Job Details

The Dallas Morning News is searching for a high-energy, scoop-oriented reporter to cover real estate development in one of the nation’s fastest-growing metropolitan markets.

How will you know if this beat is for you? 

You’re the right fit if you have an insatiable appetite to learn the reasons behind cranes dotting the booming Dallas skyline, multi-billion dollar construction projects, the forces shaping the Texas economy and an unwavering desire to break and synthesize the biggest business stories in one of the country’s fastest-growing and most fascinating regions.

As part of a two-person real estate team and growing Business department, you’ll pair with our residential real estate reporter to produce dynamic coverage of a region with 8 million people that is adding 100,000 new residents a year. Your reporting will reveal and explain how corporations, big and small, are shifting their footprints to accommodate that growth. It’s a high-metabolism position producing stories that consistently rank among the newsroom’s most-read. 

You should be capable of developing a deep sourcebook of the most important decision-makers who are buying, selling and developing real estate in Dallas-Fort Worth. You should be willing and able to dive into public records such as building permits and deed filings to get the scoop on major transactions and projects. And you should have an unceasing curiosity to tell the story of commercial property and power in North Texas. 

You’re perfect for this beat if: 

• Your sense of urgency and innovation is perpetually set on hyperdrive
• You possess an appreciation for nurturing the daily reading habits of a highly engaged audience that visits our website
• You’re skilled at quickly turning smart and topical stories
• You love diving into data and helping to develop graphics to visualize the trends in real estate sales, development lending and more
• You have the range to go deep on medium- and long-term enterprise while balancing the daily demands of a 24/7 beat 
• You’ve proven your skill in building a strong source network that’s a must for delivering the exclusives and connect-the-dots stories that our digital audience expects
• You like engaging with our community, on social media and other platforms

Recent standout coverage on this beat includes breaking stories on a new Universal Studios theme park in North Texas, property grabs by the casino titans that spent $3.5 billion to buy the Dallas Mavericks NBA team, moves by major players such as Goldman Sachs to set up offices in the region, corporate headquarter relocations by companies such as Charles Schwab and Toyota North America along with dives into major real estate players such as Harlan Crow.

It’s a major-league town with no shortage of movement from some of the most powerful business players in the country, including the family of Ray Hunt (owner of the Kansas City Chiefs), Ross Perot Jr., Mark Cuban, Jerry Jones and Alice Walton, along with notable celebrity residents such as Patrick Mahomes and Shaquille O’Neal. 

Here’s our list of preferred skills and experience: (Please note this is not a checklist of requirements, but should be considered as a pool of preferred qualifications. If you can already do some of these things, great. If you're excited about figuring out how to do all of them, great! We'd love to hear from you either way.".)

Real estate or business reporting experience is strongly preferred, but a veteran journalist with a strong track record will also be considered. 

Skills

• Proficient in learning digital content management tools
• Use social media for newsgathering and audience development
• Basic photo editing
• Comfort with fast-paced incremental storytelling (e.g., producing social media updates, updating online stories)
• Demonstrated ability to work remotely via smartphone or laptop computer
• Understanding of platforms and audiences and ability to compose stories appropriate to the platform of publication (e.g., voice, style, formatting, hyperlinks)
• Basic knowledge of SEO and social headline writing techniques
• Use accepted newsroom tools for planning, authoring, communicating, etc.
• Collaborate effectively with team members and across newsroom teams
• Fluency in Spanish is an advantage

• Bachelor's degree in journalism or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience 
• The candidate should possess strong news judgment and excellent verbal and analytical skills; must have the ability to work all stories under pressure with assigned deadlines; must have ability to interact productively and enthusiastically with fellow employees and all levels of management.
• Valid driver's license and registered vehicle to travel to assignments

We believe our community is best served by a diverse newsroom that fosters an inclusive work environment for people from all backgrounds, regardless of race, gender, age or sexual orientation.