Informup is a nonprofit news startup based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, dedicated to ensuring that communities have timely information about local governance and that their collective voices are acted on by elected officials. We restore the feedback loop of local journalism by providing accessible reporting on public meetings, soliciting representative community feedback, and accurately relaying those preferences back to decision-makers.
Each week, Informup reporters cover the issues that matter most in Pittsburgh City Council and other public bodies, pair that reporting with structured community surveys, and deliver residents’ preferences directly to officials during public comment. Our work is nonpartisan and evidence-based, and our goal is meaningful civic participation that reflects the community as a whole—not only those privileged enough to be represented today.
Why join Informup? As part of the team, you'll:
- Contribute to a mission-driven organization dedicated to amplifying community perspectives and informing public officials.
- Help shape the future of civic engagement by restoring meaningful dialogue between constituents and their representatives.
- See a direct line from your work to real outcomes: the audience you build becomes the community feedback we deliver to elected officials in council chambers.
If that sounds like a good fit, please check out our open roles below.
Social Media Producer (Contract)
Location: Pittsburgh, PA (remote, with regular local shooting)
Status: Independent contractor, part-time
Compensation: $40/hour, approximately 8–12 hours per week
Position Summary
The Social Media Producer is responsible for executing Informup’s social media strategy: turning each week’s reporting into content people stop for, producing original short-form video, and growing the audience that fuels our community surveys. Social media is how we reach the people who will never go looking for a council agenda on their own — and how we bring them into the loop.
This is a hands-on production role, not a strategy role. The plan exists; we are looking for someone who can ship against it consistently, week after week, on the rhythm of the public meeting calendar.
Work and Responsibilities
This role works across the following areas, in close coordination with the reporting team.
Content Production
- Produce and publish platform-native content from Informup’s weekly council coverage and survey results across Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, with secondary distribution to Bluesky, Threads, and LinkedIn.
- Design static and carousel graphics that make local government legible: what a bill does, who voted how, what it costs, and what happens next.
- Close the loop publicly — show the community what its neighbors said and what Informup delivered to council on their behalf.
Video Production
- Shoot and edit original short-form vertical video, including explainers, meeting clips, neighborhood person-on-the-street segments, and survey-result recaps.
- Capture content at community events, including Youth Democracy Works volunteer activations and neighborhood outreach.
Publishing & Community Management
- Own the publishing calendar and scheduling, maintaining a consistent weekly cadence tied to the meeting cycle.
- Handle day-to-day community management, responding to comments and messages in Informup’s voice and surfacing story leads and recurring questions to the editorial team.
Audience Growth & Measurement
- Drive survey participation. Our core metric is not reach — it is the number of residents who tell us what they want and let us carry it to their elected officials.
- Report monthly on performance against agreed growth and engagement targets, and recommend adjustments based on what the numbers show.
Qualifications
Required
- A portfolio of short-form vertical video and social graphics you produced yourself, with evidence of audience growth.
- Fluency in the native conventions of Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, including the meaningful differences between them.
- Ability to shoot, edit, and caption video independently, on your own equipment, on a weekly deadline.
- Working knowledge of a design tool such as Canva, Figma, or Adobe Express, and a scheduling platform such as Buffer, Later, or Metricool.
- Sound editorial judgment and a demonstrated commitment to accuracy. Everything you publish carries Informup’s name and reputation.
- Comfort presenting contested local issues without partisan framing, and representing community views that may differ from your own.
Preferred
- Familiarity with Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods and civic landscape. Pittsburgh-based candidates are strongly preferred, as local shooting is part of the role.
- Interest in local government and public policy — you will be translating budget line items and zoning changes into something a stranger will watch for eleven seconds.
- Experience growing a publication’s or nonprofit’s social presence from an early stage.
Engagement Details
- Initial six-month term, with the option to renew or expand scope.
- Weekly production cadence tied to the council meeting schedule, with occasional evening or weekend event coverage.
- You use your own equipment and set your own hours, provided weekly deliverables ship on schedule.
To Apply
Please send an intro email, links to social accounts or campaigns you have produced, and any references to hello@informup.org. Tell us about one piece of content you made that performed well and why you think it worked. We look forward to hearing from producers who share our commitment to transparent, community-driven journalism.
Freelance Reporter (PPS Board)
Location: Pittsburgh, PA (meetings are in person; writing is remote)
Status: Freelance / independent contractor
Compensation: $250/article
Position Summary
We began developing our coverage of the Pittsburgh Public Schools Board of Directors in January 2026. Now, we’re looking for a freelance reporter to take over the beat.
This role is a core part of Informup’s programming. You’ll help the community learn about the most important school board developments each month. And, you’ll help PPS families engage directly with the board through feedback surveys that guide the conversation about the biggest issues in the district.
You don’t need to be a professional journalist to apply. What matters is that you’re curious about public education and local government, reliable about deadlines, and comfortable writing clearly for a general audience. Our editor will work closely with you on structure, sourcing, and journalistic best practices to ensure the highest-quality coverage.
Work and Responsibilities
This role is responsible for the following, in close coordination with our editor and operations team:
- Cover the monthly board meetings. Attend Pittsburgh Public Schools board meetings—including the public hearing and the legislative meeting—and take notes on what’s decided and what’s contested.
- Write reported pieces. Produce a clear, accurate article each cycle explaining the biggest developments of the meetings and why they matter to families and residents. Our editor will help you work through revisions before publishing your final pieces.
- Design survey questions. Write short, neutral survey questions paired with each piece to gather community input on the issues you covered.
- Present survey results publicly. Deliver the findings from those surveys during public comment at PPS public hearings.
- Build a social presence around the coverage. Post about your reporting on key platforms—like TikTok, Instagram, and Reddit—to reach people who won’t read a meeting recap.
Qualifications
Strong candidates will be:
- Curious enough to sit through long public meetings—and sort through dense governmentdocuments—and find the stories in them
- Capable of writing clear, plain-language explanatory pieces and translating them to a variety of social platforms
- Comfortable speaking in public settings
To Apply
Please email hello@informup.org with the subject line "Freelance Reporter (PPS Board)." In your email, please include the following:
- Your current resume
- At least one recent sample of your nonfiction writing (this can be something you've published previously elsewhere, or a new piece you've written for this application)
- A brief cover letter explaining why you're interested in this role (please make sure to include, as a P.S., the name of the PPS Director that currently represents your household)
We look forward to hearing from you.