LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles Times Executive Editor Kevin Merida announced Jan. 9 he is stepping down from the position after roughly 2 1/2 years.

Mr. Merida’s departure will be effective on Friday.

“Today, with a heavy heart, I announce that I am leaving The Times,” Mr. Merida wrote in a message to staffers, the paper reported. “I made the decision in consultation with [Los Angeles Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong], after considerable soul-searching about my career at this stage and how I can best be of value to the profession I love.”

According to the newspaper, Mr. Soon-Shiong said he and Mr. Merida had “mutually agreed that his role as executive editor of the L.A. Times will conclude this week.” He said an internal and external search would be conducted to find a replacement.

“In the near term, the newsroom’s senior leadership team, Julia Turner, Sara Yasin, Scott Kraft and Shani Hilton, will be overseeing the newsroom, with Terry Tang continuing to lead Opinion,” Soon-Shiong told staffers, according to the newspaper.

Mr. Merida, 66, joined the L.A. Times in June 2021. He previously led the news operation at ESPN, and spent two decades with The Washington Post.