Sr. Editorial Director, Journalism

POSITION SUMMARY

The Senior Editorial Director, Journalism oversees editorial strategy and journalism content for EdSurge, ISTE ASCD’s digital news platform, managing 5-6 education reporters, editing stories, overseeing newsletters, and directing grant deliverables and budget strategy. This role serves as the primary point of contact for journalism grants. The position requires a creative, collaborative leader and storyteller who is fluent across multimedia formats (text, audio, video, social/digital), and able to partner effectively across a complex, mission-driven organization.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Drive and oversee EdSurge and ISTE ASCD’s journalism strategy and integration across organizational platforms.
• Review, approve, and assign story pitches to staff reporters and editors, including articles, podcasts, and newsletter content.
• Manage reporters, guide story development through editing and feedback, and foster a strong reporting culture. 
• Develop and manage the editorial budget, including overseeing grant-funded journalism initiatives and ensuring responsible stewardship of resources. Serve as a confident, credible partner to high-level grantors and philanthropic stakeholders.
• Stay updated on publishing technology changes to improve workflows, content dissemination, and experiment with new story formats.
• Produce investigative and analytical journalism.
• Set and maintain the editorial style guide to ensure consistent standards.
• Preserve the editorial independence and journalistic integrity of the organization’s media platforms.
• Develop new content and content-delivery approaches, including multimedia features, video and podcast production, and cross-platform social and digital media projects, with a creative eye toward emerging storytelling formats.
• Lead interdepartmental editorial projects and initiatives.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams on business and operational integration of media platforms, including marketing, technology, and events programming.

PRIORITY WILL BE PROVIDED TO CANDIDATES LIVING IN THE DC METRO AREA(MD, DC, or Northern VA); you will be REQUIRED to come into the Arlington, VA office one day per week.

Knowledge

• Deep understanding of journalism principles and ethics.
• Knowledge of digital journalism/publishing strategies, tools, and platforms.
• Fluency in the social and digital media landscape, including platform strategy, audience development, and content distribution.

Skills and Abilities

• Exceptional editing and reporting skills. Proficiency in digital editorial programs and leveraging technology for new story formats and workflow improvements.
• Ability to translate ideas across different stakeholders in journalism and business operations.
• Deep creative instincts for storytelling across formats, including long-form journalism, video, podcast, and social/digital media.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and build strong relationships across teams, functions, and organizational levels.
• Ability to make fast, well-reasoned editorial and operational decisions in a deadline-driven environment.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills for engaging with high-level grantors, funders, and external partners.

Critical Success Factors / Leadership Attributes 

• Must be able to create value for the organization.
• Possesses the ability to make meaning by keeping others well-informed on the big issues.
• Can hire and cultivate talent who are strong contributors to the organization. 
• Applies learning by seeking new learning from a variety of disciplines and addressing obstacles immediately and directly. 
• Recognizes the importance of acting together by encouraging imagination and creating opportunities for others to step up and contribute.
• Executes accountably by creating clear plans to achieve goals and monitoring costs, progress, and results.
• Sets a personal example of authenticity and inspires others to want to follow their lead.

Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in journalism, communications, or a related field.
• At least 10 years of reporting and editing experience, including significant time at a journalism enterprise.
• Experience leading content strategy for an organization or team; experience managing staff.
• Demonstrated experience with video, podcast, and social/digital media content production and strategy.
• Experience in covering K-12 education is strongly preferred.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Normal demands associated with a deadline-driven office environment.
• The noise level is generally quite to moderate.
• Daily contact with external customers, vendors, colleagues, associates, supervisors, and staff at all levels of the organization.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Ability to remain at a desk for extended periods of time.
• Ability to communicate and exchange information with others.
• Ability to move about to coordinate work in areas of varying heights.
• Ability to perceive and inspect records in a document management system. 
• Ability to operate general office equipment.
• Ability to travel to off-site meetings.
• Ability to lift, carry, move, or position objects weighing up to 10 pounds.