About you:

Star Tribune is seeking an experienced reporter to write deeply reported and thoughtfully crafted stories about energy, natural resources and sustainability in Minnesota. We are looking to cover the changing world of energy in the state, from traditional power companies to the growing investment in alternative energy.

The beat includes covering Xcel Energy, which is ranked 244th on the Fortune 500 list and serves millions of electric and natural gas customers, and CenterPoint Energy, ranked 308th on the Fortune 500 list. Coverage also includes the state regulatory process, with a focus on pipelines and the Iron Range mining industry – iron ore, nickel, taconite and manganese, a key ingredient in electric vehicle batteries.

The successful applicant will have a proven track record in a previous beat and a willingness to dive deeply and aggressively into how energy affects Minnesota’s economy and innovation. Solid news judgment and the drive to produce top-level enterprise are essential. You must be a self-starter, able to react to breaking news – such as rate increases or Xcel Energy’s radioactive water leak at its Monticello nuclear power plant – as well conceptualize in-depth stories that aren’t immediately obvious. Strong news writing and reporting skills are key, along with a demonstrated ability to develop enterprise stories and to make stories stand out digitally.

You must also be able to collaborate on a team with editors, photographers, producers, designers and other reporters.

About us:

Our goals for this position are lofty but also reflect Minnesota’s place as a national leader in business and innovation. The state is home to 18 Fortune 500 companies, including UnitedHealth Group, Target, Best Buy, 3M, CHS, U.S. Bancorp, General Mills, Hormel, Ecolab, Land O’Lakes, Ameriprise Financial and Polaris. Also headquartered here are such industry leaders as the Mayo Clinic, Medtronic, Boston Scientific and Sun Country.

Minnesota also supports a thriving community of startups (insurer Bright Health raised $924 million in its IPO in 2021) and entrepreneurs, with growth often driven by people of color, women and immigrants.

What happens in Minnesota has state, national and global reach.

Other qualifications:

• Skilled and comfortable on all social media platforms, and constantly thinking of the best ways to reach our audience with your stories.
• An excellent writer, able to tackle several complex stories or issues at the same time.
• Willing to collaborate and share ideas with other reporters on your team and across the newsroom.
• Adept at posting quickly to the website and eager to embrace emerging digital story forms, such as newsletters, that help engage new readers.
• A sense of humor, resilience and respect.

Our benefits:

We offer a smart, engaged audience. Minnesota ranks sixth nationally for the best public schools, with the second-highest percentage of high school diploma holders (93%), and Minneapolis ranks as the fifth most educated city in the U.S.

We offer an ambitious environment. Star Tribune, which won a Pulitzer Prize for breaking news in 2021 and was a finalist (led by two reporters on the Business team) in 2022, is the third-largest daily newspaper and the fourth-largest Sunday newspaper by total paid print circulation. Our growing digital audience has more than 100,000 subscribers.

We have a strong and committed Business department, a team of 18 reporters and editors – among the largest at regional newspapers. We’re serious about business, but also collaborative and kind. We prioritize a healthy work-life balance.

Our benefits package is competitive and comprehensive, including medical and dental; short- and long-term disability; health savings account; 401K with a discretionary employer match, and profit sharing. We also offer a hybrid work model, paid parenting leave, tuition reimbursement and commuter benefits.

Some great, experienced journalists may not fulfill every skill we’re seeking. But don’t count yourself out because we’re not counting you out. Other skills – business acumen, passion, critical thinking, an ability to learn quickly – are just as valuable and weighed accordingly. If that’s you, reach out and tell us about yourself. Star Tribune is committed to creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace and encourages qualified applicants of all backgrounds – including members of traditionally underrepresented communities – to apply, including people of color, people who are differently abled, LBGTQ and nonbinary people. Star Tribune is a Veteran Friendly employer.

Pay for this full-time position starts at $79,000 a year, with a minimum of four years’ experience. Wages are noted in the contract of Star Tribune and the Minnesota Newspaper and Communications Guild.

To apply: Please upload a resume and a memo outlining how you would approach the beat, along with a link to your work portfolio.

Questions? Email Courtnay Kim, Assistant Managing Editor - Business at courtnay.kim@startribune.com.