Editorial Director

We’re seeking our first Editorial Director to help launch and grow our editorial initiatives, working closely with the CEO to develop content strategies, editorial structure and operating practices to carry out our mission. This is an opportunity for someone who is entrepreneurial and as energized as we are to figure out how to reach, engage and inform communities across the state at a mission-critical time.

About NC Local:

NC Local is a new nonprofit news and information hub for North Carolina. Our mission is to help more people in our state understand how they’re affected locally and individually by statewide issues, and to amplify their voices and concerns in the halls of power. We’ll do this by adding statewide reporting and news products, working in partnership with local newsrooms and other information providers, and by strengthening access to equitable journalism for all NC communities.

Position summary:

The Editorial Director will be the strategic and operational leader for NC Local’s editorial efforts, overseeing journalists who produce coverage for statewide distribution and who also work with local partners on collaborative projects. You will work closely with the CEO and colleagues overseeing product development, community partnerships, audience engagement and fundraising to launch and build NC Local and deliver on its mission. You’ll bring a track record for journalistic excellence, a strong ethical compass, proven people-managing skills and experience in setting priorities, developing strategy and executing on it.

What you’ll do:

• Leadership and vision: Join forces with the CEO to dream up and launch statewide projects and products that have community impact, and articulate ideas into operational plans for our team and our news partners.
• Management: Work with the CEO in NC Local’s launch phase to define editorial roles, hire staff and manage the team toward NC Local’s goals
• Partner support: Work with the CEO and NC Local’s partners to establish agreed-upon priorities and measures of success for collaborative projects.
• Hands-on editing: Lead decisions on which topics and issues to cover and how to pursue those stories, direct NC Local team assignments toward those goals, edit content or delegate editing as appropriate, and manage editorial products.

Desired skills and experience:

• News leadership: You’ll have significant experience in front-line journalism and evidence of impact in editorial roles, including formal or informal leadership positions that involve priority-setting, managing teams and making decisions on deadline.
• Ownership mentality: You have experience building teams, programs, products or even organizations from the ground up and can demonstrate strong decision-making coupled with the flexibility to shift course as needs change and an organization evolves.
• Management: You’ll have experience in hiring people, evaluating performance, supervising teams and advancing careers. You’ll value a variety of backgrounds, experience and knowledge, and you’ll know how to keep people as well as how to recruit them.
• Collaborative mindset: You’ll have experience in news collaboration and you’ll be plugged into the local news discussion happening across the state and nation.
• Audience and engagement: You’ll have an interest and some specific ideas focused on audience needs and how journalism can connect with and serve people in today’s multiplatform media environment.
• Product thinking: You’ll be able to understand the connection between audience needs and product strategies, in addition to revenue opportunities. You’ll be someone who starts by identifying problems to solve and responds by testing mission-aligned opportunities.

Location: Remote in North Carolina with some travel across the state and to industry conferences expected.

Salary and benefits: The salary range for this position is $115,000 to $125,000, based on experience. We offer health insurance and other benefits, including generous paid vacation and personal time off.

Deadline to apply: For priority consideration, please apply by Friday, April 4.

To apply, please attach your resume and a cover letter that tells us more about your experiences and interests in strengthening access to local news in North Carolina.

NC Local is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

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