Sports Editor, Chron
Chron is looking for a Sports Editor who’s focused on what Houston fans care about most—both on the field and off. The ideal candidate will create unique coverage that drives cultural conversations surrounding Houston’s and Texas’ teams, athletes, and events and speak with an authoritative Texas perspective about American sports culture. We count on our sports editor to know what fans want and understand what people will be talking about tomorrow. They’ll be expected to write or assign everything from quick articles about games, trades, or disputes taking place on social media to longer form, thoughtfully reported features to evergreen stories about the Texas sports landscape and its history. We’re also looking for someone who can help Chron leadership strategize about the direction of sports coverage and the future of the site. Chron’s Sports Editor should have a strong background in writing and reporting features, but be able to type and publish stories quickly when the news calls for it, edit well, and ideally come with and continue to build a roster of freelancers who can fill out our daily coverage.
Primary Responsibilities:
Excellent news judgement and feature writing skills Excellent reporting, researching, and interviewing skills Strong copy-editing skills and knowledge of AP Style Familiarity with the needs of the Houston and Texas audience Familiarity with national digital media landscape Familiarity with content management systems
Competencies/Critical Skills:
Find unique angles on sports coverage, craft features and franchises that draw national attention Quickly cover newsworthy moments as they happen to capitalize on social and search traffic Juggle responsibilities, including reporting, writing, editing topic pages and posting on social media Balance daily, weekly, and longer-lead deadlines, working off hours when necessary
Describe the most challenging aspect of this position:
Redeveloping Chron’s daily coverage of sports, finding new stories and unique ideas Crafting features, franchises, and projects that are exciting to readers inside and outside of Texas Covering a variety of sports, from the Astros and Texans to high school football and World Cup 2026
What type of decisions does this position refer to others for approval?
Long-term editorial strategy and priorities Development of long form features, franchises, and projects
Measures of success for this position include:
Overall traffic performance in aims of meeting daily and monthly goals Strategically deploying writers and widening Chron’s sports audience and appetite Creating an editorial calendar, marking specific dates and events to strategize coverage Meeting deadlines and keeping pace with publishing schedule while improving work quality Mentions, links, shares, and pickups of stories from prominent third-party publications Reader shares and other engagement with stories on social media platforms Overall increase of unique in-DMA visitors and loyal in-DMA visitors
Experience, qualifications, technical requirements, education:
Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications or English At least eight years of experience in reporting and editing, including five years in sports Preferred knowledge of Houston’s teams and players, personalities, and popular culture Preferred experience using Chartbeat, Google Analytics, Looker, or other analytics tools Experience working in a CMS and publishing to digital platforms preferred
About the Houston Chronicle:
The Houston Chronicle, recognized for its Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism, serves its 2.3 million residents with content and marketing solutions across two of Houston’s largest websites — HoustonChronicle.com and Chron.com, along with our magazine, television and newspaper brands. Our mission is to spark conversations that inspire action to create a better Houston. All our content and the innovative business solutions we provide invite Houstonians to join conversations about a community we’ve been committed to covering and helping prosper for more than 120 years. The community we all call home.
WHAT WE OFFER:
There has never been a more exciting time to join the Houston Chronicle. Our business is growing and transforming every day. Advertisers are partnering with us to help them navigate new marketing strategies in today’s increasingly complex digital environment. Simply put, the Houston Chronicle is a media company that uses its rich history and data to deliver the most impactful media campaigns for our customers. We leverage our substantial audience reach, coupled with best in class advertising solutions to keep our customer’s brand in front of the right people at the right time.
Why are we different? Our people! Our company is diverse and filled with smart, passionate people who want to make a difference in their community, regardless of the role they play in the company. We offer an upbeat and collaborative working environment and expect our people to challenge the norm.
About Hearst Newspapers:
With 2,500 employees across the nation, HNP encompasses a network of 24 daily and 52 weekly publications, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News and Albany Times Union, several top digital-only news and lifestyle sites, marketing services businesses, and entertainment businesses such as King Features Syndicate.
At HNP, we are investing in new and innovative ways to tell stories – growing newsrooms, diversifying tools, evolving platforms – to support the millions of people who trust us each month to help them make decisions, take action and be inspired.
Be a part of something bigger – your headline awaits.
Recognizing the diverse needs of our candidates, if you are interested in applying for employment and need assistance or an accommodation to use our website or regarding the application process, please contact us by email at hnpemployment@hearst.com. Please do not use this email address to inquire about the status of applications. We will only respond to inquiries concerning requests for a reasonable accommodation through this email address.
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