This new leadership role is a key part of our mission to support accountability journalism at the local level. The Managing Director will oversee the day-to-day operations of Big Local News, helping to scale our work, manage partnerships, and support both editorial and technical goals.

We’re looking for someone with experience in journalism—ideally with a background in data journalism or digital innovation—who is excited to help lead a growing organization that supports local reporters through data, tools, and collaboration.

This position will contribute to the ongoing development of Big Local News as part of a sustainable infrastructure supporting local journalism.

Who we are and what we’re working on

It’s too hard for local journalists to access public records about policing, public health, government, and other vital topics.

Big Local News, based at Stanford University, aims to solve this problem by gathering data, building tools, and working with reporters to produce journalism that makes an impact. Our platform at biglocalnews.org allows journalists—freelancers, small outlets, and national partnerships alike—to archive, access, and collaborate on data for public-interest reporting.

Here’s more about the role.

This is a two-year fixed-term position, with the possibility of renewal. The role is based at Stanford University in the Journalism Program. We prefer candidates who can work in-person or hybrid. Working remotely is not a possibility.

Expectations for the role include:

  • Overseeing day-to-day operations of Big Local News, including staff coordination, story and project development, and communications
  • Helping shape and support strategic goals, from editorial direction to platform development
  • Managing and growing partnerships with newsrooms, funders, and other collaborators
  • Supporting collaborations with Stanford students and faculty, including hands-on project guidance
  • Representing Big Local News in public, academic, and professional settings
  • Helping build a sustainable, mission-driven organization that supports accountability journalism through data

We’re looking for someone with:

  • Professional journalism experience (data journalism, investigative, or digital innovation especially valued)
  • A collaborative mindset and a strong track record of managing teams or complex projects
  • A deep interest in accountability reporting and improving access to public records
  • Experience working with or alongside journalists, developers, or product teams
  • Strong organizational and communication skills -Familiarity with grant-funded or nonprofit journalism environments is a plus

This is a unique opportunity to help shape a growing organization at the intersection of data, technology, and journalism. If interested, apply for the job at this link via the Stanford hiring portal.

Apply for the job here, and if you have questions, feel free to reach out to Big Local News Co-Directors Serdar Tumgoren at [email protected] and Cheryl Phillips at [email protected].

About Big Local News

Learn more at biglocalnews.org and visit our About page.

Big Local News, situated in the journalism program in the Department of Communication at Stanford, allows journalists – whether freelancers, reporters from one company or collaborators across multiple news organizations – to share data and work together as they report out stories. Our work is designed to be journalist-driven and transformative, to help find solutions for local newsrooms’ ability to produce accountability journalism and create impact. The Stanford Journalism program’s mission is to serve the public’s need for facts in a just, self-governed society. We develop tools to make it easier to discover important stories and lower the cost of accountability journalism through better use of data and algorithms. We aim to be pioneers in the field of computational journalism, partnering with media and technology companies and with faculty and students from the social sciences and engineering.