[The Mercury's sister site in Seattle, The Stranger, is hiring a newsy-oriented staff writer to work in their fun, smart office. Could that person be YOU or someone you know? Check out their description below!—eds]

Good news: The Stranger is hiring!

We’re looking to add a full-time staff writer to our small, dynamic team. This position will primarily focus on covering City Hall as Seattle endeavors to replace its mayor, update its council, and steer itself out of the pandemic’s wreckage.

The Stranger transitioned from printing a bi-weekly newspaper to publishing online-only a year ago. As we work to revamp our digital products, we’re seeking applicants who can keep up with the quick pace of digital reporting. This staffer would work with editors to write features, shorter reported pieces, and national/local news roundups, but our ideal candidate would also want to leverage their talent to take charge of this beat.

Want to write strong, reported opinion pieces about Seattle politics and policy? Then please apply! Want to skip the takes and just report it straight with maybe a little snark here and there? Fine by us! Interested in specializing in criminal justice, housing, or labor issues? So are we! Above all, we want someone who’s hungry to break stories that get the city talking, and who’s excited to tell readers what their local elected officials are up to.

Currently, our team employs a hybrid model. We mostly work from home, but we tend to go into our Chinatown-International District office a few days a week to say hi and to collaborate on larger stories.

Ideally, we’d like applicants to possess the following qualities:

• Experience working on a news team—this can include internships and college newspapers.

• A body of work published within the past three years.

• The ability to write clean, concise news copy on a deadline.

• An enthusiastic, can-do attitude and a comfort level with interviewing anyone, from a fast-food worker on strike to the mayor of Seattle.

• Flexibility to move from one story to the next, and time management to juggle multiple stories at once.

• Familiarity with major social media platforms.

• The ability to pitch stories that are unique and relevant to our readers.

• Exceptional grammar and style skills, and the ability to proofread your colleagues' work.

Note: We know that not everyone receives the same professional or educational opportunities, so if you don’t meet all the above qualifications but still think you’d be a good fit, please apply! We especially encourage people of color, members of the LGTBQ+ community, and women to apply.

Again, this is a full-time position with a starting annual salary around $45,000. Benefits include health insurance, dental, vision, paid vacation, paid sick leave, IRA matching, and annual salary review.

Applicants should live in the Seattle metro area, or have the ability to relocate for the job. Ideally, you'll have a familiarity with the area. Our general work schedule is Monday-Friday, but you may be asked to work some evenings and weekends.

Interested applicants should send us a résumé, links/PDFs to at least three published pieces, and three story ideas about City Hall.

Email everything to editorialjob@thestranger.com with the subject line “Staff Writer Application.”

Deadline for applications: 11:59 pm Thursday, August 12, but, like, get on it, please! We’re running a skeleton crew!

We are an equal opportunity employer.