Alligator Army is looking for a few good writers

As you may or may not have noticed, 2016 was a busy year for the world — and it was one for Alligator Army, too. Our small staff consists of people who, in this year, were displaced by a hurricane and relocated from one city to another for the first time in almost a decade, and who dealt with that while also dealing with all the other challenges of daily life.

We think we have done a good job covering the Florida Gators despite that. But we want to do more in 2017 — and that’s where you come in.

Alligator Army is looking for help, in the form of both at least one assistant editor and consistent contributing writers.

The assistant editor position(s) will entail:

• Writing regularly (multiple times a week) on the site, with an emphasis on developing news stories, but also potentially columns and analysis.
• Assisting the Site Manager in the management of the site's Facebook and Twitter accounts.
• Assisting the Site Manager in overseeing a staff of contributors that discuss all things Florida Gators on the site.
• Working in close collaboration with the Site Manager and SB Nation management on site goals, traffic, and progress.
• Moderating and maintaining a vibrant, diverse, and welcoming site community.

The strongest candidates for this position will:

• Have a passion for the Florida Gators, digital media, and the news.
• Understand how to use popular social media networks, like Twitter and especially Facebook, and be willing to adapt to new best practices.
• Be able to routinely and quickly produce and edit clean copy, and abide by style rules.
• Have some daytime availability to write news stories.
• Have the confidence to write about developing news involving Florida athletics, including recruiting stories.
• Be comfortable working in conjunction with fellow writers from a remote environment.

Outstanding candidates might have developed specialties or interest (e.g. historical research, an understanding of recruiting, or video production), and/or the ability to bring diversity of perspective, experience, or background to the role.

Experience is preferred, but not required — and aptitude is aptitude, no matter whether it’s demonstrated by a 30-year veteran or a high school junior, so any and all interested candidates should be encouraged to apply.

The assistant editor role is a contractor position that pays a small monthly stipend.

Candidates to be contributing writers might be those who fill one or two roles above — say, social media co-coordinator, or video editor, or a beat writer for one or two of Florida’s many teams — without necessarily filling all of them. If you want to produce quality content about the Gators, and can consistently produce that content — writing or video or graphics or something else entirely — we want you to be able to use Alligator Army’s fantastic platform to be heard.

To apply, please email AlligatorArmy@gmail.com with an introduction explaining your interest and any relevant experience. Clips (especially) and references are appreciated, but not required. There is no deadline, and applicants will be evaluated on a rolling basis, but we are motivated to fill at least one assistant editor position as soon as we find an excellent candidate for the role, even possibly within the week.