Staff Writer

JUF Careers•Chicago, IL

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Staff Writer is a key storyteller for Jewish Chicago: The JUF Magazine, reporting and writing wide-ranging, compelling stories that engage readers, spotlight community news, and share JUF’s work. The role calls for a sophisticated understanding of Jewish life and its nuances, along with the ability to produce clear, accurate, eloquent, and engaging content for the community. The Staff Writer develops original story ideas, conducts interviews and research, writes features, profiles, and news coverage, and collaborates with editors, designers, and colleagues across JUF. The position also contributes to recurring magazine sections, maintains a centralized content repository, builds community connections, assists with copy editing, and supports JUF Campaign activities. The role follows a hybrid schedule: remote work is available Mondays and Fridays, while in-person work at 30 South Wells Street in Chicago is expected Tuesdays through Thursdays. The work week is 36.5 hours.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in journalism, English, communications, or another relevant field.
3–5 years of professional writing experience.
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.
Provide a writing sample with the application.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Pitch and develop original story ideas and news topics, staying attuned to 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 maintain high-quality work under pressure.
Collaborate with editors, designers, and colleagues within Marketing and Communications and across JUF to create integrated magazine and related-media content.
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 in interactions 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.