Join our team

Join our small but mighty team, known for punching above our weight with data-driven investigative journalism that informs crucial conversations about race and equity.

At the Investigative Project on Race and Equity, we’re all about facts, not opinions. Our work exposes systemic racism by uncovering discriminatory practices and shining a light on abuses of power that drive racial and economic disparities. Through data and deep-dive investigations, we tell stories that inform people about social issues—and we build and analyze databases to bring systemic injustice into focus.

We have an opening for a seasoned investigative journalist to join our team as Investigations Editor. This position is ideal for someone who’s driven to uncover injustice, likes to be a player coach when needed and is excited to mentor the next generation of reporters. If you’re energized by working with rising talent, thrive in building community among journalists and will do whatever it takes to keep an investigation on track and hold yourself, and your peers, to the highest standards of journalism, this might be for you.

As our Investigations Editor, you’ll lead a talented team of reporters in ambitious investigative projects about social and economic issues facing Chicago and communities of color. Our organization is rooted in collaboration, providing training and building editorial partnerships to help newsrooms across the city amplify stories from underrepresented communities. This role is tailor-made for a collaborative leader who can build powerful partnerships, helping both our team and other newsrooms elevate investigative reporting across the city and beyond. You’ll work alongside various media organizations, educational and cultural institutions sharing resources, insights and strategies to maximize impact.

Job Overview:
We seek a dedicated, experienced and collaborative Investigations Editor to lead our editorial team in producing impactful, data-driven journalism. The Investigations Editor will play a crucial role in shaping content strategy, creating and managing editorial processes and ensuring the quality and integrity of the reporting. This role requires a strong journalistic background and a commitment to service leadership.

Key Responsibilities:
Editorial Leadership:

• Provide strategic direction and vision for the investigative team in alignment with the organization's mission and goals.

• Collaborate with reporters, writers and editors to identify and prioritize key investigative projects and stories. 

• Oversee the planning, execution and evaluation of all investigative content, ensuring deadlines and high journalistic standards are met.

• Foster a culture of excellence, creativity and innovation within the editorial team.

• Develop and execute content strategies that are revelatory, engaging and support the nonprofit mission.

Editorial Management:

• Manage a team of reporters, apprentices and other editorial contributors, providing guidance, feedback and mentorship.

• Coordinate editorial workflows, deadlines and assignments to produce efficient and timely investigative content.

Quality Control:

• Review and edit articles for accuracy, clarity and adherence to journalistic standards.

• Collaborate with media partners on story selection, reporting and editing and data interpretation.

• Oversee fact-checking, verify data and reporting sources and ensure legal compliance.

Community Engagement:

• Collaborate with the engagement team to ensure editorial content is packaged for online platforms and social media to expand the audience and enhance engagement.

• Foster connections and collaborations with local communities and key stakeholders.

• Participate in outreach efforts to build and maintain relationships with readers and supporters.

Collaboration:

• Collaborate with the executive director and the fundraising team to support grant applications and donor relations, as needed.

• Serve as the liaison to the Advisory Council’s Collaborations Committee.

Qualifications:

• Proven experience landing investigative and enterprise projects.

• Bachelor's degree and/or significant experience in journalism, including five years as an editor or investigative reporter.

• Strong editorial judgment and ethical principles.

• Excellent writing and editing skills.

• Experience with data-driven journalistic investigations and computer-assisted reporting.

• Familiarity with digital publishing tools and content management systems necessary to manage editorial content.

• Exceptional communication, teamwork and project management skills.

• Commitment to nonprofit journalism and the mission of the Investigative Project.

Compensation: Salary is $80,000. Benefits include three weeks paid vacation, health-care coverage and a flexible schedule. The editor will have the ability to work remotely but must live in the Chicago area. 

To apply: Send a cover letter, resume and 3-5 clips of investigative or enterprise work that you've written and/or edited to info@raceandequityproject.org. In your cover letter, describe an investigation or enterprise project that you worked on where something surprising or revelatory was uncovered, either through FOIA requests, interviews or data analysis. Describe how you knew you were onto something impactful, and what it took to bring the story to light.

Join our small but mighty team, known for punching above its weight with data-driven investigative journalism about Chicago that informs crucial conversations about race and equity. This is a one-year, full-time position that is Chicago-based. The position is grant-funded with the possibility to be renewed.

At the Investigative Project on Race and Equity, we’re all about facts, not opinions. Our work exposes systemic racism by uncovering discriminatory practices and shining a light on abuses of power that drive racial and economic disparities. Through data and deep-dive investigations, we tell stories that inform people about social issues—and we build and analyze databases to bring systemic injustice into focus.

We’re seeking a Chicago-based reporter to pursue signature, award-winning in-depth investigative reporting on racial equity to be published in partnership with a national news organization. The Investigative Project on Race and Equity is also a training institute, which would allow reporters the opportunity to develop data skills, learn from a community of seasoned journalists and work on a collaborative team of mission-driven journalists.

The ideal candidate is a dogged reporter with great story ideas, the ability to produce revelatory and unique stories, and the ability to chase down public records, data and sources to reveal disparities within Chicago. They must have at least three years of full-time professional experience and a proven ability to land enterprise stories. Candidates must produce a 500-word (maximum) investigative project pitch for a year-long investigative project that is revelatory, impactful and has a strong racial equity angle.

Responsibilities include:

• Write investigative stories in collaboration with media partners

• Conduct research to uncover revelatory findings

• Obtain data and other public records

• Gather, corroborate and interpret data and documents

• Develop sources and interview a range of people 

• Maintain notes with meticulous documentation of reporting tasks and time spent on project 

• Fact-checking

 Qualifications:

• Commitment to investigative and data journalism

• Between three and five years of professional reporting experience, including work on investigative, public-interest journalism.

• Strong writing skills

• Excellent communication and interviewing skills

• Knowledge of and comfort with math and dedication to learning new data skills.

• Ability to meet deadlines and fact-check information 

• Ability to work cooperatively with a diverse group of peers and sources

The most successful candidates will possess the following:

• Ability to develop project ideas and juggle quick, mid-range and long-term investigations

• Highly organized and detail-oriented

• A strong commitment to the mission

• Personal and professional integrity

To apply, please send a resume, five clips (text file, not links) and your 500-word investigative project pitch in a single .pdf that is under 5MB in size to info@raceandequityproject.org.