Congressional Reporter (5-month contract)

Application Instructions

Please list all professional experience and explain any gaps in employment history. All of your application materials, which may include PDF files of work samples and/or links to audio, video, photography or graphics, must be uploaded to the field labeled Resume/Cover Letter/Work Samples to be considered for the position.

We’re on a mission to deliver riveting storytelling for all of America. At The Washington Post, you’ll help reinvent news. Our work is driven by a deep investigative spirit and enhanced by innovation to bring audiences closer to the stories that matter most.

The Washington Post is powered by the passion and talent of our people. It takes all of us to reinvent news. Beyond our award-winning News and Opinions teams, we work across many departments, including Brand & Events, Communications, Customer Care, Engineering & Product, Finance, Human Resources, Legal, Marketing & Advertising, Print Operations, and Sales.

The Washington Post is seeking a sourced, creative and high-energy reporter to cover the U.S. Senate on a temporary basis.

This is a full-time, approximately five-month assignment filling in for a member of our Congress team who will be on parental leave. The temporary contract position is expected to begin Nov. 30.

We are looking for an aggressive and versatile journalist who can hit the ground running on one of Washington’s most competitive beats. The successful candidate will know how to cultivate sources, break news, explain complex policy fights and demystify the sometimes arcane workings of the Senate — from reconciliation and the filibuster to holds, confirmations and floor procedure — for a broad audience.

The ideal candidate has a proven ability to deliver agenda-setting reporting and a clear sense of how to tell stories about Congress that resonate well beyond Washington. This reporter will illuminate the personalities, power struggles and policy battles shaping the Senate, bringing authority and insight to consequential developments while finding opportunities for enterprise and accountability reporting. We are looking for someone who can deploy seriousness, wit and narrative flair as the story demands.

This position is based in our Washington, D.C., newsroom.

What Motivates You

• You are driven to break news and compete aggressively on one of Washington’s most consequential beats.
• You thrive on cultivating sources and uncovering what is happening behind the scenes.
• You enjoy making complicated legislative and procedural fights clear and compelling for a general audience.
• You are fascinated by the personalities, alliances and power dynamics that shape the Senate.
• You are collaborative and eager to contribute immediately to a high-performing team.

How You’ll Support the Mission

• Work collaboratively with The Post’s Congress team to make what happens in the Senate — and how it affects people across the country and around the world — interesting and accessible to a broad audience.
• Break news on senators, Senate leadership, key committees and the political and policy dynamics driving the chamber.
• Quickly develop and maintain sources among senators, aides, committee staff, administration officials, activists, lobbyists and others seeking to influence the Senate.
• Cover major policy and procedural fights, including legislation, nominations and confirmations, explaining both the political stakes and real-world consequences.
• Track the relationship between the Senate and other centers of political power, including the House, White House and federal judiciary.
• Identify opportunities for enterprise and accountability reporting, including potential conflicts of interest, misconduct and abuses of power.
• Produce fast, authoritative journalism as news develops while pursuing original reporting that distinguishes The Post’s coverage.
• Adhere to the highest ethical standards, ensuring fairness, rigor and meaningful opportunities for subjects of our reporting to respond.
• Think creatively about the best formats for our journalism, collaborating with data reporters, graphics journalists, photographers, designers and video journalists to maximize impact.

The Skills and Experience You Bring

• At least five years of experience covering Congress, another legislature or a similarly competitive political or government beat, with a track record of breaking impactful stories.
• Experience covering the Senate is strongly preferred.
• Existing Senate sourcing and familiarity with Senate rules, institutions and procedure that would enable you to contribute quickly are significant advantages.
• Demonstrated ability to report and write breaking news with speed, clarity and precision.
• Strong source-building skills and an instinct for original and consequential reporting.
• An ability to explain complicated policy and procedural matters without resorting to insider language.
• Excellent news judgment and the ability to balance the demands of daily coverage with enterprise and accountability reporting.
• An eagerness to collaborate with colleagues across a competitive, fast-moving newsroom.
• A commitment to accuracy, fairness and the highest standards of journalism.

Interested candidates should upload a cover letter, résumé and three examples of their work (as PDFs) to our jobs portal. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled, but those received by Nov. 1 will be prioritized. The cover letter should be addressed to Deputy Congress Editor Sean Collins, Congress Editor John Wagner, Deputy Politics & Government Editor Jen Liberto and Politics & Government Editor Nick Baumann.

This is a full-time contract position expected to begin Nov. 30 and last approximately five months while a member of the Congress team is on leave. It pays between $8,000 - $10,000 per month, depending on experience level and qualifications.

Learn more about The Post at careers.washingtonpost.com.