LION is hiring a Data Systems Associate

Status: Full-time salaried non-exempt (eligible for overtime), with 90-day introductory period (see details below)

Reports to: Data and Product Manager

Location: Remote within USA

Compensation: $55,000 – $65,000, eligible for benefits (see details below)

Job Summary

We are looking for our next mission support team member! Do you delight in using technology to make people’s lives easier? Do you take pride in making sure data gets where it needs to go? Are you energized by your work ultimately supporting independent news entrepreneurs on their path to sustainability? If so, you could be LION Publisher’s Data Systems Associate.  

LION’s Data Systems Associate will succeed in their role by maintaining and improving the central databases that allow LION staff, our members and our funders to glean insights about the independent news industry. They will work closely with the Data and Product Manager to iterate and support LION’s internal systems, empowering the rest of the team to do their best work. 

The Data Systems Associate will work closely with colleagues across programming, finance and operations to help LION achieve its strategic goals focused on revenue generation, program engagement and measuring program outcomes. 

Our team believes that relevant, accurate and culturally competent local news and information helps people fully engage in civic life, make more informed decisions and better understand the world around them. If you’re interested in helping us make this vision a reality and working in a space of optimism and growth, learn more about the job and how to apply below.

Key Responsibilities

• Data maintenance and management (50%)
  • Enables LION staff to efficiently gather insights from our data by maintaining LION’s news publishers database via routine updates to existing data and integrating new datasets 
  • Assists with internal and external insights reporting 
  • Updates Project Oasis database

• Systems support for Programming team (30%)
  • Assists with routine operations as needed, including maintaining member application processing systems, member payment tracking, member and audit data workflows and member surveys
  • Acts as the primary point of contact across the organization for software troubleshooting/support; works with customer support services to resolve issues 

• LION Operations (20%)
  • Assists with key operational systems such as Google Drive organization, all-hands meeting scheduling and retreat logistics.
  • Supports finance team with vendor management and grant processing systems  

LION is an Equal Opportunity Employer

LION is committed to creating an equitable, diverse and inclusive workplace and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, people of different levels of physical ability and anyone with relevant skills and qualifications.

We know there are great candidates who might not check all the boxes listed below or who possess important skills we haven’t thought of. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself.  

Skills and Qualifications for The Role

• Detail-oriented problem solver: Can manage many tasks and details and is good at quickly understanding a problem and jumping into help wherever needed. Doesn’t necessarily know all the answers, but is good at discovering potential solutions for problems.  
• Strong written and verbal communicator: Clear, concise communicator. Can translate complex or vague concepts into easily understood language for others. Is adept at finding the balance between not enough and too much information.
• Tech-proficient: Has a strong grasp of digital tools, including Zoom, Google Sheets/Excel and Slack, and how to use them quickly and effectively. Experience maintaining and cleaning datasets, editing basic HTML/CSS, and updating CRM (Salesforce) and CMS systems is a plus. 

Skills and Expectations for Teamwork at LION

• Work in a way that upholds and reflects our organizational values: Being data-informed, equitable and inclusive, people-centered, systems thinkers, transparent and iterative
• Use digital tools and platforms to stay organized, communicate transparently and collaborate with team members remotely 
• Collaborate strategically with others, clearly defining processes for decision making
• Give and receive constructive feedback to help the team produce its best work
• Celebrate our wins and learning moments
• Take on an experimental mindset and demonstrate flexibility to iterate on our work, systems and processes 
• Be willing and able to ask for help when needed and demonstrate an ability to learn and grow in the role

About LION

Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional journalism association for independent news publishers. While most of our 400+ members across the U.S. and Canada run local news businesses, we also have members who serve larger regions and specific identity-based communities across geographies. LION provides teaching, resources and community to independent news entrepreneurs as they build and develop sustainable businesses. One of our core values is being people-centered, and here are some ways we build that culture for our staff. 

90 Day Introductory Period

The first 90 days of employment is a probationary period, during which the new hire has clear goals, criteria for successful work product, and regular feedback from their manager. As a result of the new hire’s 90 day self-reflection and manager’s assessment, the two will discuss whether the new hire will stay on with LION and whether it will be in the role as originally scoped.

Benefits

• Medical PPO, Vision & Dental fully paid by employer; 50% paid for dependents
• Short-term disability, long-term disability, life, and worker’s compensation insurance paid by employer
• Paid Time Off (including sick days) is 20 days per year 
• Paid holidays (including Christmas Eve through New Years Day) is 14 days in 2022
• Up to 12 weeks fully paid family/caregiver leave
• 401K with employer match up to 3.5%
• Flexible working schedule
• No-meeting Fridays
• Annual professional development budget
• Monthly work-from-home stipend
• For new hires: Health insurance stipend until eligible for employer medical coverage to begin
• Eligible for year-end, surplus-dependent bonus 2023 and forward

Application Materials

Submit your materials using this form by 11 p.m. Pacific Time on June 26th. 

• Your resume
• Answers to the following questions:
  • This position is the newest addition to LION’s mission support team! What part of LION’s Mission, Vision, and/ or Values are you most excited by? Why?
  • Tell us about a time when you had to clean and/or manipulate a large batch of data. What was the goal of the project? How do you approach these highly detail-oriented tasks? What was the result?
  • Tell us about a time when you had to solve a problem for a situation where you didn’t have a lot of existing knowledge. How did you approach finding and proposing a solution? What was the result?
  • LION Publishers has a commitment to building a diverse community that is inclusive and welcoming of all members, particularly those who identify as coming from an underserved community, including publishers who identify as Black, Indigenous, or as a person of color; LGBTQ+; or coming from a rural or low-income community. How do you approach understanding the perspectives of and collaborating with colleagues from diverse backgrounds?

If you have questions about this role, please reach out to Chloe Kizer, LION’s Data and Product Manager, at [email protected] to learn more.

Physical Requirements and Environmental Conditions

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position, at a desk or similar, 90% of the time. Time spent in a stationary location includes operating a computer and relevant peripherals and communicating via phone.
• Regularly required by the duties of this job to move, remain stationary, position oneself to access and operate machines and/or equipment and supplies, communicate, exchange information and observe details at close and medium range within work surroundings.

Travel Requirements

• Available to travel for staff retreats 1-2 times per year (approx. 2 days per retreat)
• Available to travel for annual LION member event annually (approx. 3 days)