Senior Reporter, Health Payer Specialist

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The role / Position overview

Health Payer Specialist, a Financial Times Specialist publication, is looking for a Senior Reporter to cover one of America’s most dynamic markets: health insurance.

Published three times a week, Health Payer Specialist provides insurance companies with news, insights and intelligence covering corporate strategy, government policy and workforce issues.

We are looking for an experienced reporter who can break news, stay ahead of industry trends and develop a strong network of sources. You may already have experience reporting on the healthcare or payer ecosystem, or have developed deep expertise covering another industry. You will be equally comfortable turning around scoops quickly and developing analytical, insight-led trend stories.

The successful candidate will enjoy digging into SEC filings, earnings reports and other disclosures to uncover important information others may have missed. You’ll be able to identify the details that matter and turn sophisticated information into sharp, tightly focused articles that help our readers make better-informed decisions.

As part of a small team, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to broaden your responsibilities and develop your career. The position reports to the publication’s Managing Editor.

Key responsibilities

• Report and write several articles each week, varying in length, format and depth of reporting.
• Develop deep subject-matter expertise and use it to produce journalism with clarity, insight and authority.
• Break news and stay ahead of industry developments by building and maintaining a strong network of sources.
• Monitor company and government filing deadlines, earnings disclosures and relevant data releases to identify news and reporting opportunities.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with insurance executives, companies and other relevant industry sources.
• Develop scoops, enterprise stories and analytical coverage that distinguish Health Payer Specialist and provide value to subscribers.
• Travel to industry events and meet with sources to stay close to the market and identify emerging trends.
• Collaborate with other teams to produce videos, graphics and other formats that support editorial coverage, including occasionally creating videos based on interviews with sources.
• Occasionally moderate webcasts or panels at events run by FT Specialist or the Financial Times’ events group.

Required skills / experience

• At least three years of business reporting experience, including experience working for a daily or wire publication and some editing experience.
• A consistent record of producing high-quality journalism, with a focus on breaking news and delivering valuable information to subscribers ahead of competitors.
• Experience reporting on the healthcare or payer ecosystem, or demonstrated experience covering another industry in depth.
• Demonstrated ability to write or produce content for a specialist or niche audience.
• Experience leading a beat and generating scoops, enterprise story ideas and other distinctive content.
• Strong source-building skills and the ability to establish trusted relationships with senior industry contacts.
• Confidence working with SEC filings, earnings reports, company disclosures and other detailed source material to identify newsworthy information.
• Strong news judgment and the ability to recognize and respond to readers’ information needs.
• Excellent writing and analytical skills, with the ability to communicate complex subjects clearly and concisely.
• The ability to work accurately at pace while balancing breaking news with longer-term reporting.
• Intellectual curiosity, creativity, persistence and resilience.

What’s in it for you? Our benefits

Our benefits vary by location, but we are committed to providing best-in-class perks across all our offices. These include generous annual leave, health coverage, 401k and company match, inclusive parental leave packages, subsidised gym memberships and opportunities to give back to the community. Full details of our benefits are available here.

We currently operate a hybrid model which requires staff to work onsite 50% of the time, subject to role requirements & regular review. While flexible working requests will be considered, not all patterns are suitable for all roles. We believe this balanced approach supports flexibility and protects our culture, making collaboration and communication easier, building stronger relationships and team cohesion, and supporting peer learning. We reserve discretion on reasonable notice to change this approach either generally or for specific individuals or teams.

Accessibility

We are a disability confident employer and Valuable 500 signatory.

Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments/personalisation as part of the application process or to enable you to attend an interview. If you would like to discuss your requirements or have any questions, email talent@ft.com and a member of our team will be happy to help.

Further information

A reasonable estimate of the salary range for this role is $85,000–$95,000. To ensure pay fairness, the successful candidate will be offered a salary within the estimated salary range based on a number of considerations including but not limited to: skills; experience and training; certifications; and other business and organisational needs. The disclosed range estimate is for our NYC office and has not been adjusted for other locations.

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