CoStar Group, Inc. is hiring: Visual Data Journalist in Arlington

Overview

CoStar Group (NASDAQ: CSGP) is a leading global provider of commercial and residential real estate information, analytics, and online marketplaces. We are part of the S&P 500 and NASDAQ 100 and are on a mission to digitize the world’s real estate, empowering people to discover properties, insights and connections that improve their businesses and lives. We have over 37 years of experience delivering real estate information and online marketplaces, creating a standard language in our industry for customers and competitors alike.

We are seeking an experienced Visual Information Journalist to illustrate CoStar's biggest news stories and deliver stand-alone infographic data analysis of the latest industry trends, including for Homes.com. This role combines technical work with journalism: reporting to the creative director, news, and collaborating with news editors, analysts, and developers to pitch story ideas and enrich articles with interactive features that deliver innovative web experiences.

Responsibilities, qualifications, and expectations reflect interest in diverse news areas including the building industry, technology, legislation, housing issues, health care, economics, retail trends and the environment. You may map areas affected by extreme weather, illustrate retail trends, or show city popularity using data from CoStar and other sources. You will contribute to world-class reporting and push the boundaries of data storytelling.

Responsibilities

• Source data from internal and external sources and/or work with analysts to develop story ideas and create engaging, explanatory data visualizations based on reporting and research.
• Develop data interactives to publish on costar.com and the associated news app platform.
• Take stories from pitch to publication and assist team members with data research for graphics (e.g., generating maps).
• Monitor major industry trends, leaders and companies, including news and social channels, for inspiration and relevance.
• Adhere to CoStar’s visual-style guide.
• Research and learn new coding languages or technologies as needed.
• Work samples/portfolio links are required to send along with your resume.

Qualifications

• A high degree of curiosity, interaction design and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to look at data and quickly spot and extract news-worthy indicators.
• At least two years of hands-on reporting and building data visualizations.
• Experience in sourcing and cleaning data.
• Proficiency in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript front-end technologies.
• Experience with JavaScript libraries (Node, D3, Canvas, WebGL or other rendering/animation libraries).
• Proficiency in R and/or Python for data analysis.
• Ability to communicate complex ideas clearly to a wide audience and to design intuitive user interfaces.
• Ability to partner and communicate with Product Development Engineers.
• Familiarity with Flourish, Plotly / Datawrapper / FusionCharts or similar tools.
• Strong ability to manage multiple activities concurrently.
• Prior journalism experience or demonstrated interest through work or extracurricular activities.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.
• Interest in commercial real estate/building industry, companies and economies.

Preferred Technical Skills

• Experience with MapBox, ESRI, QGIS, TopoJSON, and/or other mapping and data-viz tools.
• Design experience for compelling and intuitive user interfaces.
• Ability to partner and communicate with Product Development Engineers.
• Some experience with visual or graphic design using tools like Photoshop or Illustrator.
• Formal education in Informational Technology, Interaction Design, Product Design, HCI, or related field is desirable but not required.

What’s in It For You?

CoStar Group offers a culture of collaboration and innovation with generous compensation and performance-based incentives. You will have professional and academic growth support through internal training, tuition reimbursement, and an inter-office exchange program. Benefits include comprehensive healthcare coverage (medical/vision/dental/prescription), life and other insurance, commuter and parking benefits, 401(k) with match, employee stock purchase plan, paid time off and parental leave, tuition reimbursement, and access to healthy snacks.

Become part of a team of professionals learning, doing, and growing in a rewarding atmosphere.

CoStar Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer; we maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing. If you require accommodations during the application process, contact recruiting@costargroup.com or call 1-855-840-1715.