Staff Writer

Jewish United Fund•Chicago, IL

6d•$55,000 - $65,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Staff Writer is a key storyteller for Jewish Chicago: The JUF Magazine, reporting and writing wide-ranging stories that engage readers, spotlight community news, and share the transformative work of JUF. The role calls for curiosity, creativity, insight, a sophisticated understanding of Jewish life and its nuances, and the ability to produce clear, accurate, and engaging work. The Staff Writer develops original ideas, reports and writes features, profiles, and news coverage, collaborates across the Marketing and Communications department and JUF, and supports magazine content operations and campaign-related activities. The position follows a hybrid schedule, with remote work available Mondays and Fridays and in-person work at 30 South Wells Street in Chicago Tuesday through Thursday. The work week is 36.5 hours, with stated work hours of 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m. Friday, including a daily one-hour lunch break. Applicants must provide a writing sample.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in journalism, English, communications, or another relevant field.
3–5 years of professional writing experience; journalism, marketing, public relations, or related experience is preferred.
Exceptional storytelling ability and a fresh, engaging editorial voice.
Strong editorial judgment and discretion when handling sensitive or nuanced topics.
Deep knowledge of Chicago’s Jewish community, culture, heritage, traditions, and Jewish communal organizations.
Outstanding interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills.
Excellent organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to pivot and multitask regularly.
Self-motivated and deadline-driven, able to work independently and collaboratively.
Submit a writing sample with the application.

Nice To Haves

Professional writing experience in journalism, marketing, public relations, or related fields.

Responsibilities

Pitch and develop original story ideas and news topics reflecting local and global Jewish communities.
Conduct interviews, research, and reporting professionally, accurately, and creatively.
Write feature stories, profiles, and news coverage in a versatile, engaging editorial voice.
Meet deadlines and work effectively under pressure while maintaining high-quality work.
Collaborate with editors, designers, Marketing and Communications colleagues, and other JUF departments to create content for the magazine and related media.
Participate in monthly content aggregation for regular sections, such as calendar listings.
Build and maintain community connections to inform reporting and deepen editorial perspective.
Create and manage a centralized Jewish Chicago magazine content repository.
Represent Jewish Chicago professionally with colleagues, lay leadership, and community members.
Assist the Executive and Managing Editors with copy editing.
Support JUF Campaign and mandatory campaign-related activities on an ongoing basis.