Senior Editor, Higher Education

Teachers College, Columbia University•New York, NY

1d•Remote

About The Position

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 also involves shaping our strategy for covering higher education, and for working closely with other editors, as well as 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 and maintain 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.

Requirements

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

Nice To Haves

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

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
Assign and edit stories on higher education
Supervise staff writers to help with story planning, prioritization, and career development
Oversee freelance writers, setting expectations and deadlines to maintain high quality
Conceptualize and coordinate projects with other editors
Communicate and collaborate with partner publications, working on creative storytelling techniques and innovative journalism content with staff and partners
Other duties as assigned