Managing editor

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Job Category: Online | New Media,Magazines
Job ID: 11700
Employment Type: Full time
Salary: per year
Posted: 08.03.2024

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Occupations:

Job Description:

MIT Technology Review seeks an ambitious managing editor who can level up our newsroom’s coverage and polish our editorial operations. This is an essential role on a busy team with the opportunity to take ownership of several critical newsroom functions, including our fact checking procedures and copyflow processes. We’re looking for a straight shooter who is purposeful and committed to upholding the highest journalistic standards.

You’ll excel in this role if you relish the chance to manage and orchestrate a variety of editorial schedules and programs. We need a systems and process thinker who is eager to find ways to help the newsroom improve and become a better place to work.

You will oversee digital production and ensure that stories really shine wherever they appear. Each day, you’ll help editors plan ahead and communicate to avoid bottlenecks and ensure that stories and packages run on time. You may occasionally edit a story, but will mainly focus on coordinating fact checks, copy editing, and aspects of digital production for stories edited by others. You may also manage publishing calendars and contribute ideas to annual editorial projects.

We want you to grow here and will make room for you to explore other skills that interest you. If you’d like to be a host at one of our events, try your hand at data analytics, or get involved in our fellowship program for early career journalists, we will carve out those opportunities and help you prioritize them.

Responsibilities

• Support all aspects of story production
   
  • Scrutinize our copyflow processes and find ways to improve them, with a particular eye toward avoiding copy editing bottlenecks.
  • Elevate our storytelling by working closely with the digital visuals editor and product team to upgrade our digital production and ensure consistency.
  • Team up with editors and the marketing team to plan special promotions for major stories, spanning earned media outreach or social strategy.
  • Oversee print editorial calendars for MIT Technology Review and MIT Alumni News. Set deadlines, check in on story progress, provide frequent status updates to the editorial director, run a weekly planning meeting, anticipate digital art or social needs early in the process. Closely track the budget for each issue.
  • Communicate coverage plans and editorial priorities with other teams across the company as needed.

• Oversee editorial standards
   
  • Manage all aspects of fact checking for the newsroom. Hire freelance fact checkers, maintain fact checking guidelines and train new recruits in our processes. Make assignments and ensure they are completed to our standards.
  • Work with the copy chief to define house style. Update this guidance on a regular basis and communicate changes to staff.
  • Spearhead effort to refresh the newsroom’s editorial guidelines and corrections policy.

• Assist with newsroom operations and special projects
   
  • Run our awards program. Maintain a database of upcoming deadlines and work with editors to determine what to submit. Prepare and submit entries, and oversee an awards budget.
  • Develop a system to track the impact of our reporting.
  • Lead source and contributor diversity tracking efforts across the newsroom.
  • Hire freelance copy editors, proofreaders, fact checkers, and web producers. Manage a budget for these roles.  
  • Assist with managing the newsroom’s operations budget and freelance contracts. 
  • Contribute research, ideas, and planning support to major editorial projects. 
  • Help with recruitment, hiring, and onboarding tasks.
  • Other duties as needed or required.

Supervision Received: In this role, you will report directly to the executive editor of operations. You’ll work most closely with the executive editor of the newsroom, the digital visuals editor, the copy chief, and the editorial director of print. And you’ll interact frequently with other editors in the newsroom and occasionally collaborate with teams across the company to execute larger projects or communicate publishing plans and production schedules.   

Supervision Exercised: The managing editor will not supervise anyone at the time of hiring, though may take on direct reports over time. The managing editor will be responsible for hiring and working with freelancers as well as managing relationships with external vendors as needed.

Compensation and benefits:

This is a full-time salaried position and the annual compensation for this role is $90,000 to $110,000 depending on experience. You can view our benefits here. As an MIT employee, you will have access to comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans. MIT also provides a pension, and a 401(k) match of up to 5%. Employees receive 13 paid holidays and a winter break at the end of each year, plus three weeks of paid vacation in their first year. Other perks include free public transport on the T (the subway system that serves the Boston area) and discounted tickets to local concerts, museums, sporting events, and movie theaters through the MIT Activities Committee.

Job Requirements:

Qualifications:

• At least four years of experience working in newsrooms.
• Proven ability to work with colleagues across teams in a variety of roles.
• Ability to manage many tasks and projects simultaneously under deadline pressure.
• Proactive communicator and natural problem solver.
• Track record as a systems and process thinker who embraces change.
• Experience identifying and rolling out new and better ways of working across teams.
• Strong desire to help an ambitious newsroom improve the way we do things.
• Team player who seeks out input from colleagues and derives satisfaction from helping others achieve shared goals.
• Ability to exercise diplomacy and work effectively amid competing demands with various stakeholders.
• Ability to deal with confidential information and issues using discretion and judgment.
• Travel may occasionally be required.
• Work outside of normal hours, including at night and on weekends, may occasionally be required.

We’re a hybrid newsroom. The managing editor must be based in or near Cambridge, Mass. and is required to work in our main office on MIT’s campus at least one day a week, with the freedom to work remotely the rest of the time. We are open to candidates who are based in the Cambridge area or are willing to relocate.