Story Desk Manager

About TEGNA

TEGNA Inc. helps people thrive in their local communities by providing the trusted local news and services that matter most. With 64 television stations in 51 U.S. markets, TEGNA reaches more than 100 million people monthly across the web, mobile apps, streaming, and linear television. Together, we are building a sustainable future for local news.

WOI/KCWI, TEGNA’s ABC and CW affiliates serving the Des Moines–Ames DMA, has an opening for a Story Desk Manager. As the Story Desk Manager, you will lead the Story Management Desk (SMD), a unified desk that brings together the traditional functions of the assignment and digital desks.

The SMD model creates a single, streamlined workflow for discovering, planning, producing and curating stories across platforms. This position will play a central role in coordinating news coverage across the Des Moines–Ames market and communities throughout central Iowa.

Position Overview:

The Story Desk Manager works alongside the News Director and other newsroom leaders to oversee daily editorial decisions while helping set the newsroom's broader content and audience strategy.

You will guide our team of journalists in story discovery, development and presentation across all platforms with a strong digital- and streaming-first mindset. The Story Desk Manager oversees breaking news coverage across platforms and helps lead strategy for WeAreIowa.com, the Local 5 mobile app, We Are Iowa+ streaming platforms and social media.

This role is about more than managing the daily assignment file. The Story Desk Manager helps determine which stories we pursue, how we tell them, where they should be published or streamed, and how we can maximize their reach and impact.

We're looking for an exceptional, people-focused leader who can coach journalists, develop coverage plans and help grow audiences across platforms while maintaining a relentless focus on stories that matter to Iowans. Analyzing audience data, identifying trends and translating those insights into actionable guidance for the newsroom are also critical parts of the role.

The ability to identify and pursue stories that are urgent, impactful and distinctly local is essential. This leader should be able to respond quickly to breaking news, calmly manage rapidly changing situations, pivot coverage when necessary, solve problems creatively and guide a multi-platform newsroom through both the daily news cycle and major breaking stories.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee daily coverage decisions and reporter assignments with the goal of owning the biggest and most important stories in the Des Moines–Ames DMA.
• Lead the Story Management Desk and ensure strong coordination among Story Desk Editors, reporters, MSJs, photojournalists, producers and newsroom managers.
• Determine the best format and platform for each story — including broadcast, web, mobile, streaming, social and vertical video — and establish reasonable timelines for delivery of those elements.
• Work closely with the News Director to program and grow We Are Iowa+, identifying opportunities for live coverage, breaking news, weather, special programming and original streaming content.
• Look beyond the daily news cycle and develop coverage plans for upcoming events, enterprise stories and major news opportunities across central Iowa.
• Lead regular story check-ins throughout the day to evaluate reporting progress, sharpen story focus and ensure content is being delivered effectively across platforms.
• Analyze and actively use audience data and performance metrics to inform editorial decisions, identify opportunities and create accountability for results.
• Help develop and execute strategies to grow audiences across WeAreIowa.com, the Local 5 mobile app, We Are Iowa+, social media and emerging platforms.
• Ensure competitive, engaging and impactful content across broadcast and digital platforms.
• Identify opportunities to extend major stories beyond a single newscast or article through follow-up reporting, streaming coverage, vertical video, explainers and other platform-specific storytelling.
• Collaborate with other departments to identify opportunities to grow and monetize the success of our digital and streaming platforms while maintaining editorial independence.
• Alongside Story Desk Editors, provide editorial support for MSJs, producers and photojournalists, including reviewing scripts, videos and digital content for accuracy, grammar, AP style, digital best practices, fairness and ethical considerations.
• Lead and communicate newsroom coverage during breaking news and severe weather, ensuring teams are coordinated across broadcast, digital, streaming and social platforms.
• Maintain strong awareness of developing stories throughout the Des Moines metro, Ames and communities across the DMA, ensuring our coverage reflects the entire market we serve.
• Foster a newsroom culture that values urgency, enterprise reporting, collaboration, experimentation and audience-focused storytelling.
• Uphold TEGNA's journalistic standards and values across all platforms.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in journalism, communications or a related field, or 3-5 years of journalism experience in a local newsroom, digital production or related role.
• Superior news judgment and the ability to make fast, sound editorial decisions under pressure.
• Proven record of successfully coordinating breaking news and major developing stories.
• Experience managing, coaching or leading a team of journalists.
• Demonstrated knowledge of assignment desk, digital desk or content desk operations.
• Strong understanding of digital journalism, streaming, social media and multi-platform storytelling.
• Experience analyzing audience data and identifying behavioral and content-performance trends. Experience with Google Analytics or similar audience measurement tools is a major plus.
• Experience helping transform newsroom workflows, systems or news-gathering operations.
• Impeccable organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple stories, crews and platforms simultaneously.
• Demonstrated success as both a team leader and collaborative newsroom partner.
• Strong written and verbal communication, conflict-resolution and interpersonal skills.
• Familiarity with Iowa and the Des Moines–Ames DMA is a plus.
• Ability to work a variety of shifts, including nights, early mornings, weekends, overtime and breaking news situations as needed.
• Knowledge of AP Style is a plus.

Benefits: 

TEGNA offers comprehensive benefits designed to safeguard the physical, mental and financial health of our employees and their families. TEGNA offers two medical plan options for full and part-time employees through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, as well as access to dental and eye care coverage; fertility, surrogacy and adoption assistance; disability and life insurance.

Our 401(k) program offers full, part-time and temporary employees the opportunity to contribute 1% - 80% of their pay on a pre-tax basis to TEGNA’s 401(k). Contributions made up to the first 4% of pay are eligible for a 100% match from the company and are 100% vested from day one.

Regardless of participation in TEGNA medical plans, ALL employees and their eligible family members receive nine free virtual doctor’s appointments with a physician through Teladoc, and 12 free annual therapy sessions with a licensed clinician through Spring Health.

TEGNA offers a generous Paid Time Off (PTO) benefit as well as nine paid holidays per year. 

* Some jobs are covered by a collective bargaining agreement and thus some or all of the benefits described herein may not apply. For example, some newsroom bargaining unit employees receive health and retirement benefits under plans administered by the union.

EEO statement:

TEGNA Inc. is a proud equal opportunity employer. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, hiring and developing individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences to add to our collaborative culture. We value and consider applications from all qualified candidates without regard to actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, disability, medical condition, enrollment in college or vocational school, political affiliation, military or veteran status, citizenship status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law. TEGNA will reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable law. If you are in need of an accommodation in order to submit your application, please email askhr@tegna.com 

Recruiting Fraud Alert:

To all candidates: your personal information and online safety are important to us. Only TEGNA Recruiters or Hiring Managers will reach out to you regarding consideration of your application or background.  Communications with TEGNA employees will either come from a TEGNA email address with a domain of tegna.com or one of our affiliate station domains.  

Recruiters or Hiring Managers will never request payments, ask for financial account information or sensitive information such as social security numbers.