Job Description

NBC 5 Chicago (WMAQ) is seeking a dynamic, deeply sourced, and enterprising political and investigative journalist. This person should be a news breaker that our viewers trust to get them answers on issues that affect their lives. They should focus on audience impact and providing context for stories of multiple lengths and formats across linear television, streaming, social media, and digital publishing.

** Why This Role Matters**

Trust is at an all-time low in many facets of everyday life. Our communities need journalists who fight for them and remind them why they should care what’s happening at city hall, in the state house, and our nation’s capital. They should expose waste and mismanagement, explain complicated topics and provide easily digestible takeaways, and do so in an empathetic and relatable way. It’s someone who looks and talks like them. A person who they know has their back and that they want to watch to better understand the world they’re living through.

** What You’ll Do**

• Break news on issues that affect viewers in the Chicago market
• Research, develop, write, and produce short, medium, and long-term investigative news stories and projects
• Deliver reports regularly on all platforms in multiple formats
• Tell stories through the lens of viewer impact on their life, neighborhood, family, happiness, and physical, mental, and financial wellness
• Craft compelling stories that viewers can connect with and want to watch
• Contribute to breaking and developing news stories by contributing to both the overall newsgathering process and by producing reporting for airing/publishing
• Host special programming across platforms
• Nurture relationships with a variety of sources that allow you to contribute to any relevant storyline we’re covering
• Recruit new viewers to your reporting and our brand across multiple platforms including social media
• Iterate on new storytelling methods with photojournalists and leadership
• Be a great teammate that contributes to the mission and vision of the unit
• Work in concert with newsroom leadership and the NBC News Group Legal and Standards team to conduct and present legal, accurate, and ethical reports

Qualifications

• A minimum of 10 years reporting on-camera delivering unique, engaging, and concise reports in multiple formats across platforms
• A minimum of 5 years producing investigative or political pieces that made an impact on the lives of the people you covered
• A hunger to pitch enterprising stories every day to keep yourself, the unit, and station relevant and a trusted first-to-check source in the market
• A deep bench of sources that allow you and the station to be ahead on a story to ensure our reporting is driving the conversation
• A thirst to score exclusives, break news, elevate new storylines and win every day
• A skilled storyteller who knows how to frame a story — no matter how dry — to make a viewer understand its importance and why the report matters
• A sharp editorial eye focused on accuracy, ethics, fairness, and diverse community representation
• A fail-fast mentality with a willingness to take risks, try new things, and learn from wins and failures for future use
• A curious, creative spirit and an instinct for what will “stop the scroll” and attract loyal viewers to one or more of our products
• An owner mentality to ensure that the entire organization always performs at its best

** Bonus, If You Have A…**

• Proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking Spanish
• Understanding of story-centricity and related workflows
• Background shooting and editing on a variety of equipment and tools
• History of producing written, video and graphical content for digital news outlets
• Familiarity with linear and digital analytics and platform performance insights

** Required Qualifications (The Corporate Stuff)**

• Live in the Chicago metro area
• Adhere to NBC News Group standards, policies and ethics
• Must have unrestricted work authorization to work in the United States
• Must be at least 18 years of age
• Must be available to weekends, evenings and holidays as required
• Must be able to work in the field and be licensed to operate a vehicle
• Must join SAG-AFTRA union if not currently a member
• Required On-Site: This position is required to be performed full-time from an NBCUniversal-designated worksite.

Salary Range: $110,000-$200,000 (based on experience)

Additional Information

As part of our selection process, external candidates may be required to attend an in-person interview with an NBCUniversal employee at one of our locations prior to a hiring decision. NBCUniversal's policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran and require support throughout the application and/or recruitment process as a result of your disability, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation. You can submit your request to AccessibilitySupport@nbcuni.com.