Editorial Director, Breaking News, NBC News Digital

Company Description

We create world-class content, which we distribute across our portfolio of film, television, and streaming, and bring to life through our theme parks and consumer experiences. We own and operate leading entertainment and news brands, including NBC, NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, NBC Sports, Telemundo, NBC Local Stations, Bravo, USA Network, and Peacock, our premium ad-supported streaming service. We produce and distribute premier filmed entertainment and programming through Universal Filmed Entertainment Group and Universal Studio Group, and have world-renowned theme parks and attractions through Universal Destinations & Experiences. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.

Here you can be your authentic self. As a company uniquely positioned to educate, entertain and empower through our platforms, Comcast NBCUniversal stands for including everyone. Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, coupled with our Corporate Social Responsibility work, is informed by our employees, audiences, park guests and the communities in which we live. We strive to foster a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture where our employees feel supported, embraced and heard. Together, we’ll continue to create and deliver content that reflects the current and ever-changing face of the world.

Job Description

NBC News Digital is searching for an experienced newsroom leader to help guide our breaking news coverage as editorial director.

This is an opportunity to lead one of the best breaking news teams in the industry at a news organization with resources around the nation and world. We are looking for an ambitious and motivated journalist who wakes up every morning eager to win.

The editorial director will manage a team of about 20 reporters and editors in the US and London. The role of the breaking news team is to be the first to respond and react to a wide variety of events as they happen — including natural disasters, cultural trends, wars, crime, lawsuits, celebrity news, and major stories on other beats such as tech, health, business and international developments.

Critical to this role is impeccable news judgment — knowing our audience and knowing what to cover and what to leave behind. The ideal candidate will have experience driving reporting and directing editors and reporters to be proactive and break news on major storylines. You will be obsessive about keeping NBC News competitive on big stories and can keep your cool during fast-moving situations.

The breaking news director will start the day setting priorities and planning coverage and will take responsibility for the quality, planning and direction of the team’s work. 

This person also needs to be a natural collaborator who coordinates with teams across the news organization — the Standards division, producers and correspondents, editorial units — to bring the full scope of NBC News’s reporting power onto the site.

We’re looking for an experienced manager who can effectively communicate across a large team and balance personnel priorities with editorial ones. You’ll be involved in setting editorial strategy and will know how to message that vision to the team. You should have a deep understanding of the competitive landscape and ideas on how to best position this team for success.

This position reports to the assistant managing editor for news and will be based in New York.

Other responsibilities:

• Actively monitor sources of breaking news (Dataminr, social media, wires, internal communications, our competition), knowing which stories to prioritize and which to skip.
• Edit clean, fast, and accurate copy, headlines, and photo and video captions.
• Make full use of the range of NBC News resources, including network newsgathering and multimedia.
• Vet story assignments to ensure they fit within the editorial vision for the team.
• Review stories for fairness, accuracy and depth.
• Lead and coach reporters and writers to help them meet editorial goals and work efficiently.

Qualifications

• 10 or more years of experience working in a newsroom that prioritizes breaking news, with at least 5 years as an editor and manager.
• Willingness to work a flexible schedule for breaking news demands.
• Expertise writing and editing SEO, social and homepage headlines.
• Understand how to interpret analytics and use that data to maximize reach.
• Ability to multitask and juggle priorities under deadline pressure.
• Interested candidates must submit a resume/CV through www.nbcunicareers.com to be considered.

Desired Characteristics:

• Willingness to work on-site as needed, including during breaking news, ensuring timely response to developing news.
• Desire to work in a creative, dem