Civic Editor

About the Role:

City Bureau is seeking a Civic Editor to develop and manage our civic journalism coverage, overseeing editorial projects covering civic issues impacting Chicago's most structurally disadvantaged BIPOC neighborhoods. The Civic Editor will report directly to the Editorial Director and will be responsible for overseeing editorial coverage across multiple beats, using the tools of engagement journalism (including surveying, training, workshops and events) to ensure our work reaches, and is responsive to, our target audiences. 

The Civic Editor will ensure content produced within our programs is at a high level of quality and in line with our editorial strategy. As our newsroom undergoes expansion and focuses on sustained impact, this editor will contribute to a change mindset and growth in the areas of engagement and solutions journalism, and help shape and oversee new products and programs.

An ideal candidate deeply understands how to reach BIPOC audiences through community engagement and multi-platform publishing. This person should be a patient editor who is willing to spend time guiding reporters and program participants to produce their best work, understanding that who gets to create content, and how it is produced, is just as important as the final product.

This is a full-time job based in Chicago with remote work options; some in-person work, including night and weekend hours, will be required.

You should apply if:

• You are skilled at managing multi-layered editorial projects spanning different story types and formats, ensuring they reach their target audience
• You are an eagle-eyed editor with a skill for enhancing narrative flow, problem-solving with reporters and style excellence
• You love mentoring journalists at different skill levels, troubleshooting reporting challenges and collaborating with reporters to make stories shine
• You are passionate about creating journalism with a lens of equity — and racial equity in particular — putting communities who are directly affected by issues at the center of the reporting process.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee and participate in editing civic editorial products, including but not limited to the Civic Reporting Fellowship and quarterly community trainings, weekly Newswire newsletter, editorial content produced in collaboration with Chicago Documenters, and stories related to our Public Newsroom
• Manage Civic Reporting staff, including multiple reporters and fellows, in addition to a range of freelancers such as writers, photographers, illustrators and fact checkers
• Manage production of special publications and guides geared toward civic engagement and action, in collaboration with staff and freelancers
• Own civic editorial process to ensure coverage is produced at a high level of quality; writing should be clear, concise and compelling; stories should be accompanied by appropriate art and/or multimedia
• Collaborate with marketing and engagement teams to ensure content reaches our target audience, writing and/or editing social media copy
• Collaborate with City Bureau staff to engage with community members and ensure our coverage is informed and driven by those it impacts most, and equips them with information necessary to civically engage in Chicago
• Collaborate with curriculum and program managers (staff and contractors) to ensure training programs are editorially viable and supportive of editorial production, and to interview and hire program participants
• Occasionally lead workshops, speak on panels and represent City Bureau publicly 
• Develop and maintain digital library of journalism resources for program participants
• Help to develop editorial beats and annual coverage plans
• Post stories to the website regularly

Qualifications:

• 3+ years experience editing in a professional journalism environment, especially for newer reporters who need additional editing support. Prior reporting experience is also a plus.
• Well-versed in news production, with strong news judgment, ability to conceive and package news for target audiences across platforms
• Ability to coach and mentor people to improve their journalism skills
• Previous experience managing complex editorial projects requiring coordination between staff and contractors
• Experience participating in or managing community engagement journalism projects or workstreams
• High level of emotional intelligence and the ability to communicate and work collaboratively with people from diverse backgrounds
• Cultural competence working with marginalized communities, including BIPOC and low-income communities

Compensation, Benefits and Support:

• $90,000 annual salary. City Bureau uses a universal compensation that includes fixed annual raises currently set at 3.5%
• Full-time with benefits package including health care, dental, vision and life insurance
• Employer-sponsored 401k plans, with 100% employer match up to 4% of salary
• Year-round 36-hour work weeks with Friday afternoons off; in summer months, we have 32-hour work weeks and are off Fridays.
• Technology/work tools and professional development allowances
• 15 days paid vacation, not including health days
• 11 company holidays each year, which may be exchanged for employees who celebrate other holidays
• Flexible work schedule and work-from-home options — City Bureau has a central office and requires occasional in-person meetings and work sessions. Outside of the work we actually need to see each other for, we are flexible with schedules, and employees work wherever they see fit.
• A culture of intentional professional development and organizational learning; City Bureau staff hold regular share-outs to learn from one another and regular community check-ins to connect and surface feedback on policies and practices.

Our Anticipated Timeline:

We’re projecting the following timeline for this hiring process. We will notify candidates of any shifts as we move through the process. 

• Rolling interviews will begin the week of July 8.
• Application closes July 19.
• Within two weeks of closing applications, you will know if you’ve moved onto the interview stage.
• Within two weeks of your interview, you’ll know if you’ve moved onto the case exercise stage.
• Within two weeks of your case exercise completion, you’ll know if you’ve moved onto the final interview.
• We expect to make a final offer by Aug. 30.

City Bureau is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.