Careers
New York Focus is seeking a full-time development manager to help lead fundraising efforts, manage our institutional and individual giving programs, and create new opportunities for sustainable revenue streams.
New York Focus is the only statewide nonprofit news organization in the Empire State. We reveal how decisions are made in Albany and how they impact communities throughout the state, from Buffalo to Long Island to the North Country. We tell the story of who runs New York, hold policymakers and power brokers accountable, and give citizens the tools they need to participate in their democracy. Our stories have spurred legislation, shaped regulation, and driven national news cycles.
After launching in late 2020, New York Focus is set to double in size this year and ramp up our operations and coverage, growing to a team of 12 full-time staff. We fill a crucial gap: nearly half of New York’s newspapers have shuttered in the last two decades, and few of the survivors have the capacity to pursue accountability reporting – especially focused on the state capitol. Our ability to provide reliable, in-depth coverage is urgent and essential.
We’re looking for someone who will help us sustain our rapid growth and find new opportunities for support. This position will work closely with our publisher and editor-in-chief to think strategically and creatively about development goals and new revenue streams, to deepen relationships with our current supporters, to prospect for new funders, and to ensure proper stewardship of gifts to New York Focus. They will also work with our audience engagement editor to devise strategies to increase support from our readers and subscribers, to manage biannual membership campaigns, and to grow a sponsorship program for our newsletter.
The ideal candidate will have a background in nonprofit development work; a knowledge of and interest in local news; the ability to balance high-level strategic thinking with close attention to detail; and a drive to help bring a mission-oriented nonprofit into the next phase of its growth.
This position can be based anywhere in New York state. Please submit a résumé, cover letter, and the names and contact information for three references to [email protected]. We’ll be considering applications on a rolling basis.
The Role
You will be a crucial part of the team that is responsible for ensuring Focus’ sustainability and growth. On a day-to-day basis, your role will entail:
Prospecting for new supporters and helping to execute outreach to potential donors; working with team members to craft external messaging
Meeting with potential supporters, cultivating relationships and dynamically communicating the urgent mission of New York Focus, alongside the publisher and editor-in-chief
Helping to craft fundraising appeals for our biannual membership drives
Helping to plan events and fundraisers to garner new support and engage existing readers
Monitoring incoming donations and ensuring proper stewardship of each gift, including timely receipt issuance and acknowledgements
Working with our editors and publisher to publish an impact report, an annual impact report, funder updates, and pitch decks
Leading efforts to pursue new revenue opportunities, in concert with the audience, and editorial teams
Overseeing a nascent newsletter sponsorship program by reaching out to potential sponsors, developing and maintaining marketing materials that convey the value offered by New York Focus
About You
The ideal candidate will have:
A belief in the power of local news and a drive to help rebuild the New York media local news ecosystem
An entrepreneurial spirit and enthusiasm for working in a mission-oriented nonprofit where everyone wears multiple hats
At least three years of experience working in a development role at a nonprofit
The ability to work collegially on a close-knit team
The ability to think creatively and strategically around new revenue opportunities while paying close attention to detail
Strong writing skills
Compensation
$60,000 to $85,000 annual salary, commensurate with experience, plus great benefits.
To Apply
Please submit a résumé, cover letter, and the names and contact information for three references to [email protected].
We are committed to an inclusive workspace, and we strongly encourage applications from people of color, women, lgbtq people, and people with disabilities. Consistent with federal, state, and local law, we are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, veteran status, or other protected categories.
New York Focus is seeking a full-time audience engagement editor to expand the reach of our work and connect with communities across the state.
New York Focus is the only statewide nonprofit news organization in the Empire State. We reveal how decisions are made in Albany and how they impact communities throughout the state, from Buffalo to Long Island to the North Country. We tell the story of who runs New York, hold policymakers and power brokers accountable, and give citizens the tools they need to participate in their democracy. Our stories have spurred legislation, shaped regulation, and driven national news cycles.
After launching in late 2020, New York Focus is set to double in size this year and ramp up our operations and coverage. Now, we’re looking for an audience obsessive to increase our readership and reach New Yorkers in underserved communities; to track analytics, form goals, and shape and execute strategies to achieve them; to direct our social media presence across platforms and lead newsletter production; to deepen our relationship with our readers; and to generally increase the reach and visibility of our dynamic and growing newsroom.
This position can be based anywhere in New York state. Please submit a résumé, cover letter, and the names and contact information for three references to [email protected]. We’ll be considering applications on a rolling basis.
