Senior Higher Education Editor

Happy #LocalNewsDay! At The Hechinger Report, we collaborate with hundreds of local (and national) news outlets throughout the U.S and we are hiring a senior editor to oversee our higher education coverage

Posted by: Liz Willen, Editor-in-Chief

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JOB DESCRIPTION:

The Hechinger Report, an award-winning news organization focused on innovation and inequality in education, is seeking an experienced editor to oversee our higher education coverage. The editor will lead a small team of staff reporters and many freelance contributors, assigning and editing stories that meet Hechinger’s high bar for in-depth investigative, feature and explanatory journalism.  

The editor will help identify story ideas, make assignments, guide reporters and line-edit stories. This position will also be responsible for shaping our strategy for covering higher education, and for working closely with other editors, as well as engagement, web and data staffers, on ideas for new and innovative storytelling techniques and products. The editor will collaborate with our existing partner outlets, such as The Washington Post, NPR and the Los Angeles Times, and help us develop new partnerships. 

Hechinger is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Building a diverse and inclusive newsroom is integral to Hechinger’s mission. Just as we seek to elevate diverse perspectives through our journalism, we also strive to ensure that the writers and editors telling those stories come from diverse backgrounds. 

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Oversee a team of 2-3 staff reporters, helping with story planning, prioritization and career development  
• Assign and line-edit stories, including features, analyses and investigations, primarily on higher education; assist with second reads as needed     
• Work with freelance reporters to assign and edit their journalism, and assist in recruiting new freelance contributors  
• Help manage our higher education budget     
• Communicate and collaborate with our partner publications and help develop new collaborations and partnerships  
• Conceptualize and coordinate projects with other editors  
• Travel a few times a year, to our annual staff gathering and potentially to higher education and/or journalism events; occasionally meet with sources and represent Hechinger at conferences

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent professional experience
• 7 to 10 years of professional experience in journalism, with at least 3 years supervising reporters
• Superior line-editing skills
• Experience in editing explanatory and features journalism
• Experience and interest in the education beat
• Ability to generate ambitious feature story ideas 
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with experience motivating and supporting colleagues
• Familiarity with audience engagement tools and strategies

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience in project management and organizational development 
•  5 years of editing experience at a news organization
• 5 years on the education beat 
• Experience assessing, guiding and editing investigative reporting projects

BENEFITS:

This position will be paid between $100,000 and $107,000 a year. This position also receives Teachers College Full-Time Professional Benefits, which include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance plans, a 403(b) tax-advantaged retirement investment plan, and tuition remission for employees and eligible dependents. 

RESTRICTIONS:

The Hechinger Report’s main office is located in New York City. This role may be remote. 

Hechinger is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Building a diverse and inclusive newsroom is integral to Hechinger’s mission. Just as we seek to elevate diverse perspectives through our journalism, we also strive to ensure that the writers and editors telling those stories come from diverse backgrounds.

The application deadline is May 28.