Editorial Director, Business of Sports Initiative

Job Description:

Editorial Director, Business of Sports Initiative 

The Wall Street Journal is seeking an ambitious, high-energy Editorial Director to build out and oversee coverage of the Business of Sports, a newly created and high priority growth area for the business.

The business of sports has evolved tremendously over the last several years with significant growth expected to continue.  As private equity has entered the space in droves, valuations have skyrocketed, and sports have become the marquee asset for brand engagement, the need for sophisticated analysis and validated data to support investment decisions and drive business strategy has never been more necessary.

In this newly created role, you will help recruit and build a team of expert journalists to  cover the latest in sports business deals, team sales, media rights, international markets, emerging US sports, college, NIL, real estate, betting, and more.  You will develop the beats and the overall editorial strategy for the team, creating WSJ’s lane as the go to source for the evolution of Sports as an Asset Class.  

The successful candidate will be able to shepherd daily news at a fast pace, ensuring that major developments are reported with the analytical sweep and context exemplary of the WSJ brand and editorial lens. At the same time, you’ll develop a pipeline of high-impact, revelatory features – from profiles of key figures to stories that take us deep inside the transactions and trends that matter to our core sports business audience.  And, you’ll leverage WSJ’s reputation for financial rigor, investigative reporting, and access to C-suite decision-makers to establish WSJ as the definitive source for sports business coverage.  

Your responsibilities will include working with reporters to brainstorm and sharpen ideas and line editing their stories. You will support the creative development of audio visual content as the business of sports vertical builds out a multimedia programming slate.  You will partner with the leadership team to support new data and editorial products that serve our target sports business audience.  And, you will help shape live events and community offerings that convene major decision-makers across the industry. 

We’re looking for someone who is a builder at heart with a sharp editorial lens who enjoys both big picture strategic thinking and in the weeds managing and producing. 

You will:

• Drive the Journal’s coverage of the business of sports, managing a team of reporters at a high level
• Develop overall editorial strategy for the division and assign and edit stories across the various beats 
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with key players across the sports business and investing world, including private equity, venture capital, team owners, and high net worth / family offices 
• Guide reporters to source insider information about transactions that can inform our data and analytical products
• Partner with leadership and product and technology teams to develop data-driven and editorial products that serve our sports business audience - from newsletters to premium analytics dashboards 

You have:

• At least 12 years of experience in business journalism and command of the dynamics of sports transactions as well as prior coverage of private equity, venture capital, sports management, or similar high-net-worth/institutional investor spaces 
• Proven management experience (ideally 5+ years) with a track record of hiring, developing, and retaining strong journalists.  Comfort with performance feedback and professional development. 
• Track record developing distinctive editorial voice/strategy in a competitive space.  Experience defining and defending an outlet’s editorial positioning
• Experience translating financial analysis into narrative - including comfort with valuation methodology, investment thesis evaluation, and explaining complex deals to sophisticated readers 
• An entrepreneurial, collegial spirit

 

This role reports to the GM, WSJ Sports Business Initiative with a dotted line into the newsroom. 

 

Equal Opportunity Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. EEO/Disabled/Vets

Reasonable Accommodation

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Business Area:

Dow Jones - Wealth & Investing

Job Category:

Editorial/Journalism

Union Status:

Non-Union role

 

Base Pay Range: $250,000 - $305,000

We’re committed to offering competitive and flexible compensation to attract top talent. This pay range reflects our good faith estimate for the role and may vary based on a candidate’s experience, skills, location, and other relevant factors.

For bonus-eligible roles, targets are determined based on multiple considerations, including market benchmarks and individual contributions.

For benefits-eligible roles, we offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package covering health, retirement, wellbeing, and more, along with optional benefits to meet the diverse needs of our employees.