If you’re worried you might not qualify for this position but it’s something you’re interested in, please apply!

Pay: $20 per hour.

Schedule:

This temporary, part-time position runs from May 9 to July 8. The position calls for roughly 10 hours per week. The weekly schedule is fairly flexible, but often involves in-person meetings in locations throughout Santa Cruz County on weekday afternoons. 

A bit about us:

Santa Cruz Local is a local newsroom that serves Santa Cruz County, Calif. residents. Our newsroom was founded in 2019 out of desire to give residents an unbiased, fair and accurate source of local news and information. Our team of three is a small but mighty group with experience in journalism, product development and community listening. We’re collaborative, thoughtful and passionate about giving residents useful news and information.

The challenge:

We want to better serve Latinos and Spanish-speaking residents. To do this, we’ll start by asking Latinos and Spanish-speaking residents what news and information they need and how they want it delivered.

The job opportunity:

You would visit places where people gather, such as food bank distributions, public libraries, parks, plazas, farmers markets and public events. You’d approach people and ask them to participate in a short 3-minute interview. We have a list of questions that aims to understand where people get their news, what news is important to them, and what they want from local media. You would conduct these short interviews, mostly in Spanish, and take notes. 

After these visits, you’d enter your notes into Santa Cruz Local’s online database. You’d also attend occasional staff meetings, either at Santa Cruz Local’s downtown Santa Cruz office or on Zoom. 

Details:

  • If you drive your car for work-related trips, we will reimburse for gas. 
  • If you don’t have a car, we offer a transportation stipend for work-related trips to pay for Uber/Lyft or public transit. 
  • This role involves some data entry. You’d be welcome to do the data entry in our Downtown Santa Cruz headquarters, but you’re not required to come to the office if you’d rather do this work at home.

Requirements:

  • You must be able to speak fluently in Spanish. Writing in Spanish is not required.
  • English fluency is not required. However, you must have conversational English skills and the ability to write interview notes in English. 
  • Access to a computer with internet. Applicants need some experience with accessing the internet and emails.
  • You must be based in Santa Cruz County.
  • You must be 18 or older.

Bonus points for:

  • Cultural fluency with Santa Cruz County’s Latino communities.
  • Has an existing network in Santa Cruz County’s Latino communities.

If you worry you’re not qualified, please give it a shot and apply anyway. You do not need journalism experience or an educational degree to apply.

Application and hiring process:

We plan to invite top candidates for a Zoom or phone interview in late April. If you’re invited for an interview, we’ll pay you $20 for your time. We will notify all candidates whether they are invited for an interview by April 20. We plan to make hiring decisions by May 3. If you’re not selected for the position, we’ll let you know.

This position starts May 9.

Questions?

Email, call or text Santa Cruz Local CEO/Co-founder Kara Meyberg Guzman, [email protected] or 831-291-3456.

Santa Cruz Local is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

Santa Cruz Local makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.