Editorial Assistant - Web jobs in Washington

The Seattle Times, a family-owned, Pulitzer Prize-winning organization, seeks an experienced Administrative Assistant to provide timely, efficient administrative support for the Editorial Page Editor, Editorial department, and Deputy Editor. Ideally, you are comfortable coordinating day-to-day logistics, triaging information, and addressing matters with tact and confidentiality. You should possess an innate knack for customer service (both internal and external). While this position reports directly to the Editorial Page Editor, you will be expected to liaise with various members of the editorial board as needed for projects. Successful candidates will be well acquainted with The Seattle Times print and digital products, especially the Opinion and Editorials sections.

This is a hybrid position that requires some in-office time, at least two days a week in our office (or more, as needed) in South Lake Union.

Responsibilities

• Provide executive assistant support to Editorial Page Editor and team by maintaining daily calendars and scheduling all meetings; sorting and distributing incoming correspondence, making judgments regarding directing and routing of same; screen incoming telephone calls with respect to appropriateness and priority, and field as many as possible of the information and complaint calls.
• Schedule and coordinate all editorial board meetings, including candidate interviews during primary and general election. Set up meeting rooms, escort visitors, arrange parking. Track staff vacations and absences.
• Prepare correspondence, reports and memoranda, self-author responses to correspondence from readers and others.
• Maintain applicable files and confidentiality of reports and memoranda pertaining to personnel, labor relations and management policy.
• Proof daily editorial pages during production.
• Monitor the Opinion email/telephone line. Answer questions and forward comments to appropriate writers for further action.
• Handle internal / external emails and telephone inquiries, providing information on letters to the editor and op-ed submission guidelines.
• Prepare editorial annual budget and track monthly expenses, pro forma.
• Assist with content publication as requested. This will include a first sort of letters to the editor as well as downloading and posting editorial cartoons.
• Track contest entries for Editorial department.
• Monitor reader comments on all opinion content.
• Manage outcome tracker for Opinion department and spearhead monthly report.
• Additional duties and ad-hoc projects, as needed.

• Experience: Minimum of five years’ executive secretary/administrative assistant experience in corporate atmosphere is required. Experience in the newspaper industry is a plus.
• Education: Four year university training or college degree preferred or the equivalent experience as applicable.
• Fast and accurate keyboarding skills with proven proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook) required.
• WordPress and social media experience (Facebook; Twitter) a plus.
• High degree of accuracy required. Must have strong grammar, spelling, and proofreading skills.
• Must have the ability to respectfully deal with diverse groups of people while addressing public outreach.  
• Must be capable of working independently while dealing with the public.
• Judgment required to assess degree of seriousness and impact of alleged errors.
• Must exercise tact to prevent reader issues from escalating.

• Medical, dental insurance and long-term disability insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Optional life and AD&D insurance and long-term care insurance
• 401(k) plan with employer match
• 10 days of annual vacation accrual, increasing with tenure up to 20 days
• 10 days of annual sick accrual; unused sick pay accrues to an extended illness bank
• 9 paid holidays
• Subsidized transit cards
• Complimentary Seattle Times subscription
• Wellness program
• Parental leave options

Please note: This position requires a criminal background check once an offer has been made. 
 

Founded in 1896, The Seattle Times continues its tradition as a family-owned, Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper that cuts through the clutter and provides readers with timely, relevant news. We serve the Pacific Northwest with thoughtful, independent journalism that makes a real difference in our community. And as a media solutions company, we combine cutting-edge digital capabilities and service with the values and integrity of respected traditional media… with an established audience of 1.9 million. At The Seattle Times, you'll find work that matters.

If you need assistance to accommodate a disability, please contact Human Resources at careers@seattletimes.com and provide a description of the reasonable accommodation(s) needed.