Senior Sub-Editor (Print & Digital)

Motor Sport Magazine Limited; Greater London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Motor Sport Magazine Limited is seeking a Senior Sub-Editor to manage content for print, digital, app and social platforms. You will sub-edit copy from staff and contributors, write compelling headlines, and ensure accuracy, tone and legal compliance under tight deadlines.

The role covers print features, bookazines, web content and newsletters, with significant focus on maintaining high house standards and adapting content for multiple platforms.

Qualifications

• At least 5 years' sub-editing experience on a consumer or specialist magazine, with a portfolio covering both print and digital.

Responsibilities

• Sub-edit features, interviews, race reports, and archive pieces for accuracy and house style.
• Write headlines, standfirsts and captions reflecting the Motor Sport voice.
• Cut and fit copy to layout in InDesign/InCopy with the art team.
• Fact-check drivers, teams, cars, circuits and historical details against trusted sources.

Skills

Sub-editing

Editorial judgment

Deadline management

Copywriting

Education

NCTJ or equivalent training

Tools

InDesign

InCopy

Photoshop

WordPress

InDesign scripting / GREP

Job description

Motor Sport has covered racing, past and present, for more than 100 years. Our editorial team pulls together unrivalled stories from motor racing history combined with authoritative coverage of the modern sport, including Formula 1, MotoGP and Le Mans.

Our knowledgeable, engaged audience is growing rapidly across every channel, from YouTube and newsletters to our class-leading magazines. With an ambitious programme of digital and print expansion under way, we are offering our community of enthusiasts even more of the stories they want.

Since our first issue in 1924, we’ve built our reputation on trusted news and analysis and a fiercely independent voice. That hasn’t changed. We cut through the noise to bring our readers, listeners and viewers the stories that really matter.

Racing has changed beyond recognition since 1924. Our commitment to reporting it properly hasn’t.

Job Description : Senior Sub-Editor (Print & Digital)

To sub and manage content for Motor Sport magazine, bookazines, web, app and social media, maintaining and developing the high standards expected of the brand.

You will turn copy from staff and contributors into accurate, compelling, house-style stories, write headlines and cover lines that sell, and adapt content for each platform. You are the final line of defence on facts, tone and legal risk, and a calm, dependable presence on press day and breaking-news days alike.

• At least 5 years' sub-editing experience on a consumer or specialist magazine, with a portfolio covering both print and digital.
• Experience producing bookazines, special editions or other one-off print products.
• Excellent command of English grammar, spelling and punctuation, and a sharp eye for detail.
• Strong headline, standfirst and caption writing across print, web and social.
• Solid IT skills, including InDesign, InCopy and Photoshop, and experience with a web CMS such as WordPress.
• Working knowledge of SEO and web analytics, and an understanding of how AI search and answer engines surface and cite content.
• Solid understanding of UK media law, including defamation, copyright and privacy (NCTJ or equivalent training welcomed).
• A rigorous approach to fact-checking and source verification.
• Proven ability to work fast and accurately under multiple, competing deadlines.
• Proven organisational skills, including managing flatplans and production schedules.
• Practical experience using AI tools and editorial technology to speed up subbing, and the judgement to know when to rely on them.
• Deep knowledge of motorsport, from F1, sportscars and rallying to historic racing, and its people and history.
• Familiarity with motorsport archives and reference sources.
• Experience with app publishing tools, newsletter platforms (e.g. Mailchimp) and social scheduling tools.
• Basic image editing (Photoshop) and understanding of picture research and rights.
• Experience of subscription or paywall-driven publishing.
• Experience with InDesign scripting or GREP, schema markup, or tracking referral traffic from AI platforms.

Personal

• Meticulous and unflappable, especially on press days and race weekends.
• Respectful of writers' voices while improving their copy.
• Adaptable: switches easily between a 5,000-word feature, a news story and a 20-word social post.
• A team player who communicates clearly with editorial, art, digital and production colleagues.
• Curious and proactive, keen to spot stories, errors and better ways of working.
• Willing to work flexibly around key race events and print deadlines.

