Senior reporter, immigration

Injustice Watch is hiring a senior reporter to investigate topics at the intersection of immigration and the court system in Cook County and Illinois. Chicago has one of the country’s busiest immigration courts, with more than a quarter million pending cases, a number that is certain to rise if President-elect Trump follows through on his campaign promises to conduct the largest mass deportation in U.S. history. But Cook County’s 1.1 million immigrants also regularly interact with the local court system in numerous ways — as parents in child custody cases, plaintiffs in civil lawsuits, and defendants in criminal cases.

The patchwork of systems serving Chicago’s diverse immigrant communities and the complex web of legal systems with which they interact will be the focus of this reporter’s investigations. The ideal candidate has strong knowledge of the immigration court system and has covered immigration on a local level. We’re looking for someone with a track record of enterprise and investigative reporting. This job is for someone who is committed to listening to and centering communities disproportionately affected by the legal system and to reporting through a racial equity lens.

Responsibilities:
-Generate ideas for ambitious investigative and public-service projects and help lead a team of reporters and residents to execute on them
-Contribute to long-term special projects that shed light on the court system, such as our judicial election guides
-Collaborate with our community partners and Injustice Watch’s audience team to come up with innovative ways to connect community members with our public-service journalism
-Mentor and support less-experienced reporters on our team, both formally and informally, through story discussions, training, and reporting collaborations
-Along with other members of our team, apply an equity lens to our work and ensure that our reporting centers the people most affected by the court system and the issues we cover
-Participate in and maintain an equitable, collaborative, caring, and inclusive newsroom culture

Key skills and experience:
-An investigative mindset, with excellent storytelling, research, and interview skills and a track record of producing watchdog journalism
-The ability to articulate how systems have shaped policy, governance, culture, and inequity in the U.S., and understand critical issues driving current social movements
Experience leading projects or collaborative work and a desire to mentor and support less experienced journalists
-A commitment to maintaining an ethical, honest, accurate, and fair standard in your work
-A strong command of AP style and grammar and the ability to produce clean and accurate copy
-Experience using social media to enhance reporting and promote stories

While nothing below is a requirement, it’s a plus if you are:
-Fluent in Spanish or another language other than English
-Proficient in wrangling large datasets using Excel or programming languages like SQL, R or Python
-Knowledgeable about Chicagoland history, politics, institutions, and communities
-Purpose-driven in your work with a strong ability to self-manage in the workplace
-Adept at using social media, SEO, and other strategies to draw in audiences

We know there are great candidates who might not check all these boxes or who possess other important skills. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself. We also encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and people with disabilities.

Reports to: Managing editor and investigations editor

Time commitment: This is a full-time position based in Chicago. Our regular working hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Injustice Watch offers flex-time. While there is no regular requirement to work from our downtown office, employees are encouraged to use it as needed and are required to attend some in-person meetings and events.

Compensation and benefits:
Salary: $85,000 to $100,000, commensurate with experience.

Benefits of working at Injustice Watch:
-Vacation time (12 days in first year)
-Sick leave (12 days per year)
-Holidays (13 days per year, plus a paid winter break)
-Summer Fridays
-Family leave (6 months, including 3 months fully paid and 3 months of flexible leave)
-Health, dental, and vision insurance
-Annual professional development and workspace stipend ($1,500)
-Phone and internet stipend ($50/month)
-Flexible work schedule
-401K plan

About Injustice Watch:
Injustice Watch is a Chicago-based nonprofit journalism organization that examines issues of equity and justice in the court system.

Our goal is one of public service: to listen to and center people affected by institutional injustices and provide our community with the perspectives, information, and resources needed to hold power to account. We promote transparency and accountability in the court system through our large-scale, investigative projects. We work to ensure equitable access to information and strengthen democracy through intentional audience engagement and community-building.

Our work is guided by our core values of accessibility, collaboration, and care. Since launching in 2015, Injustice Watch’s reporting has shifted policy and legislation, prompted investigations, sparked town halls and community conversations, helped increase voter participation in judicial elections, prompted resignations or firings of those found to have abused their power, and resulted in the resentencing and release of people who were wrongfully convicted. More detailed examples of Injustice Watch’s impact can be found here