Content & Editorial Director - Print Publication (Municipal Audience)

Town Web

2d

About The Position

We’re creating a printed newspaper for town and city clerks across the U.S, a publication that feels useful, readable, and worth keeping. Not a promo piece. Not a mailer. Not a “content marketing asset.” A real editorial product: reported, written, edited, designed, and produced with intention.
This paper will serve small municipal offices the way trade publications used to: practical, grounded, and respectful of the reader’s intelligence. It should feel like it belongs on a clerk’s desk, not in the recycling bin.
You’ll lead the editorial vision and write the core content, while also coordinating with design and print production to ensure the final piece is cohesive and professionally executed.

Requirements

• Think in themes, story structure, and editorial arc (not “content calendar”)
• Can generate strong story ideas grounded in the real workflows of municipal staff
• Write in a plainspoken, confident voice that doesn’t sound like marketing copy
• Know how to balance substance with readability (busy readers, real constraints)
• Can write features, columns, service pieces, and short recurring sections
• Understand how print layout changes writing (heads, decks, sidebars, pacing)
• Can collaborate well with designers and printers to ship something real and beautiful
• Care about getting the details right: accuracy, credibility, clarity

Responsibilities

• Create the overarching concept/theme for the inaugural issue
• Build a complete table of contents (features + departments + recurring columns)
• Establish voice/tone guidelines and editorial standards (what we do / don’t do)
• Identify interview opportunities: clerks, administrators, election staff, records, etc.
• Shape the “editorial spine” so the issue reads with momentum and cohesion
• Write original feature-length stories (reported or interview-based)
• Draft opinion/perspective pieces rooted in real municipal operations (not hot takes)
• Create lighter recurring elements (e.g., field notes, checklists, desk-reference tips)
• Conduct or support interviews; synthesize them into clean, compelling narratives
• Work with stakeholders to ensure accuracy without losing editorial independence/voice
• Partner with a designer to align story structure with layout (pagination, flow, hierarchy)
• Edit and refine copy in layout (tightening, reordering, making it scan-friendly)
• Coordinate with print vendor: specs, paper options, schedules, file delivery
• Manage proofing rounds and final sign-off prior to print
• Ensure the publication lands as a polished, readable object—something people keep

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 1-10 employees