MAIN TASKS : Print magazine and bookazines

• Sub-edit features, interviews, race reports, columns, reviews and archive pieces for accuracy, clarity, flow, length and house style.
• Write headlines, standfirsts, captions, pull quotes, panels and cover lines that reflect the Motor Sport voice.
• Cut and fit copy to layout in InDesign/InCopy, working closely with the art team on page design.
• Fact-check drivers, teams, cars, circuits, results, statistics and historical detail against trusted sources and our archive.
• Proofread pages at every stage, through to final PDFs and printer proofs, and manage corrections.
• Help plan and produce bookazines and special editions: repurposing archive content, commissioning updates, compiling indexes and keeping to tight production schedules.

Web and app

• Sub-edit and publish news, features and long reads in the CMS, including breaking news on race weekends.
• Write SEO-friendly headlines, meta descriptions, URLs and tags without losing the brand's authority and tone.
• Adapt print features for digital, adding links, images, galleries, video embeds and related content.
• Check formatting, image rights, credits and captions across desktop, mobile and app displays.
• Support newsletters and paywalled or subscriber-only content, applying the right calls-to-action.

Social media

• Write and check social copy, captions and thread text for Instagram, X, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and TikTok.
• Ensure social posts meet the same standards of accuracy and legal safety as the magazine.
• Work with the social team to repackage archive and new content for short-form and platform-native formats.

Production and workflow

• Help the Editor manage overall production across print, bookazines and digital.
• Give copy a first read to check it meets the brief, and go back to writers when it doesn't.
• Help produce the flatplan and keep it up to date.
• Keep a production flow diary so regular sections (e.g. Showroom) arrive on time.
• Track how efficiently production runs and suggest improvements.

AI search and discoverability

• Understand how AI search and answer engines find, summarise and cite content. These include Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, ChatGPT search, Perplexity and Copilot.
• Structure digital copy so AI systems read it clearly and quote it accurately:
• clear, factual standfirsts and summaries
• logical headings
• consistent names for drivers, teams, cars and circuits
• accurate dates, bylines and sourcing
• Work with the digital team on metadata, schema markup and authorship signals that show Motor Sport's expertise and authority.
• Watch how AI tools present Motor Sport content, and flag errors or misattributions.
• Keep up with changes to search and AI platforms and how they affect traffic, and share what you learn with the team.

Technology and efficiency

• Use approved AI and automation tools to speed up routine work, and check every output yourself. Uses include:
• First-pass proofing and house-style checks
• Headline and SEO variants
• Interview transcription
• Alt text and captions
• Versioning print copy for web and social
• Build and maintain time-saving tools, such as InDesign/InCopy scripts, GREP styles, find-and-change queries, custom dictionaries, style-checker rules (e.g. PerfectIt) and CMS templates.

Standards and team

• Take responsibility for quality, tone, fact-checking and grammar across all platforms.
• Own and update the house style guide across print and digital, including guidance on AI-assisted work.
• Flag legal risks (defamation, copyright, contempt, privacy) and elevate to the Editor where needed.
• Coach writers and junior subs, giving clear feedback on copy.
• Keep to print, web and social deadlines, prioritising calmly when schedules collide.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES

• Help marketing, publishing and advertising teams when needed.
• Upload content to digital platforms when needed.
• Cover events in the UK and abroad, and write content when required.
• Represent Motor Sport and its brands well at all times.
• Take on other duties that support Motor Sport's aims.

MEETINGS

Monthly and weekly Motor Sport print content meetings (planning, production and ideas sessions), chaired by the Editor.

SUCCESS MEASURES

• Magazine and bookazine pages sent to print on schedule, with minimal post-publication corrections.
• Consistent house style and tone across print, web, app and social.
• Improved search and engagement performance on digital headlines and metadata.
• No legal complaints arising from sub-edited content.
• Measurable time saved in production through new tools and workflows.
• Motor Sport content cited accurately in AI search results, with any errors spotted and flagged.
• Positive feedback from writers, editors and the wider team.Tips: Provide a summary of the role, what success in the position looks like, and how this role fits into the organization overall.

Salary range £45k - £50k (Depending on experience)