Managing Editor, Education

US News & World Report ,L.P.•Washington, DC

About The Position

U.S. News & World Report is seeking a Managing Editor of Education to create and oversee consumer education advice content covering higher education and K-12 topics, and to lead editorial coverage of education rankings, including Best Colleges, Grad Schools, High Schools, Online Programs and Global Universities. The role sets content strategy for topics such as choosing and getting into college, paying for college and financial aid, college majors, graduate school, K-12 schools, continuing education and certificate programs, and earning a degree abroad. The Managing Editor will lead an in-house team of reporters and editors; recruit and manage freelance writers; oversee the editorial calendar and education newsletters; edit and occasionally write content; and use analytics and AI tools to improve performance and workflow. The role collaborates with communications, digital production, SEO, rankings data, product and business teams to deliver useful content aligned with consumer needs and business strategy. It also includes representing U.S. News as a spokesperson at rankings launches and other events, participating in media interviews, and overseeing and potentially hosting education webinars. The position reports to the Executive Editor of Consumer Advice. The position is open to Washington, DC-based applicants working a hybrid schedule and remote applicants. The anticipated base salary is $100,000 to $140,000, depending on factors including qualifications, relevant experience, education, credentials, interview performance and location.

Requirements

At least 10 years of professional editing experience at a media company or education publication, including at least 5 years managing an in-house team of reporters and editors.
Expertise in higher education and K-12, with prior experience writing and editing content in these areas.
Experience recruiting and managing freelance writers and editors.
Experience managing editorial calendars.
Experience developing and refining content strategy and identifying ways to improve content and audience engagement.
Experience applying SEO best practices and using SEO tools to inform content strategy.
Ability to prioritize assignments and meet deadlines.
Expertise and prior experience using AP style.
Experience with traffic analytics tools such as Google Analytics.
Comfort with media interviews and spokesperson opportunities.
Excellent communication and organizational skills.
Ability to collaborate with multiple teams.
Journalism or related degree, or equivalent experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience building and optimizing newsletters.
Experience using AI tools to improve editorial workflow efficiency.
Experience with project management.
Experience using Google Docs and Sheets, and Google Gemini.
Prior experience editing and publishing content in a CMS.
Familiarity with SEMRush.

Responsibilities

Develop and oversee education content strategy for parents and students, identifying topics and coverage opportunities.
Lead and manage a team of in-house education reporters and editors.
Recruit and manage freelance writers, assign articles and process invoices.
Work with subject-matter experts in student loans, medical school, law school and college admissions to create and review content.
Edit articles, slideshows and other content for flow, consistency, tone, audience, brevity, accuracy and SEO.
Manage the education advice editorial calendar, set publication dates and assign content to staff and freelancers.
Use SEO and GEO best practices and SEO tools to identify topics and optimize content for search.
Use AI tools to improve editorial efficiency and automate repetitive manual tasks.
Use Google Analytics and other traffic analytics to monitor content performance and inform editorial decisions.
Ensure content supports consumers and the business strategy.
Oversee the education webinar calendar and potentially host webinars.
Oversee education newsletters.
Occasionally write articles.
Work with the communications team to promote content through social media and other media outlets.
Serve as a spokesperson for education rankings launches and other U.S. News Education events, including media interviews.
Collaborate with digital producers, SEO experts, rankings data analysts, and product and business teams.