HD Media, publisher of West Virginia’s two largest daily newspapers as well as nine weeklies, seeks a dynamic newsroom leader to guide a growing news operation stretching across southern West Virginia into southwestern Virginia.The Executive Editor will be charged with spearheading the company’s rapidly evolving digital transformation while maintaining the reputation for journalistic excellence that has been the hallmark of the Charleston Gazette-Mail, the state’s newspaper and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2018, and all HD Media properties.We are seeking a leader who can inspire our team of talented reporters and editors to rally around the digital initiatives we are undertaking to advance the future of our expanding company while also remaining dedicated to delivering the best journalism in the areas we cover. Further, we want an editor who can draw together and unite reporters and editors from different properties, including The Herald-Dispatch in Huntington, one of West Virginia’s best-known and most respected brands.Our next Executive Editor should understand the value of digital platforms as a means of delivering great journalism to our markets and should be attuned to the latest in analytics to monitor what’s working and what’s not. This includes a recognition of the need to drive digital subscriptions and of maintaining an awareness of the latest trends in the business.The Executive Editor is the standard setter for the quality of our journalism. The right candidate will have a strong understanding of libel law and journalism ethics and will be committed to ensuring our newsrooms are thoroughly informed in these areas and best practices across a wide spectrum, from digital functions to daily reporting to excellence in writing.Our next Executive Editor will have demonstrated consistent excellence in news judgment, will demand fairness and objectivity in our reporting and be a teacher and coach who can help editors and reporters alike reach the peak of their potential. The ideal candidate has more than 10 years of newspaper journalism experience with a background both as a reporter and editor.Specific job duties include:Working with newsroom leaders to plan coverage in both the short and long terms.Ensuring a strong daily digital report with a diverse range of offerings across the full range of digital platforms.Driving a sense of urgency across our newsrooms to produce leading journalism every day.Coaching newsroom leaders to edit on the front end as well as the back end to elevate the quality of our reporting.Serving our internal constituencies, including lead editors, reporters and copy editors in 11 different markets.Inspiring our staff to expand their skills to include nontraditional storytelling and other means to reach our audience.Communicating regularly with staff to ensure they are thoroughly informed of the latest developments both in the company and across the industry.Contributing to the continued growth of our company through active participation in operating committee meetings and other efforts.Forming relationships with leaders across the communities in our major markets to help drive HD Media’s brand.For the right candidate, the job is equal parts exciting and challenging. It requires smarts, skill, expertise, adaptability, toughness and, above all, the ability to lead. If you think you have what it takes, we want to hear from you. Send a cover letter and resume to editorsearch@hdmediallc.com.