The Spinoff is seeking applications for the role of business journalist, starting February 2020.
The Spinoff is seeking a journalist to run our business section. Primarily a writing and reporting role, they will also commission and edit from within our (we think) excellent group of staff writers, and occasionally outside the room too.
Our business coverage centres on what we see as the coming New Zealand economy. Startups, small to medium-sized businesses, tech, social enterprise and high-growth industries – the diverse and fast-evolving entities which will help propel the next phase of our economy. We also cover media too – because it’s such a fascinating area right now. We’re interested, too, in how business goes wrong: when it fails investors, staff or customers, we want to know how and why.
That doesn’t mean ignoring the corporate side. When there are stories of national significance, we want them decoded for an audience which might otherwise skip the business pages. That means thinking about style, framing and tone – we think business is as important and interesting as any other area of New Zealand life, and can be made a subject of broad appeal. The successful candidate will understand this, and be able to make stories pop.
What they won’t necessarily be is a seasoned business journalist. We are seeking an experienced journalist, with a minimum three years in newsrooms. But if you’re a strong writer and reporter with an interest in and knowledge of business who hasn’t done a huge amount in the area yet, we’d love to hear from you. The critical thing is to have ideas and energy and an interest in making business writing and reporting relevant to as broad a section of people as possible.
The output will be a mix of short, punchy responses to events, along with features and profiles. Here are a few examples of stories which have run in The Spinoff’s business section which we believe represent the scope of our work.
- The tale of two bitter rival noodle houses stood side-by-side: each with the same name.
- A deep dive into the business model and tactics of Crimson Education
- Unpicking a social media campaign which seemed too weird to be real
- The World labelling controversy
- A big purple weapon against exploitative South Auckland truck shops
- Some labelled partnerships, like this profile of Kiwibank’s unconventional chief economist
Since its launch in 2014, The Spinoff has rapidly grown within New Zealand media, sporting everything from features and commentary to podcasts to a book (out now, via Penguin). We consider ourselves a digital magazine, specialising in longer-form writing, analysis and informed opinion. Our business section has performed incredibly well, winning both specialist and mainstream awards, and breaking stories of national significance. Tellingly, both its previous two editors have been recruited to major roles at larger entities (we’re very sad to be farewelling Maria Slade, off to a senior position at the NBR in the new year). While losing key staff is not something we enjoy, it is a verdict on what we have accomplished.
We need someone enthusiastic, capable, engaged and a little bit obsessive who really loves business and gets it. There will be some work with our major sponsor, Kiwibank, but that will be limited – the core of the job is finding and writing great business stories.
If you’re interested in working at The Spinoff and helping shape a new kind of business coverage, we’d like to hear from you.
If you have any questions, or would like to apply please contact duncan@thespinoff.co.nz by January 23, 2020. Applications should be accompanied by a CV and brief cover letter.