Assistant Editor, Space

The New York Times • New York, NY

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The mission of The New York Times is to seek the truth and help people understand the world. That means independent journalism is at the heart of all we do as a company. It’s why we have a world-renowned newsroom that sends journalists to report on the ground from nearly 160 countries. It’s why we focus deeply on how our readers will experience our journalism, from print to audio to a world-class digital and app destination. And it’s why our business strategy centers on making journalism so good that it’s worth paying for.
The New York Times is looking for an editor to manage its space coverage. The Times's large readership takes enormous interest in the Science desk's stories about space and astronomy — which include reporting on SpaceX's latest launches, NASA missions to Mars, meteorites falling to Earth, solar and lunar eclipses, powerful new telescopes studying cosmic mysteries and a growing collection of interstellar comets.
We are seeking a real space ace, someone with significant experience as either an editor or a reporter in covering multiple aspects of the beat. The editor will need to launch reporters on stories quickly, stay abreast of the desk’s competitors and be determined to beat them. But the editor will also need to possess a strong sense of the deep trends underlying the space beat, and be capable of assigning and editing idea-driven and explanatory features that help readers see the past, present and future of space exploration.
The ideal candidate will also have a passion for scientific subjects outside space, helping to manage some reporters on other beats. And they will have a comfort with editing a wide range of story types, as well as strong line editing skills with an ability to improve and elevate every story.
The Science desk is a highly collaborative team; editors and reporters will work closely together to produce varied storytelling forms that resonate with readers. The ideal candidate will have a track record of thinking about the interests of a broad general audience like The Times’s, with a passion for conveying complex stories in plain language.
This is an in-office position, based in New York City, and includes regular attendance in the office four days each week. There may be some flexibility to work remotely per your departmental guidance.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience as an editor or reporter on space, ideally with experience across multiple forms of storytelling, from news to investigations to features.
• Experience with framing and elevating stories for the broadest possible audience.

Nice To Haves

• A collaborative, enthusiastic team spirit and a desire to ask deep, tough questions — but also to bring the fascination and delight of new achievements and discoveries to the Times’s large and curious readership.

Responsibilities

• Manage the Times’s space reporters, overseeing and shaping their coverage.
• Maintain an internal calendar to track and plan in advance for space and astronomy events.
• Juggle multiple ambitious reporting projects at once, acting as a coach and careful editor, choosing when to approve travel for reporting purposes and playing a key role in decisions about what stories to run and when they are ready to publish.
• Closely monitor the news cycle and look for areas where your reporters can contribute. (And encourage the reporters to pitch their own timely ideas.)
• Collaborate closely with colleagues on other desks (International, Business, National and Live) when space and astronomy overlaps with their departments' coverage.
• Demonstrate support and understanding of our value of journalistic independence and a commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world.

Benefits

• Benefits may include medical, dental and vision benefits, Flexible Spending Accounts (F.S.A.s), a company-matching 401(k) plan, paid vacation, paid sick days, paid parental leave, tuition reimbursement and professional development programs.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees