Copy Chief - Science Publication Editorial Leader

Scientific American, Inc.; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Scientific American is seeking a creative Copy Chief to lead copyediting, fact-checking and production across our print magazine, anthologies and digital platforms. This is a hands‑on leadership role for someone who has a command of and love for the English language.

The Copy Chief will be meticulous and adept at maintaining house‑style rules, but they will also have keen editorial judgment and know when to zoom out and ensure a piece of writing is stylish, fluid and engaging.

Qualifications

• 5–10 years of copyediting and managing copydesks for publications with print and digital platforms.
• Degree in English, Creative Writing, Journalism or related field.
• Strong editorial judgment and ability to maintain house style.
• Experience leading a team under tight deadlines.
• Familiarity with print production workflows and digital publishing processes.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the copydesk, managing staff (copy editors and production personnel) and freelancers to ensure articles and multimedia are impeccable and accurate and align with SciAm's rigorous standards
• Rethink and streamline copyediting and fact-checking workflows for print and digital to build unified, platform-agnostic processes that keep every department working from the same playbook
• Maintain Scientific American's house style across platforms, including print, digital, multimedia and social media
• Manage production schedules and work across departments to ensure deadlines are met
• Serve as a final quality check for grammar, syntax, clarity, consistency and accuracy

Skills

Copy editing

Fact-checking

Production management

Editorial judgment

Team leadership

Workflow optimization

Strong English

Education

Degree in English/Creative Writing/Journalism

Tools

Adobe InCopy

Contentful

Bynder

Airtable

Job description

Scientific American is seeking a creative Copy Chief to lead copyediting, fact-checking and production across our print magazine, anthologies and digital platforms. This is a hands‑on leadership role for someone who has a command of and love for the English language.

The Copy Chief will be meticulous and adept at maintaining house‑style rules, but they will also have keen editorial judgment and know when to zoom out and ensure a piece of writing is stylish, fluid and engaging.