Reporter, Axios Houston
Job description
About the role
This role covers Houston for a digital news startup that refines how readers consume essential information. The position sits within a local initiative that tests new storytelling formats.
Most organizations organize this kind of work into small teams with a clear owner for each project. People are expected to set priorities, share progress, and ask for help early. Written communication matters because decisions are often recorded and revisited. Successful professionals in any field share a few habits: they take notes, keep commitments, and communicate in writing. Teams value people who make their work easy to review and build on.
Key facts
What you'll do
Daily briefings for Houston residents are co-written to become the morning conversation starter, helping locals understand key events quickly. Coverage of everyday city life deepens understanding of local trends and community patterns for residents. Experiments with AI tools accelerate reporting and refine newsletter production, improving speed and insight. Clear, conversational stories shaped by the Smart Brevity style serve time-pressed readers who need facts fast. Reporting feeds into Axios Local, and observations from the beat inform how that product roadmap evolves over time. Breaking news and conceptual scoops are produced to give readers clarity before competitors can respond.
Requirements
Houston reporting experience is mandatory to ensure cultural fluency and source trust with local institutions. New source development is expected to broaden perspective and uncover underreported stories across the city. Breaking news capability is required to capture fast-moving events and claim exclusivity when possible for readers. Omnivorous curiosity about your city must exist, whether you just arrived or have lived here for decades. A constant flow of ideas is required to sustain coverage across topics and formats without slowing production. A flexible voice and personality are required to meet Axios' direct and readable standards for audiences. Fast-paced newsroom experience and deadline discipline are required to operate reliably in this environment. Service to local readers drives the mindset of indispensability to the community and the product.
Nice to have
Experience with emerging AI workflows is encouraged to streamline research and production for daily tasks.
Skills & tools
Familiarity with CMS platforms and newsletter software supports daily workflows and coordination.
Practical notes
This remote-optional role requires U.S. work eligibility, and the listing does not mention clearance or travel requirements. Typical interview steps
Interviews in this field typically test judgment, communication, and fit as much as technical skill. Be ready to describe a challenge you faced, what you did, and what you learned. Most companies value honest answers over polished ones. Whatever the role, preparation is visible. Reviewing the company's product, the job description, and your own past work before the conversation is the strongest step.
Good to know
Questions to ask
Useful questions for the interview: what a typical week looks like, how work is assigned, what tools the team uses, and how feedback works. Asking how the role has changed recently and what the team wishes it had known when joining is also reasonable. Questions about the manager's priorities are especially valued.
Career growth
Career growth comes from taking on harder problems and making your work visible. Look for opportunities to own outcomes, mentor others, and learn the business beyond your team. Growth in any career comes from scope, results, and reputation. Take on work that is slightly uncomfortable, and make sure others can see the outcomes.
About the company
Smart, efficient news worthy of your time, attention, and trust. Covering local news, politics, health, climate, tech, media, business, sports, world, science and more.