Director of Newsgathering, NBC News Washington Bureau

Company Description

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Job Description

The Director of Newsgathering will lead and manage the day-to-day activities of the assignment desk and field producers in Washington, D.C. This strategic role is responsible for coordinating daily and breaking news coverage, setting editorial priorities, and ensuring efficient deployment of resources.

The ideal candidate will have extensive newsroom leadership experience, a deep understanding of the Washington news landscape, and strong editorial judgment. The candidate should be comfortable working directly with senior executives and managing talent and understanding the role that network pool coverage plays in our workflow, is a plus.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage Assignment Desk Operations:
  • Oversee assignment editors and managers to ensure coverage aligns with editorial priorities and organizational goals.
  • Monitor breaking news, developing stories, and political events, and assign resources accordingly.
  • Ensure effective communication between the assignment desk, field teams, and other editorial groups and platforms within the News Group.
  • Engage with Legal, Standards, and Rights & Clearances to ensure appropriate usage guidance is obtained and disseminate to all platforms.
  • Coordinate with technical and operations teams to achieve best practices and efficiencies in workflows and resource deployment.
• Lead Field Producers & Coverage Teams:
  • Manage a team of field producers, coordinating their schedules and assignments.
  • Provide editorial direction to field producers to enhance storytelling and ensure high-quality content.
  • Coordinate remote operations, including live shots, breaking news, and special coverage.
• Collaborate on Coverage and Editorial Strategy:
  • Partner with newsroom, shows, and platform leadership to collaborate on editorial priorities and align coverage.
  • Partner with the Net Desk on coverage inside and outside DC when needs arise.
• Mentorship & Team Development:
  • Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing work culture.
  • Mentor and coach assignment editors, field producers, and early career staff.
  • Develop cross-training initiatives to enhance experience across job functions.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• Experience: 10+ years of newsroom experience, including leadership roles managing assignment desks and/or coverage teams.
• Leadership Skills: Proven ability to lead and inspire teams in high-pressure environments.
• Editorial Judgment: Exceptional news judgment, particularly in Washington, political, and breaking news.
• Communication: Outstanding interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.

Desired Characteristics:

• Familiarity with the Washington Pool system.
• Excellent story development, logistics and follow-up skills.
• Working knowledge of the Washington, DC metro area is preferred.
• Self-starter with excellent communication and organizational skills.
• Must be able to work effectively and collaborate with others in a team environment.
• Proficiency with the INews computer system and ability to learn NBC Newsconnect.
• Demonstrated ability to multi-task under pressure, meet deadlines, process information, and make decision