The Role
You will be in charge of deepening and expanding New York Focus’s most critical relationships: with our readers. That will entail:
- Ideating and implementing innovative audience engagement strategies — including partnerships and events — to expand readership in communities around the state, particularly in underserved areas
- Leading efforts to engage readers and convert them into subscribers and donors
- Promoting New York Focus’s work across social platforms, including crafting distribution strategies for specific stories and projects and helping manage partnerships
- Overseeing promotional strategies on other platforms, including Google and Facebook advertising
- Overseeing our newsletter production and leading strategy to build our list, serve our most loyal readers, and increase donation rates
- Collaborating with reporters and editors to craft engaging headlines and overseeing best practices for SEO
- Tracking analytics and compiling reports on audience metrics, in addition to conducting qualitative analysis via audience surveys, listening sessions, and impact reports
- Generating insights about information gaps and working with reporters to address them (e.g., partnering with a reporter to pair an explainer on how to apply for a public benefit alongside an investigative story on its administration)
About You
The ideal candidate will have:
- A passion for local news and a drive to reach underserved communities
- An entrepreneurial spirit and enthusiasm for working in an upstart newsroom where everyone wears multiple hats
- Experience working on an audience engagement team
- Fluency in analytics and ability to use data to inform decision making
- Experience writing for social media, knowledge of SEO, and close attention to detail
Compensation
$55,000 to $70,000 annual salary, plus great benefits.
To Apply
Please submit a résumé, cover letter, and the names and contact information for three references to [email protected].
We are committed to an inclusive workspace, and we strongly encourage applications from people of color, women, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities. Consistent with federal, state, and local law, we are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, veteran status, or other protected categories.
New York Focus is seeking a full-time state government reporter determined to expose how decisions in Albany are made.
Albany is a town of backroom deals. A bill quietly dies without a vote because a lobbyist went to high school with a committee chair. A major contract is awarded to a donor who hosted a fundraiser for the governor the month before. A years-old law gathers dust because a state agency refuses to implement it. And the public is none the wiser.
We’re looking for an obsessive deep-digger who throws light on how power really works by cultivating sources in every corner of state government, poring over financial disclosures, bombarding agencies with records requests, and scrutinizing the gaps in official accounts.
We want someone to tell the story of who runs New York, make characters out of little-known actors, narrate the political dynamics and history underlying the news cycle, and write not for political insiders, but for the New Yorkers they represent.
This position is based in Albany and will involve both quick, scoop-driven stories and long-term investigations. Please submit a résumé, cover letter, references, and three clips to [email protected]. We’ll be considering applications on a rolling basis.
About New York Focus
New York Focus is an independent newsroom investigating how power works in the Empire State. In our first two years, our stories have spurred legislation, shaped regulation, and driven national news cycles. In 2023, we’re doubling in size to pursue more and deeper accountability coverage.
About You
The ideal candidate will have:
- Experience in political reporting, whether at the state, local, or national level
- Demonstrated investigative skills
- Ability to write clearly and engagingly
- Enthusiasm to take part in building a young, growing publication
Compensation
$60,000 to $70,000 annual salary, plus great benefits.
To Apply
Please submit a cover letter, résumé, contact information for three professional references, and three clips to [email protected].
We are committed to an inclusive workspace, and we strongly encourage applications from people of color, women, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities. Consistent with federal, state, and local law, we are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, veteran status, or other protected categories.
New York Focus is seeking contributing reporters who will semi-regularly produce and publish deeply reported, hard-hitting stories focused on New York state and city politics.
An ideal candidate would share the enthusiasm we bring to this work and be excited to help build and shape New York Focus. This position is remote, but the ideal candidate lives in or near New York state. The core of the application will involve reporting an investigative story for us, paid at our standard rate of $800.
Please submit a resume, clips, and pitches (described below) to [email protected].
About New York Focus
New York Focus is an independent newsroom covering state and local politics, committed to unmasking the operation of public and private power in the Empire State.
In our first two years, our stories have led to the enactment of legislation, spurred regulatory decisions, been cited in hundreds of local and national publications, and sparked national news cycles. Our core beats include the state budget and legislative processes, climate and environmental politics, the criminal justice system, housing and homelessness, government transparency, and industry influence in politics.
Responsibilities for the position are as follows:
- Generate original ideas for 1-3 hard-hitting, deeply reported pieces a month in New York Focus’s coverage areas
- Work with editors from pitch to publication, often including multiple rounds of edits
- Build relationships with sources beyond the scope of an individual article
About You
The ideal candidate would have:
- Excitement about investigative journalism that promotes accountability in New York
- Demonstrated ability to uncover new information on consequential topics — a nose for where to dig!
- Superb writing ability, including close attention to clarity of prose
- Familiarity with the New York media landscape, potentially including relationships with sources in any or all of our coverage areas
Compensation
$800 per article. Articles demanding exceptional effort will receive additional compensation. Contributors are not restricted from writing for other publications.
To Apply
Please submit the following materials to [email protected]: a resume; three clips of your best work; and one to three pitches for the kind of accountability stories you’d want to report in this role. See our pitch guide here.
Consistent with federal, state, and local law, we are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, veteran status, or other protected categories.
We are committed to an inclusive workspace, and we strongly encourage applications from people of color who are excited about contributing to our mission.