Senior Editor, Talent Partnerships

The Guardian•New York, NY

17d•$122,000 - $129,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Guardian seeks an enterprising editor and talent spotter to launch a new project involving partnerships with high profile writers, authors and voices in the US. Working closely with the Guardian’s US opinion editor and senior leadership, this editor will help us develop a pilot program to explore new ways of collaborating with independent external contributors on platforms like Substack or Patreon. They will help us identify compelling writers with deeply original perspectives that align with the Guardian’s core values and think creatively about how to bring them into the Guardian fold and cross promote each other’s work. The role requires a unique mix of skills starting with great editorial taste and experience editing opinion pieces. But the project has goals around audience engagement and reader revenue, so the ability to think strategically about digital engagement, measure impact, and hit goals is essential. The charisma and gravitas to recruit and build relationships with contributors, and the management experience to negotiate simple contracts are also essential. An allergy to the term “thought leader” is appreciated. This is a one-year contract position as we explore and test the concept.

Requirements

5+ years editorial management experience in a digital newsroom
Sophisticated understanding of the US news and opinion landscape and of the Guardian’s unique place within it
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and the capacity to build and manage relationships with contributors
Knowledge of digital audience development tactics and metrics
Experience negotiating contributor agreements (with support from HR and legal)
Collaborative style and ability to work with multiple stakeholders, combined with the ability to work independently
Ability to work with both editorial and commercial colleagues
Project management skills

Responsibilities

Identify and recruit roughly six writers and voices who would make strong partners for the Guardian
Think strategically and creatively about how to design partnerships that help the Guardian hit growth goals around email sign ups, app downloads and reader revenue
Edit opinion pieces, essays and interviews that result from the partnerships
Track and report the progress of the project
Develop ideas and strategies to work with existing Guardian columnists around growth goals