The Trace seeks a hands-on, versatile news editor to lead our nonprofit newsroom’s production of daily, cross-platform, short-form coverage that engages our passionate readers and expands our reach.

This is a chance to make a critical contribution to The Trace’s mission of shining a light on America’s gun violence crisis through independent journalism. And also to tackle a central challenge for the single-subject news model: For sites dedicated to reporting on one thorny issue, what are the best strategies and tactics for attracting new readers and informing existing followers every day?

  • Collaborate with The Trace’s editorial leaders to refine and implement a strategy for serving our influential core audience and educating new readers with timely, short-form coverage.
  • Manage two to four news and engagement writers and editorial fellows.
  • Manage and edit The Trace’s email newsletters, whose growth and success are a top organizational priority.
  • Edit (and occasionally write) three to four news posts per week, conceiving assignments and sharpening writers’ ideas.
  • Identify emerging opportunities for quick-turn news stories, ongoing watchdog reporting, and social and newsletter coverage.
  • Coordinate coverage and assignments with fellow editors.
  • Help refine The Trace’s social media strategy and oversee colleagues’ execution of coverage on The Trace’s social media channels (currently, Facebook and Twitter) in alignment with our goals for growth and impact.
  • Package articles (headlines, images, and story framing) for maximum resonance and reach.
  • Build and maintain our library of search-optimized explainers.

Your resume shows three or more years of reporting and/or editing and at least one year of management experience.

The ideal candidate is someone who:

  • Is an efficient, incisive editor and a dynamic, fast, clean writer.
  • Possesses a deft instinct for pairing an emerging coverage opportunity with the ideal story form, platform, and packaging for serving the audience with the most need for that news.
  • Embraces the cues provided by audience-performance metrics — but still trusts his or her gut.
  • Is both self-motivated and innately collaborative.
  • Gives clear, effective guidance to the colleagues he or she manages and absorbs feedback eagerly.
  • Learns new beats quickly.
  • Avidly consumes newsletters and may have directly contributed to their creation.
  • Is flexible about many things — but relentless in ensuring the accuracy, fairness, and clarity of every piece of coverage he or she touches.

This job is probably not for someone who:

  • Is averse to fast-paced, evolving environments.
  • Has a hard time making decisions.
  • Prefers to work on long-lead assignments, one at time.
  • Really wishes this was a features editor position.

To apply

Please send your resume; four relevant work samples; and a memo (two pages, tops) sketching how you’d approach the job to [email protected].

Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis, with a final deadline of January 11, 2018.

The Trace is committed to diversity and strongly encourages applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, and LGBQT people.

Team Trace