Assistant Editor

Ballast Research • Full-time • Washington, District of Columbia, United States • $69k - $75k / year • 1d ago

The Atlantic is seeking an assistant editor to help deepen engagement among The Atlantic’s readers. The ideal candidate will be creative, organized, and energized by fast-paced work.

This assistant editor will support the Community team’s work designing and building a social forum for Atlantic readers. The ideal candidate should therefore have plenty of experience with the social web—professionally and/or personally—and accompanying thoughts about what strategies will (or won’t) drive reader engagement.

The assistant editor will also be counted upon to help senior editors brainstorm any and all elements of community at The Atlantic. Big ideas are encouraged, and an appetite for experimentation is necessary. This editor will be expected to collaborate with colleagues across the newsroom, as well as with peers from the Product and Growth teams, and other parts of The Atlantic’s business operation. This position will also involve promoting community initiatives and occasional night and weekend work.

Responsibilities will include:

Vetting and moderating comments and contributions from readers
Writing, editing and/or fact-checking work produced by the Community and Audience team (text, audio, and video)
Filming, editing, and producing social videos
Administrative duties to support building this project
Publishing videos on social platforms
Brainstorming new ways to engage with readers
Promoting community initiatives across platforms

Qualities of a successful candidate include:

At least two years of experience in journalism, at a social platform or in a related field
Excellent writing and research skills, but also experience in other mediums—or at least a willingness to learn
A deep understanding of The Atlantic’s mission and journalism
Familiarity with video and graphics editing, including CapCut or Adobe Premiere and After Effects
Open-mindedness and a commitment to diversity of opinion and respectful debate. As we develop a community for our readers, a spirit in line with The Atlantic’s motto—“Of No Party or Clique”—will be critical
Strong time management, with the ability to communicate effectively within a tight-knit team, as well as across a large organization, and to accomplish both discrete tasks and longer-term projects on deadline
Familiarity with reading and understanding user analytics, and then using them to inform decision making
A dedication to making The Atlantic’s journalism accessible and approachable to as many people as possible
A natural knack for bringing people together, whether through rigorous debates or delightful surprises or, ideally, both!

This role is based in Washington, D.C.

Annual compensation minimum: $69,000

Annual compensation maximum: $75,000

This is a Guild position.

About The Atlantic:

The Atlantic has, for more than 160 years, advanced ideas that matter and sparked global conversation on the most important issues of our time. We aim to bring clarity and original thinking to questions of consequence, on topics ranging from politics, the economy, and global affairs to technology, science, and culture. As the third-longest-running magazine in America, we find ourselves at a remarkable moment: one of both continuation and transformation, of upholding our legacy while continuously reinventing ourselves for the future.

_____________

The Atlantic Monthly Group LLC ("The Atlantic") is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Atlantic is committed to diversity and encourages members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, LGBTQ people, people of color, and people with disabilities. We do not discriminate against our applicants because of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable law.

Job offers to work at The Atlantic are contingent upon the candidate’s successful completion of reference checks and compliance with The Atlantic's COVID-19 vaccination policy. The Atlantic requires all employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, including subsequent boosters, and submit proof of vaccination status. Employees who cannot receive the vaccine because of a disability/medical contraindication or sincerely-held religious belief may request an accommodation (e.g., an exemption) to this requirement.