Higher Education Reporter

About THE CITYThe Organization

THE CITY is New York City's award-winning nonprofit, nonpartisan local news organization. Working across all five boroughs, our stellar journalists bring diverse skills and backgrounds to the task of covering New York's neighborhoods, holding the powerful to account and making sense of the greatest city in the world.

THE CITY's investigative reporting has resulted in criminal indictments, political resignations and ethics inquiries. It has inspired new laws, influenced budget choices and reversed injustices. THE CITY's explanatory journalism has helped hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers to vote, keep their apartments warm, stay safe in dangerous weather and access public assistance.

The PositionTHE CITY is seeking a sharp, ambitious reporter to cover higher education in New York City, with a primary focus on the City University of New York (CUNY) system. 

This two-year, grant-funded position is an opportunity to dig deeply into one of the nation's largest public university systems and examine how it serves — and sometimes fails — its diverse student body, faculty, workers and surrounding communities.

We're looking for someone who can move fluidly between breaking news, enterprise, audience engagement and investigative work, and who is committed to reporting that is both rigorous and accessible.

Key Responsibilities

• Cover the CUNY system, reporting on issues such as affordability, governance, curriculum, educational outcomes, labor, infrastructure and student life.
• Produce a mix of daily news stories, enterprise pieces, service and explanatory journalism and longer investigations.
• Develop sources among students, faculty, administrators, workers and policymakers.
• Translate complex policy and budget issues into clear, compelling stories.
• Collaborate with editors, data reporters and engagement teams to maximize impact, including through social video and translating reporting for platforms where it will have further reach.
• Incorporate audience perspectives, especially from underserved communities.
• Anchor a weekly newsletter for CUNY students in New York City.

Qualifications

• Two years of reporting, preferably covering higher education, New York City or both.
• Demonstrated ability to break news and develop stories with impact.
• A track record of centering diverse voices and communities.
• Strong interviewing, writing and reporting skills.
• Comfort working with public records, data and other accountability reporting techniques.

Compensation and Benefits

• Salary range: $66,300 – $74,000, depending on experience. This is a two-year, grant-funded position.
• Comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage.
• Twenty days PTO, holidays, sick and parental leave.
• Professional development opportunities.
• A collaborative, mission-driven newsroom environment.
• This position is part of a partnership with Open Campus, a national nonprofit news organization with a network of local reporters dedicated to covering higher ed for their communities. As part of this collaboration, THE CITY's higher education reporter will become a member of this reporter network and work regularly with a team of Open Campus editors with decades of expertise in the subject matter.