work for a new audience and platform.
• Can bring a unique perspective on the most important local and regional news of the day.
• Can develop and maintain a budget for the daily newsletter.
• Writes clear, compelling copy on deadline.
• Writes phenomenal headlines, subject lines, and pre-headers and has a knack and track record of distilling complicated concepts into a handful of clear, crisp words and graphs.
• Has deep experience publishing to digital platforms, whether it’s your site’s homepage, social media accounts, newsletters, alerts, or another avenue through which readers travel. 
• Shows creativity. You constantly think about unorthodox ways to tell stories and convey the news to people. You thrive being at the cutting edge of technology and journalism, and want to help push this industry into the future.
• Will participate in virtual or in-person events or forums, which promote the newsletter, engage the community, and expand the audience for the daily newsletter.

Qualifications:

• At least 5 - 7 years of experience as a journalist, preferably reporting on the Greater Boston region.
• Previous experience writing for digital-first news audiences on a daily deadline.
• Excellent at repacking stories for email and creating original content for the newsletter.
• Comfortable representing a publication on official accounts.
• Skilled at simultaneously working on fast-moving storylines, newsletters, and related projects.
• A strong collaborator who thrives in group settings.
• Knowledgeable of email best practices, email metrics, and local audience content needs.
• A willingness to adapt and be audience focused, with a curious mindset and a commitment to creating an inclusive work environment.

The BGMP office is located in downtown Boston, near Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market, and is easily accessible by MBTA and commuter rail lines. This position is based in Boston, and candidates should be based in the area or willing to move.