Deputy Editor, Columns

About the Role

The New York Times Magazine is seeking an experienced editorial leader to conceive, shape and drive a new slate of digital columns. These columns constitute a kind of magazine within the magazine, one focused on shortform, digitally-native work that utilizes a variety of media in recurring, well-defined formats, and the deputy editor of columns would be the primary lead on all of these efforts.

The magazine publishes roughly ten such columns, with cadences ranging from weekly to monthly, and reaches a broad audience both on- and off-platform. The Deputy Editor will lead a team of magazine editors, and work closely with designers, photo editors, video producers, video journalists, audio producers, developers and magazine leadership to oversee existing columns and, crucially, to help conceive of and launch new ones that draw from a range of modes, including analytical, narrative, and explanatory journalism and a range of formats, including text, video, audio, animation, and photography, to cover a diverse array of topic areas, from sports to politics to culture to international affairs.

This is an intensely creative role, but it also requires strong organizational skills and the ability to lead a team of editors charged with assigning and editing the magazine's weekly columns, and work collaboratively with a team of designers, photo editors, video journalists, audience editors, and others. You must have extensive experience editing news, enterprise and explanatory stories, and have a proven track record of successfully launching verticals that have reached broad audiences. You should have a diverse roster of writers and work well with other editors, photo editors and designers. You should be familiar with the challenges and opportunities of producing journalism in other mediums, including video and audio. And you should possess an endless well of ideas, great enthusiasm for covering the news with attitude and energy, and feel comfortable with a range of editorial work, from line editing a piece of sharp writing to giving feedback on a shortform video.

You should be deeply collaborative, able to see good ideas no matter where they come from and deft at fostering creativity in others. You should be an empathetic manager who is excited to help people grow. You will become a core leader at the magazine and should be a voice at the table with other top editors, weighing in on the magazine's editorial direction, strategy and operations.

This is a new role on a new team, and you will have the opportunity to help shape the position based on your skills and background.

This is an in-office position, based in New York City, and includes regular attendance in the office four days each week. There may be some flexibility to work remotely per your departmental guidance.

Responsibilities:

• Manage a team of editors to brainstorm, assign and publish various columns per week, driving coverage in the form of weekly magazine columns.
• Lead your team and others in brainstorming fresh ideas for existing columns and new concepts for future columns.
• Think strategically about the mix of columns publishing each week, ensuring that editors are assigning column ideas that are current, varied and exciting.
• Provide fast and effective editorial feedback on ideas and drafts, and manage the columns process from start to finish, ensuring smooth and organized closes.
• Work collaboratively with visual editors, designers and photo and video editors to produce visual stories and pioneer new visual formats.
• Adhere to deadlines and ensure that other editors and writers do the same.
• Work closely with audience editors to develop audience strategies around columns and successfully placing them for promotion on the home page, social media and other platforms.
• Meet regularly with other top editors and the editor-in-chief as a leader at the magazine, and participate in desk-wide management initiatives.
• Write (and re-write) headlines and give productive feedback on illustrations.
• Oversee the translation of digital columns into a weekly FOB in the print magazine.
• Support team development, culture and morale.
• Demonstrate support and understanding of our value of journalistic independence and a commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world.
• You will report to the Editor in Chief.

Basic Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience as an editor at a major news organization
• Strong news judgment, quick decision making and ability to assign stories and direct coverage
• A passion for storytelling and a desire to deploy new storytelling forms
• Strong leadership, communication and interpersonal skills and an eagerness to coach and support colleagues
• Experience developing and executing on a vision for a new area of coverage
• Experience managing weekly editorial franchises to great success
• Proven ability to foster a supportive environment that elevates the work of editors and writers
• Experience working on projects that require a blend of journalistic, technical and project management skills

Preferred Qualifications:

• 8+ years of experience managing a team of editors and reporters
• A track record of editing and running series with sustained audience growth

REQ-019498

For roles in the U.S., dependent on your role, you may be eligible for variable pay, such as an annual bonus and restricted stock. Benefits may include medical, dental and vision benefits, Flexible Spending Accounts (F.S.A.s), a company-matching 401(k) plan, paid vacation, paid sick days, paid parental leave, tuition reimbursement and professional development programs. 

For roles outside of the U.S., information on benefits will be provided during the interview process.

The New York Times Company is committed to being the world’s best source of independent, reliable and quality journalism. To do so, we embrace a diverse workforce that has a broad range of backgrounds and experiences across our ranks, at all levels of the organization. We encourage people from all  backgrounds to apply.

We are  an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate on the basis of an individual's sex, age, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage, religion, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation or affectional preference, gender identity and expression, disability, genetic trait or predisposition, carrier status, citizenship, veteran or military status and other personal characteristics protected by law. All applications will receive consideration for employment without regard to legally protected characteristics.  The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)’s Know Your Rights Poster is available here. 

The New York Times Company will provide reasonable accommodations as required by applicable federal, state, and/or local laws. Individuals seeking an accommodation for the application or interview process should email reasonable.accommodations@nytimes.com. Emails sent for unrelated issues, such as following up on an application, will not receive a response.

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