Director - Elections

Overview

Versant Media is hiring a Director of Elections to oversee editorial, technical and analytical aspects of elections coverage and voter polls. This person will work across television and digital editorial teams, as well as operations and technology, along with our vote data and voter poll providers, to ensure market-leading coverage of U.S. primary and general elections for MS NOW, the leading platform for political coverage, and CNBC, the leader in business and financial news.

The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of the U.S. electoral system, as well as expertise in data analysis, statistical models and polling.

• Work with vote count and exit poll providers to manage incoming data, analyze it for audience consumption, and deliver key insights to editorial teams across platforms.
• Assess race projections from outside vendor and provide guidance to newsroom colleagues on how to report them.
• Cultivate and maintain source relationships with secretaries of state and other elections officials across the country.
• Train newsroom staff on how to access and interpret elections and polling data for audiences across news platforms.
• Manage Versant’s relationships with vote count and exit poll providers to ensure data quality and accuracy.
• Collaborate with editorial teams and exit-poll provider on survey design and questions.
• Work with technical colleagues to create newsroom data access and fuel online and television graphics presentation of elections and polling data.
• Assist reporters and producers across news platforms in finding and utilizing polling and elections data in their reporting.
• Set and maintain editorial standards for use of outside political polls.
• Lead any future partnerships or initiatives around polling and elections data.

• 10+ years of experience covering elections and voting for a national news organization.
• Experience in polling, data analysis and statistical modeling.
• Excellent collaborative skills and proven track record of working across disparate teams and constituencies.
• Strong communicator who is able to translate complex data into clear, comprehensible talking points and graphics.
• Well-organized and able to handle multiple projects in high-pressure situations.
• Experience setting and maintaining high editorial and ethical standards for polls and other data-driven editorial initiatives.
• Proven ability to work on tight deadlines.
• Source relationships with elections and government officials.

• Must be willing to work in New York, NY.
• Must have unrestricted work authorization to work in the United States.
• Must be willing and able to work flexible hours, under tight deadline pressure, including breaking news.

This position is eligible for company sponsored benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k), paid leave, tuition reimbursement, and a variety of other discounts and perks. Salary range: $200,000-$250,000.

As part of our selection process, external candidates may be required to attend an in-person interview with a Versant employee at one of our locations prior to a hiring decision. Versant's policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran and require support throughout the application and/or recruitment process as a result of your disability, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation. You can submit your request to candida tea

VERSANT is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. We include a good faith pay range for each position to comply with applicable state and local pay transparency laws and to promote equity across our organization. Actual compensation will be based on factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, experience, and location and may include additional forms of compensation and benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, etc.