Job Description

West Coast Bureau Chief, The Christian Science Monitor California

Job ID : 11386

Location : San Francisco, California, United States

Employment Type : Full time

Posted : 12.19.2025

Job Description

SUMMARY

The West Coast Bureau Chief works with the National news editors and fellow correspondents to cover the nations largest state economy, including the innovation hub of Silicon Valley. This beat includes writing about AI, immigration, politics, climate change, disaster management, water, and farming, among other issues. The role involves regional reporting assignments as needed and integral to the U.S. news desk, shaping coverage for our daily digital offerings and print magazine.

The bureau chief approaches the beat with curiosity, openmindedness, and a willingness to set aside personal bias. Pitch selection is guided by rigorous journalistic principles, treating all points of view with diligent inquiry and respect. Original reporting that promotes calm over fear and insight over assumption is prized, and stories are presented fairly without embellishment or advocacy. The Monitor equips readers to reach their own wellreasoned conclusions.

The bureau chief upholds The Christian Science Monitors founding mission to spread undivided the Science that operates unspent, and its object to injure no man but to bless all mankind. This includes adhering to our five operational guidelines.

• Bring a healing, purifying thought to many homes. We counteract cynicism about news and humanity by upholding a higher standard of both.
• Get above the fray. Because were owned by a church, were free from corporate and political interests.
• Cover the days vital global news. We provide a trustworthy and concise compilation for our thoughtful, busy readers.
• Investigate ideals and endeavors, not just events. We keep abreast of the times by recognizing key currents of thought and their impact.
• Be clean, familyfriendly, and nonsensational. We are a newspaper for the home.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The West Coast Bureau Chief is an original and enterprising thinker who recognizes Californias diversity. The incumbent identifies news and feature stories that capture how communities govern, educate, earn, and articulate their values, using rich description and a variety of voices. A deep reader who draws from diverse sources fuels curiosity, sharpens ideas, and spotlights untold stories. The incumbent complies with the Monitor Ethics Policy in all contexts, refraining from taking public positions on political campaigns, protests, or donations.

• Conceptualize distinct Monitor stories aligned with the operational guidelines.
• Make sound judgment on travel needs, extract maximum value from trips, and manage budgeting.
• Collaborate with writers within and outside the pod for indepth stories.
• Work with pod editors throughout editing and factchecking.
• Respond to breaking news while mastering features, focuslength pieces, and cover stories.
• Produce 68 stories per month at the requested length and deadline.
• Respond to reader feedback promptly and respectfully.
• Manage bureau finances responsibly, filing expenses promptly.

STAFF MANAGEMENT AND REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

Supervisor: National News Editor

Regular Contacts: Writers, newsroom staff, and the public.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Education / Experience

• A bachelors degree plus a masters in journalism or equivalent newspaper experience (35 years on average).

Culture Pillars

• Were scrappy. We seek creative solutions, are hungry and nimble, and experiment to streamline.
• Were rigorous. We embrace challenge, strive for editorial excellence, and view feedback as a gift.
• We have unwavering fidelity to our mission. The founding mission guides every decision.

Knowledge and Skills

• Wide, deep, regular reading for subject knowledge and breadth of perspectives.
• Strong reporting instincts, discernment, persistence, and professionalism when sourcing.
• Mastery of deadline writing and indepth pieces, including features.
• Editorial rigor delivering strong angles and incisive, energetic prose.
• Comfort with a culture of feedback.
• Understanding and applying Monitor style and language sensitivities.
• Collaboration with editors, writers, and senior management.
• Knowledge of how democratic institutions function within the constitutional framework.

Technology Skills

• Experience with EZ Publish and social media platforms.

Work Environment

This position is based in a home office/bureau in the San Francisco or Los Angeles area.

Engagement with Christian Science

Membership in The Mother Church is valued but not required. The bureau chief respects that the Monitor is grounded in the Churchs healing mission but is not sectarian. Deeper understanding of this mission is encouraged.

Pay Range

$100,541 $130,702.40 annually

Pay ranges disclosed are the compensation ranges the Church reasonably and in good faith expects to pay at posting time, based on education, experience, skills, benchmarking, location, and internal equity.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document upon hire.

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