Job Abstract

This posting will close on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.

The Managing Editor, Editorial Review (aka The Backstop) will be an NPR leader with a critical mission: to help bolster our content and our journalists, to ensure that NPR maintains and strengthens its status as a trusted source of news and information for the American public.

In collaboration with other NPR Content Division leaders, this Managing Editor will build and oversee a formal yet efficient system through which all our journalistic content can get a final editorial review before air or publication. In standing up a division-wide editorial review structure, this editor will maximize existing editing, legal and standards and practices protocols and facilitate additional editing support for critical content.

This system will be staffed 24/7 by a team of senior-level managers and editors reporting up to the Managing Editor. This team will be tasked with ensuring excellence, accuracy, fairness and consistency of individual works and across platforms, recognizing that formats, story selection and story-telling techniques for different platforms will and should vary, in service of specific audiences.

The ideal candidate is an experienced, transformative leader. They must have a wide range of experience and deep curiosity; be skilled at working collaboratively in a large, complex media organization and be a talented people manager. They’re someone with an entrepreneurial mindset, who’s excited to launch something new and knows how to execute. At the same time, they must have a track record of building consensus and leading staff through change.

The Managing Editor will report to the Senior Vice President/Editor-in-Chief and Senior Vice President of Podcasting Strategy and Franchise Development.

This position is an on-site role based in Washington, DC; the employee will be required to work at NPR headquarters at a frequency set by their managers. There will be some flexibility to work remotely on occasion with manager approval.

• In collaboration with other Content Division leaders, build a division-wide system to provide consistent final editorial review of journalism content.
• Develop workflows that are both rigorous and flexible, depending on the type of content being created and the existing practices of a given team.
• Develop standards and parameters for such editorial reviews, as well as metrics to understand how the reviews are being done. Iterate as needed.
• Hire, onboard and train as needed the other members of this review team.
• Supervise the five-member team, including overseeing their work as well as their job performance.
• Work closely with the VP/Executive Editor, VP for News Programming, the Managing Editors for News and Planning, the newsroom Deputy Managing Editors and podcast and broadcast show Executive Producers to integrate your team’s work with their story/coverage planning and curation processes. In other words, know what’s in development, for who and for when, so that you can plan your team’s workload most effectively.
• Work closely with the Managing Editor for Standards and Practices and other leaders to develop guidance on editorial matters and best practices for the division.
• Work closely with content analysts and the Editor-in-Chief to understand the division’s collective body of work and this team’s impact on it; act on, socialize and make findings clear and actionable.
• Along with other senior division leaders and the training team, work to develop learning sessions on editorial matters. Consider what curricula could be developed for Member stations, as capacity allows.

The above duties and responsibilities are not an exhaustive list of required responsibilities, duties and skills. Other duties may be assigned, and this job description can be modified at any time.

• Minimum of 15 years of relevant experience as an editorial leader in a journalism organization at the national level.
• At least 7-10 years of people management experience in a newsroom at the national level, including management of high-profile talent such as on-air hosts.
• Experience working and leading in journalistic organizations where stories are told on multiple platforms (such as broadcast, podcast, digital) and a demonstrated understanding of how formats and audiences differ across platforms.
• Track record of editorial leadership both in breaking news environments and on longer-term enterprise, narrative and in-depth work.
• Demonstrated record of successfully developing and implementing significant new initiatives across a large newsroom or other sizable, multifaceted staff.
• Knowledge of the rapidly changing, competitive media environment, its strategic challenges and implications for NPR, Member stations, the public radio system, the media business and society.
• Demonstrated commitment to data analysis and its use in understanding the division’s work and in service of audiences.
• Decisive, dynamic and collaborative leadership style with high emotional intelligence, excellent communication and presentation skills and a passion for the mission of the organization.
• Commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in all aspects of the editorial work, in workplace culture and in hiring.

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in work experience

On-site: This is an on-site role based in Washington, DC. The employee will be required to work at NPR headquarters at a frequency set by their manager. There will be some flexibility to work remotely on occasion with manager approval.

This is a full time, exempt position.

Salary Range: The U.S. based anticipated salary range for this opportunity is $190,000 - $225,000 plus benefits. The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum salaries NPR expects to provide for new hires for the position across all US locations.

Benefits: NPR offers access to comprehensive benefits for employees and dependents. Regular, full-time employees scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week are eligible to enroll in NPR’s benefits options. Benefits include access to health and wellness, paid time off, and financial well-being. Plan options include medical, dental, vision, life/ accidental death and dismemberment, long-term disability, short-term disability, and voluntary retirement savings to all eligible NPR employees.

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