JOB
Managing Editor
Vital City is a new policy venture that provides practical solutions to public safety problems. We believe that our social fabric is our safety. Accordingly, we seek to shift the debate about public safety, from one that starts with police as the default response to one that starts with thriving neighborhoods and civic institutions.
Vital City produces a policy journal, original research, short films, public convenings and more. In doing so, Vital City seeks to bring to life the best ideas about how New York and other cities can be healthy, vibrant and safe. We aim to make these solutions—and the facts behind them—understandable for all, as knowledge and debate are the cornerstones of democracy. We seek out contributions from a variety of sources (academics, journalists, community organizations, government practitioners and more) and we are open to thinking across a broad political spectrum.
Vital City is looking for a Managing Editor to shape and support our work. The Managing Editor will be a key part of our founding team, helping to determine the tenor and approach of Vital City. This includes helping us develop a strong network of both contributors and readers who are committed to dispassionate analysis and practical solutions to key urban issues.
We are seeking a curious, open-minded, creative, energetic, organized and strategic leader with the ability to help manage a dynamic, evolving organization. The Managing Editor will work closely with Vital City’s founding editors to develop engaging and influential content and manage strong editorial processes that allow for measured and sophisticated responses to complex public safety problems.
Responsibilities
As part of the leadership team, the responsibilities of the Managing Editor include but are not limited to:
- Working closely with Vital City’s founding editors to develop new ideas, including identifying topics for each issue of the journal, setting the table of contents, commissioning pieces, and working directly with authors
- Helping to further develop and refine Vital City’s voice
- Supervising the content creation process, from writing through editing, publishing, distribution and promotion
- Managing the editorial content calendar for each journal issue, along with interstitial pieces, regular newsletters, and other Vital City products
- Editing articles and other written content, including copy editing headlines, pull quotes and more
- Writing original pieces for publication, in consultation with the founding editors
- Working with Vital City founding editors and design team to help determine the look and feel of Vital City publications, including photo/art selection, font choice, etc.
- Working with the research team to ensure that data is well-integrated and clearly presented
- Supervising staff, interns and consultants, as needed
- Thinking through how to define and expand Vital City’s audience, both for online and print
- Devising processes and protocols to promote reader engagement
- Helping to measure Vital City’s impact and influence
- Working with communications staff and consultants to promote Vital City products and to create thought leadership opportunities for Vital City authors, including op-eds, letters to the editors, broadcast interviews, events, paid campaigns and more
- Helping to ensure the smooth administration of the organization, including filling gaps as they emerge
Qualifications
Our ideal candidate’s qualifications include:
- Bachelor’s degree with at least 7 years of journalism and/or editorial experience, with a demonstrated ability to write clearly, fluently and quickly.
- Strong understanding of urban policy issues, civic institutions and the world of criminal justice, and a facility with reading and translating data for every reader.
- Relationships and access to potential writers and thinkers who can become part of the Vital City community.
- Previous experience working in New York is strongly preferred.
Vital City is a start-up enterprise and is still developing its internal systems and infrastructure. We are looking for someone who will be comfortable (and good-humored) working in this kind of environment.
To Apply
Please send the following to info@vitalcitynyc.org with “Managing Editor” in the subject line:
- a resume
- a writing sample
- a short piece (not more than 500 words) describing why you believe you are a good fit for Vital City and what you think Vital City should do to sharpen its voice and extend its influence
Applications will be accepted until September 23, 2022.
Salary Range: $140,000-160,000, commensurate with experience.
