Deputy Managing Editor / Digital News & Visuals

The Post and Courier, South Carolina's largest and most award-winning news organization, is looking for a high-energy, hands-on editor to lead the daily heartbeat of our newsroom and help shape the future of how we practice journalism in a rapidly evolving digital news environment.

This is a new position — and a pivotal one. The Deputy Managing Editor for Digital and Visuals will oversee the teams that produce fast-paced and high readership stories, our visual journalism and our audience operations. That means you'll run breaking news, trending coverage, photography, video, SEO, social media, newsletters, community engagement and analytics — all under one roof. You'll report to the executive editor for digital news and work alongside editors and reporters across every corner of the newsroom.

We need someone who is as comfortable leading public safety and metro enterprise coverage as they are finding ways to engage new audiences on emerging digital platforms. Someone who sees a great story and immediately thinks about how to tell it, where to publish it and who needs to see it. Someone who doesn't just manage but leads from the front.

The position is based in Charleston, consistently ranked among America's best places to live. You will work with journalists in all of our newsrooms across South Carolina. Journalists who join The Post and Courier find opportunities in a Pulitzer Prize-winning environment to do some of the best work of their career, limited only by their ambition and determination.

WHAT YOU'LL LEAD

Daily news teams. Our Quick Response team handles breaking news, public safety and courts coverage. Our Trending team covers growth, development, retail and the stories driving conversation online and in our communities. You will set the pace for both — driving volume, speed and smart story selection across digital platforms.

Visual journalism. Our photography and video team produces award-winning work that is central to our digital storytelling. You will lead the strategy for how we use visual journalism — including vertical video and emerging formats — to reach audiences where they are.

Audience and growth. An audience director, community engagement editor, newsletter editor and two producers make up the team that handles SEO, homepage curation, social media, headline optimization, audience analytics, newsletters and reader engagement. This isn't a support function; it's the engine that connects our journalism to the people who need it.

What we're looking for

You should have a strong track record of leading digital news coverage and building a culture where audience-first thinking is second nature. You should be a strong collaborator with keen news judgment and a competitive streak when it comes to coverage.

This position will help drive the future direction of our newsroom, and we need someone who is willing to experiment, fail fast and pivot when necessary. We're not looking for someone who has all the answers. We're looking for someone who asks the right questions and moves quickly to find out.

A keen interest in how artificial intelligence can improve newsroom workflows, reporting and content is important. You don't need to be an AI engineer, but you should be excited about what these tools can do and ready to help our journalists use them effectively and responsibly.

ABOUT THE POST AND COURIER

The Post and Courier is privately owned and values its relationship with readers. We believe investing in journalism leads to more subscribers and a sustainable business. We began expanding across South Carolina in 2020, seeking to fill a void in news deserts and areas where local news had dramatically shrunk. We are a passionate and dedicated news organization and seek someone who shares the same commitment to excellence.

REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor's degree in Journalism, Communications or English preferred
• At least 5 years of experience in a newsroom, including time in an editing or leadership role
• Demonstrated experience leading digital news operations and growing digital audiences
• Experience managing multiple teams or functional areas simultaneously
• Experience developing and executing content and audience strategies
• Flexibility to occasionally adjust hours to monitor breaking news
• Strong news judgment across a range of coverage areas — from breaking news to enterprise
• Deep familiarity with analytics tools (we use Marfeel for content analytics) and comfort translating data into actionable editorial decisions
• A strong understanding of SEO strategy, social platforms and emerging distribution channels
• Experience coaching and training journalists on digital skills, tools and workflows
• Familiarity with AI tools and a genuine curiosity about how they can enhance journalism

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Strong news judgment across a range of coverage areas — from breaking news to enterprise
• Deep familiarity with analytics tools (we use Marfeel for content analytics) and comfort translating data into actionable editorial decisions
• A strong understanding of SEO strategy, social platforms and emerging distribution channels
• Experience coaching and training journalists on digital skills, tools and workflows
• Familiarity with AI tools and a genuine curiosity about how they can enhance journalism