Deputy Research Editor

Job description

ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.

We are seeking a deputy research editor to help lead and strengthen ProPublica’s research team, guiding high-impact investigative work across the newsroom while supporting rigorous, collaborative and responsive research at scale.

The research team plays a critical role in many of ProPublica’s most impactful and widely read stories, contributing deep reporting, verification and sourcing to both long-term investigations and fast-turn accountability journalism. Research reporters regularly earn co-bylines and contributor credits across text, audio and video projects, and they collaborate closely with reporters, editors and partner newsrooms across the country.

The team works at scale and with flexibility, often supporting multiple major investigations while responding to urgent, high-priority requests tied to breaking news. Researchers typically balance two to three long-term projects at a time while fielding short-term needs, providing expertise in public records, financial and government research, OSINT and advanced verification.

This role reports to the research editor, and you’ll work closely together to lead ProPublica’s seven-member research team, which works collaboratively across our national, regional and Local Reporting Network desks.

As Deputy Research Editor, You Will:

• Alongside the research editor, manage research reporters as they work on investigative stories. You’ll directly supervise reporters on the team.

• Serve as an escalation point for research reporters and newsroom staff, helping resolve complex reporting challenges, tight deadlines and sensitive sourcing or verification issues.

• Manage and prioritize incoming research requests, balancing urgent newsroom needs with longer-term investigative projects.

• Partner with the research editor to assign work, shape strategy and ensure consistent, high-quality research support across desks, beats and regions.

• Provide hands-on editorial guidance to research reporters, including coaching on records strategies, advanced sourcing, database use, OSINT techniques and verification.

• Provide hands-on editorial guidance to text editors and reporters, identifying training opportunities in the newsroom, including coaching on records strategies, advanced sourcing, database use, OSINT techniques and verification.

• Collaborate closely with reporters and editors to define research goals, frame investigations and connect the dots across large volumes of information.

• Support and strengthen ProPublica’s research workflows, including documentation, organization and best practices that make work usable across teams.

• Help build and maintain strong relationships with editors, reporters, partner newsrooms and other specialty teams at ProPublica, ensuring research is integrated early and effectively into reporting.

• Contribute to hiring, onboarding, mentoring and giving performance feedback for a distributed research staff.

• Assist with management and administration of, and help inform contract negotiations for, research tools and resources used by the newsroom, including evaluating new technologies, databases and applications relevant to investigative reporting.

• Promote a collaborative, inclusive and supportive team culture that values rigor, curiosity and shared success.

Our Ideal Candidate Will Have:

• At least three years of experience managing a research team, ideally in a journalism capacity. We will prioritize candidates who have managed and supervised staff.

• Significant in-depth research experience, ideally in the investigative journalism context, but we're also open to candidates with deep government or other types of investigative research skills that can be useful to our work.

• In-depth knowledge of financial, corporate, government, legal or OSINT resources.

• An understanding of the use of AI in investigative reporting.

• Deep experience identifying, obtaining, searching and analyzing public records, with a strong understanding of government documents and processes at local, state and federal levels.

• Expert ability to guide staffers in evaluating and vetting information from diverse sources, including proficiency in searching and using premium databases.

• Demonstrated ability to identify and quickly use emerging technologies and applications relevant to investigative research.

• Experience building morale and fostering professional growth in a geographically distributed team.

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with an appetite for working across the newsroom and with external partners.

• Keen attention to detail and a proven ability to synthesize complex information and identify patterns and connections.

• Exceptional organizational, analytical and problem-solving skills, with a proven ability to manage multiple projects, meet tight deadlines and perform effectively under press

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