Civic Spark Media LLC is looking for people who want to be a part of informing, inspiring and improving communities in Wayne County, Indiana and beyond. While the Western Wayne News newspaper is our primary project and publication, we plan to work across a variety of different media projects that will benefit from a broad range of skill sets. Even if none of the open roles listed are a great fit, if you find yourself interested in what we do and think you have something to contribute, we encourage you to review the information below and then get in touch.
What We Look For
We’re looking for people who are curious, communicative, driven, independent, collaborative, friendly, compassionate, self-directed and open-minded. We value the ability to ask questions and acknowledge when you don’t know something, a willingness to try new ways of doing things even if they’re a little outside your comfort zone, a desire to help others, and the capacity for self-reflection and self-improvement. We want you to be excited about measuring the impact of your work with data and metrics, but ultimately driven by the heart of our mission and the information needs of our community.
How We Work
Do you think working with newspapers and media is a thing of the past? Please think again! Civic Spark Media is part established news media operation and part digital technology startup. We combine the power of digital, print, social and broadcast media to help the readers, listeners, advertisers and community members we serve to be informed about the world around them, putting them in a better position to achieve their own personal and professional goals. We’re passionate about our work, pursuing professionalism and quality in everything we produce.
We collaborate using online tools that enable flexible schedules and, in many cases, possibilities for fully remote work. We focus on the creativity and caliber of the work our people produce, not the number of hours they sit at a desk.
Benefits
As a small media company we are still assembling and ramping up the benefits we can offer for certain position types. We currently offer:
- Health Savings Account funding for eligible employees
- Profit sharing bonuses
- An open vacation/time off policy
- Flexible scheduling for many positions
- Remote work flexibility for many positions
- Professional development resources and opportunities
- Weekly staff lunch
We’re working toward providing livable, competitive wages for our region, health and retirement benefits for full time employees, wellness benefits and more.
Diversity and Inclusion
We are committed to increasing the diversity of our team and leadership. We encourage applications from traditionally underrepresented or marginalized groups of people.
How We Hire
Application: we ask that you review all of the “work with us” information we’ve shared on our website and then send an email to chris at civicsparkmedia dot com with the subject line “CSMLLC Hiring: Role Name” (where “Role Name” is replaced with the name of the role you are interested in). Please include:
- first and last name
- email address
- phone number
- a brief cover letter articulating your interest in the role, in the body of the email message
- your résumé (and portfolio, if relevant) in the body of your message, as a website link or as a PDF attachment
- a brief (one page or less) critique of the strengths and weaknesses of a recent article in the Western Wayne News (print or online edition) in the body of your email or as a PDF attachment.
Please do not attach doc/docx files. Please, no phone calls. We will respond to all inquiries that follow these instructions.
Interview: after reviewing your application we may decide to do an initial interview where we have a chance to learn more about you and your interest in working with us. Interviews are typically conducted via phone or Zoom.
Trial: if it still seems like you may be a good fit, we’ll move to the trial stage. Most all of the roles at Civic Spark Media involve a trial, which involves a short project or set of objectives for you to complete. We pay you US$15/hour as a contractor during the trial. You can complete the trial work on a schedule and in a time frame that works for your existing personal and professional commitments, but we generally suggest a trial that requires 20-40 hours of your time over 2-4 weeks. (These terms vary for some roles such as our receptionist and internship opportunities.)
Trials are a good way for you to learn about what it would be like to work with us, and for us to learn the same about you. For all roles we’ll be paying close attention to:
- Communication: clarity, frequency, quality, tone and professionalism are all important. Written communication is core to our work, so make sure you put time and care into everything you write.
- Time management: your ability to prioritize, make a plan, and then act in a way that moves the project or task forward and delivers results.
- Inclusivity: interacting with our team, customers and community in a way that is welcoming, inclusive and avoids marginalizing or excluding others.
- Feedback management: receiving feedback from our team in a way that is collaborative, constructive, open-minded and focused on improvement, and being willing to give feedback in the same spirit.
Offer: if the trial goes well and it still seems like you are a good fit for the role, we’ll discuss a start date and send you an offer for you to consider and hopefully sign!
Even if you don’t have all of the skills and experience listed for a given role, we still encourage you to apply if you feel passionate about community media and your background and interests line up well with the position as a whole.
Opportunities
Here are the currently available opportunities: