Join the Field Gulls team!

Field Gulls is hiring!

Why yes, the Seattle Seahawks aren’t the only ones adjusting their roster ahead of the new season. With preseason just two months out, we are planning to add new staff writers to Field Gulls. Here’s a summary of the openings:

What are we looking for?

We have two positions of interest we’re looking to fill:

• Seahawks analyst; (UPDATE: This position has been filled)
• Field Gulls comments and community engagement; (UPDATE: This position has been filled, we’re no longer accepting applications)

What does the Seahawks analyst role entail?

“Analyst” can have an especially broad definition in the football world. It depends on your skills. Are you comfortable breaking down All-22 film, for example? How well-versed are you in the Xs and Os? All-22 accessibility isn’t a requirement as much as the ability to breakdown plays, players, and schemes.

Statistical analysis is also welcome. We’re not asking for statisticians who can produce scatterplots and line graphs (although visualizing numbers in a presentable manner is always welcome). Can you contextualize common advanced metrics like DVOA and EPA/play and draw reasonable conclusions based on a given dataset? Then you might just be Field Gulls material!

Analysis work (along with opinion columns) of any sort can be time-intensive, so quality over quantity is preferred in terms of monthly article counts. The goal is to spread your ball-knowing knowledge and enhance the knowledge of Field Gulls readers and Seahawks fans everywhere.

(UPDATE: This position has been filled)

What the heck is “comments and community engagement”?

(UPDATE: This position has been filled)

You see those open threads we do every week? Sometimes they’re off-topic and we talk about movies, but more often than not we have on-topic open threads pertaining to the Seahawks. This ranges from the best Seahawks games you’ve ever attended to the worst free agent signings in franchise history, as well as a host of in-season topics that will be dependent on Seattle’s performances.

During the season we’re aiming for 3-4 of these articles per week, and they won’t necessarily all be like The Open Field or Casual Friday. We’re open to new ideas, polls, etc. in order to foster a more tight-knit, welcoming community. You can expect a lot more engaging between the staff and commenters in the months to come.

What skills and qualifications are preferred?

For either role, we’re looking for people who are:

• Passionate about the Seattle Seahawks;
• Familiar with the Field Gulls community, whether as readers, commenters, or other forms of participation;
• Reasonably knowledgeable about college football prospects;
• Capable of understanding football statistics and interpreting data;
• Able to produce clean, concise copy for publication;
• Comfortable working in a virtual, team-oriented environment;
• Disciplined with meeting work deadlines;
• Eager to work with John P. Gilbert. (Just joking about that last one)

It is not a deal-breaker if you don’t necessarily meet the above bullet points. For the moment, we don’t need another staff writer who’s tasked primarily for writing news stories, but it is a bonus if it’s something you’re comfortable with on an as-needed basis.

Are these paid positions?

Yes. These are contractor positions that pay a monthly stipend. There are no hourly shifts to adhere to, but there are different writing expectations for in-season vs. offseason. Don’t quit your day job just yet; these positions aren’t meant to be full-time gigs. It’s nevertheless a great way to earn some supplemental income while being a formal part of the Field Gulls staff and our traditionally strong community.

How do I apply?

Please send a cover letter, resume, and/or football-related writing samples to me (Mookie Alexander) at tjxanda [at] gmail [dot] com. Alternatively, for those interested in the analyst role, write a Seahawks-related fanpost of your choosing and I’ll review it. Many past and present Field Gulls writers have come up through the fanposts, and we saw some great write-ups over the past two years of Seahawks mock drafts.

If you have any additional questions, either ask me via email or in the comments section!