News Reporter covering Huntsville, Ala., and the surrounding metro.

If you're driven to uncover stories that matter, hold institutions accountable and help readers better understand the community they call home, AL.com has an exciting opportunity for you.

We're looking for an ambitious, audience-focused reporter to cover Huntsville and the surrounding metro area—one of the fastest-growing regions in the Southeast. As Alabama's largest city and a national hub for aerospace, defense, technology and advanced manufacturing, Huntsville offers no shortage of important stories. From rapid population growth and infrastructure challenges to economic development, public safety and local government, this beat is rich with opportunities to produce journalism that informs, explains and drives meaningful conversations.

The successful candidate will become a trusted source on the issues shaping Huntsville's future, translating complex developments into compelling journalism that resonates with our growing digital audience. This reporter should be curious, competitive, collaborative and eager to build meaningful relationships throughout the community.

The base salary range is $46,000 to $57,000 per year.

The reporter will be responsible for:

• Delivering daily, audience-focused reporting on Huntsville, Alabama, the state's largest city and a leading technology, aerospace and manufacturing center.
• Covering the issues that matter most to residents, including government accountability, growth and development, public safety, business, education, transportation and quality of life.
• Producing a mix of breaking news, enterprise stories and accountability journalism.
• Using audience metrics and analytics to inform story selection and better understand reader interests.
• Experimenting with storytelling approaches and digital formats to better engage readers.
• Cultivating a diverse network of sources that reflects the communities we serve.
• Building relationships with readers and developing coverage that grows digital subscriptions.

To be successful in this role, you'll have:

• A degree in journalism, communications or a related field, or equivalent education and experience.
• At least three years of professional journalism experience with a demonstrated ability to produce clear, compelling and accurate reporting.
• Strong news judgment and the ability to identify stories with meaningful impact.
• The ability to manage multiple priorities while meeting daily deadlines.
• Experience producing breaking news as well as deeper enterprise and investigative stories.
• Strong interviewing, source-building and storytelling skills.
• The ability to work collaboratively across teams.
• Experience with photography, video and social media is highly desirable.
• Experience obtaining and analyzing public records and data is a plus.
• Adaptability in a rapidly evolving digital newsroom.
• Reliable transportation to meet with sources and cover events throughout the Huntsville metro area.

Huntsville is one of America's fastest-growing metropolitan areas, fueled by innovation in aerospace, defense, technology and advanced manufacturing. Home to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and major employers including Blue Origin, Toyota and Meta, the region continues to experience significant economic and population growth.

That growth brings important questions about housing, infrastructure, education, transportation, public investment, equity and government accountability. This is a beat for a reporter who wants to explain the forces shaping a changing community and produce journalism that makes a lasting impact.