Features Reporter, Power & Culture

About the role

The San Francisco Standard is hiring a Features Reporter for its Power & Culture beat in San Francisco. The beat covers the city's private wealth, its influence on public life, and the people behind it, ranging from finances, investing and political giving to art, culture, philanthropy and the personal lives of the wealthy and powerful. The job mixes elegant profiles with hard-nosed investigations, long-term award-winning projects and daily quick-turn stories. It is an in-person newsroom job with no remote work.

Key responsibilities

• Report and write features, profiles, scoops and accountability investigations on the Bay Area's cultural institutions, big companies and wealthy residents.
• Build deep sources among donors, board members, social players, nonprofit leaders, artists and gallerists, political operatives and the moguls they work for.
• Follow the money through campaign finance filings, nonprofit tax returns (990s), property records and public records requests.
• Pitch and produce a steady mix of quick-turn stories and long-form investigative reporting.
• Work with editors and the photo, video and design teams to publish visually rich stories.
• Occasionally represent the paper at events, panels and social functions required by the beat.

Required profile

• At least three years of professional reporting experience, with clips showing strong feature writing and accountability reporting.
• A record of breaking news and building sources in hard-to-access worlds.
• An authoritative handle on SF's cultural institutions, philanthropic networks and political landscape.
• Comfort with financial documents such as campaign finance disclosures, IRS 990s and corporate filings.
• Ability to write about the powerful with skepticism, fairness and wit; profile-writing experience is a plus.
• Experience covering arts, culture, philanthropy or money in politics is a plus, as are data skills and Spanish or Cantonese.

Required skills

• Sensitivity to sourcing and ability to handle legally complex stories.
• AP style and clean, accurate copy.

What we offer

• Target salary range of $80,000 to $110,000, depending on experience and other factors.
• Stock options and comprehensive medical, dental and vision insurance.
• Flexible paid time off and professional development opportunities.

To apply, submit a résumé, a short memo explaining why you are a good fit, and three to five clips of your best work.