BuzzFeed

BuzzFeed is the world’s leading tech-powered, diversified media company that reaches hundreds of millions of people globally through its cross-platform news and entertainment network. The company produces articles, lists, quizzes, videos, and original series; lifestyle content through brands including Tasty, the world’s largest social food network; original reporting and investigative journalism through BuzzFeed News and HuffPost; an industry-leading affiliate business, strategic partnerships, licensing and product development through BuzzFeed Commerce; and original productions across broadcast, cable, SVOD, film and digital platforms for BuzzFeed Studios.

The Role 

BuzzFeed News is hiring a Deputy News Director on its Breaking news team to help lead its coverage of the biggest news of the day and week, may they be happening online or IRL.

The deputy news director role is one of the most dynamic at BuzzFeed News. It involves assigning coverage, line editing, big picture editing, developing coverage strategy and story ideas, managing and developing a team of reporters, helping launch new initiatives for the Breaking team at large, and serving as a leader for other desks around the newsroom. 

In one week you could be at the helm of our coverage of a devastating hurricane, the next week you could be guiding reporters on the ground for a series of pieces on a building collapse, the next you could be navigating coverage of the latest meme, the next you could be shepherding an investigation into working conditions on the Ellen Degeneres Show. 

Throughout it all, the deputy director should be comfortable guiding coverage in the moment and advancing the sharp and thoughtful questions and angles that could lead to exclusive, creative, or truly distinct coverage. This desk is smart about the pitfalls of breaking news reporting in the internet age — such as running too quickly with assumptions — and this editor should be able to avoid them.

The deputy director has to develop a strong sense of the BuzzFeed News reader, and how we serve them, balancing the news of the day with the news of the week and month. What story is one-and-done? What needs followup? What needs a drumbeat of reporting? What should be a deeper dive? 

The person also has to embrace BuzzFeed News’s voice — we don’t mince words, we speak the language of the internet, and we can be witty and funny.

You Will 

The deputy director will report to the Breaking News Co-Director, and will manage several reporters on the breaking news desk. The schedule for this role is Tuesday through Saturday, starting at 8 a.m. ET on the weekdays and later in the morning on the weekend.  On Saturday, the deputy director will be in the critical position of being the leader of the newsroom, making coverage decisions and deciding how BuzzFeed News should spend its resources.

This editor will often be the only layer between copy that is filed and published. Therefore the editor needs strong line editing skills, or the ability and desire to develop them, knowing how to edit for grammar, clarity, accuracy, and the most engaging language possible.

The deputy director will need to be an empathetic and candid manager who is supportive of staff and is dedicated to growing their careers. They should be able to communicate with reports about the things that are working and the things that are not working, and to address the latter issues head-on and find solutions. They should think of management holistically, building a strong relationship with the security team, legal team, and other resources to make sure we can support BuzzFeed News’s journalists fully. 

The deputy director will be expected to speak up and share coverage ideas in team and newsroom coverage discussions, and will need to be proactive about assigning coverage.

We at BuzzFeed News recognize that not every candidate will come in with fully developed skills in editing, managing, and coverage strategy — building the skills for a long career is a lifelong process. We will work with the successful candidate to identify their strong areas and to amplify them, and to identify their areas of improvement and to improve upon them.

To Apply

Please include a resume; either writing or editing clips; and, if you wish, a brief cover letter. We may ask some applicants to respond to specific questions in a brief memo outlining their strategy for this role, and take an editing test.

It is BuzzFeed's practice to not schedule job interviews until after an application is submitted through our jobs board.

Life at BuzzFeed

At BuzzFeed, we believe our work benefits from the diverse perspectives of our employees. As such, BuzzFeed celebrates inclusion and is committed to equal opportunity employment. At BuzzFeed, you can expect:

• A supportive, inclusive atmosphere on a team that values your contributions
• Opportunities for personal and professional growth through work experience, offerings from our in-house Learning @ BuzzFeed team, our Employee Resource Groups, and more
• An attractive and equitable compensation package, including salary and stock options
• A generous benefits program featuring PTO, unlimited sick time, comprehensive medical benefits, a family leave policy, access to mental health platforms, retirement plans, gym and wellness discounts, and much more.

BuzzFeed is the world’s leading tech-powered media company, with a cross-platform news and entertainment network that reaches hundreds of millions of people globally. The company aims to spread truth and joy across the internet by producing articles, lists, quizzes, videos, original series; lifestyle content through brands including Tasty, the world’s largest social food network; original reporting and investigative journalism through BuzzFeed News; strategic partnerships, licensing and product development through BuzzFeed Marketing; and original productions across broadcast, cable, SVOD, film and digital platforms for BuzzFeed Studios. 

BuzzFeed is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, and will not be discriminated against based on age, race, gender, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability or any other protected category.

At BuzzFeed, we want all employees to feel safe and comfortable when they engage in any in-person meetings, when visiting the office, or when working from an offsite production or meeting location. As part of this commitment to health and safety, BuzzFeed requires COVID-19 vaccines for current U.S. employees, including all newly hired employees. Requests for accommodation per applicable law for health and/or religious reasons will be considered. Union employees are subject to what is outlined in their applicable collective bargaining agreement.