Youth Sports Reporter

Strengthening and empowering all of the communities we serve.

NJ.com is seeking a self-motivated Youth Sports Reporter to build a first-of-its-kind coverage area for our high school sports team: New Jersey youth and travel sports.

In this newly created role, you will expand our reporting beyond high school athletes and into the world of youth sports - covering athletes as young as 6 and up to high school age - across every sport and every corner of the state. This is a chance to help make NJ.com one of the only major media organizations in the country with a dedicated youth sports beat, reaching an entirely new audience of parents, coaches and young athletes.

We're looking for someone who thrives on building something from the ground up: someone who can develop a wide network of contacts across travel programs and tournaments, turn that network into a steady stream of recaps, rankings and roundups, and spot the bigger stories - injury trends, scandals, tech innovations - shaping youth sports today. Live-streaming opportunities are also a major part of this beat, giving parents access to games they can't find anywhere else online.

The base salary range for this role is $65,000-$75,000 annually.

This role will require reliable transportation to attend games, tournaments and events across the state, and will include night and weekend hours.

What you'll be doing:

• Cover youth and travel sports athletes (ages 6 to 14) across every sport statewide.
• Recap major tournaments, highlight top performers, and compile rankings on a regular basis.
• Report on the broader youth sports landscape, including injury trends, scandals and tech innovations.
• Build and maintain a network of contacts across travel programs and tournaments who supply game and tournament roundups.
• Help drive subscriptions by publishing the names and performances of hundreds of youth athletes across the state.
• Identify and pursue live-streaming opportunities for youth sporting events not currently available anywhere else online.
• Work collaboratively with the high school sports team to build out this coverage area from scratch.
• Engage with our audiences, as needed, on social media platforms.

Our ideal candidate will have the following:

• Bachelor's degree in journalism, communications, or an equivalent combination of education and work experience
• A minimum of 3 years of relevant experience
• A self-starter excited to build a brand-new beat from the ground up.
• Strong reporting and writing skills, with the ability to produce both quick-hit recaps and longer features.
• An ability to develop sources and relationships with travel program organizers, coaches and tournament directors.
• Familiarity with the New Jersey youth and travel sports landscape, or the ability to learn it quickly.
• An ability to work independently under tight deadlines while juggling a wide range of sports and age groups.
• Comfort with live-streaming tools and technology, or a willingness to learn.