Editor in Chief

Stand Together; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

6% 401(k) match

Flexible time off

Health and dental plans

Wellness and mental health support

Competitive salaries and bonuses

Job summary

A philanthropic community in Arlington is seeking an Editor in Chief to shape the narrative and drive impactful storytelling. In this role, you will build an editorial capability, craft narratives that matter, and lead a team blending journalistic excellence with innovative tools. The ideal candidate has over 15 years of editorial leadership experience and a passion for using storytelling to drive social change, while working in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

Qualifications

• 15+ years leading editorial teams in high-level journalism or recognized brands.
• Experience managing large, diverse teams.
• Exceptional editing, writing, coaching, and storytelling skills.

Responsibilities

• Drive and evolve editorial strategy to align with business priorities.
• Create messaging guides to fuel social change.
• Build and refine editorial standards across channels.
• Surface and shape powerful stories across culture and social impact.

Skills

Leadership

Storytelling

Editorial strategy

AI tools integration

Editing

Job description

Overview

Stand Together is a philanthropic community that helps America’s boldest changemakers tackle the root causes of our country’s biggest problems, from education to the economy, broken communities, and toxic division, among dozens of other pressing issues. We provide our partners with access to resources including funding, thought leadership, a network of peers, and a playbook for applying proven principles to transform lives and society.

As Editor in Chief, you’ll shape how Stand Together tells its story to key audiences through innovative storytelling, rapid response, and principled messaging. This role goes beyond publishing content — you’ll build an editorial capability from the ground up, crafting narratives that matter, surfacing stories from our partners, and transforming them into campaigns that drive social change. You’ll lead a forward‑thinking team that blends journalistic excellence with AI‑powered tools to accelerate output, personalize at scale, and create an editorial engine that becomes a true center of excellence.

You’re an experienced editorial leader who knows how to build teams, shape narratives, and move audiences. You bring strategic clarity, impeccable craft, and the ability to inspire people around big ideas — and you’re energized by building something new in a fast‑moving, high‑growth environment.

How You Will Contribute

• Drive and evolve StandTogether’s editorial strategy, ensuring every narrative aligns with business priorities and core messaging.
• Create and champion principles‑based messaging guides that help fuel social change.
• Act as both strategist and hands‑on creator—shaping the vision while writing, editing, and publishing standout content.
• Build and refine editorial standards and playbooks that unify the Stand Together voice across owned, earned, and social channels.
• Surface, shape, and package powerful stories across culture, music, sports, entertainment, and social impact.
• Partner with Communications on rapid‑response storytelling that converts solutions into cultural momentum.
• Produce multi‑format content—web, video, newsletters, social, fundraising, partner materials—tailored to funders, partners, social entrepreneurs, and consumer audiences.
• Integrate AI tools to streamline editorial workflows, speed production, and unlock new creative approaches.
• Collaborate with Analytics to optimize content placement, performance, and impact, while working with external partners to amplify reach.
• Lead, mentor, and inspire a core editorial team, effectively scaling impact through contractors, freelancers, and agencies.
• Partner closely with Communications, Marketing, and executives to align strategy, messaging, and storytelling across the organization.
• Build a self‑learning editorial system powered by testing, real‑time analytics, and reputation insights.
• Define and drive OKRs focused on reach, resonance, and reputational impact—and consistently elevate the standard.
• Develop centralized knowledge and content systems that increase consistency, access, and operational efficiency.
• Streamline copy‑approval workflows to improve clarity, speed, and collaboration.

What You Will Bring

• 15+ years leading editorial teams in high‑level journalism or globally recognized brands, and 10+ years managing large, diverse teams.
• Enthusiasm to contribute to StandTogether's vision and principled approach to solving problems, and a commitment to stewarding our culture, which champions values including transformation and innovation, entrepreneurialism, humility, and respect.
• A leadership style that elevates people, inspires bold ideas, and embraces transformation.
• Exceptional editing, writing, coaching, and storytelling skills.
• Experience introducing and scaling new AI tools within content or editorial environments.
• Strong ability to work across communications, marketing, digital, policy, and legal teams.
• A calm, thoughtful approach to fast‑paced, deadline‑driven decision‑making.
• Expertise in managing multi‑channel editorial workflows and modern project management tools.
• A proven ability to audit and improve editorial processes for quality, speed, and impact.
• Comfort working directly with executives and navigating complex organizations.

What We Offer

• Competitive benefits: Enjoy a 6% 401(k) match with immediate vesting, flexible time off, comprehensive health and dental plans, plus wellness and mental health support.
• A meaningful career: Join a passionate community of over 1,300 employees dedicated to improving lives and driving innovative solutions to complex social challenges.
• Commitment to growth: Thrive in a non-hierarchical environment that empowers employees to discover, develop and apply their unique talents.
• Competitive compensation: Our approach rewards the value you create through competitive salaries and bonus opportunities, allowing you to share in the success you help drive.

Our Values: Working at Stand Together is different from many other organizations. Our culture is deeply rooted in Principle Based Management® (PBM®), a framework guided by the principles that drive human progress, such as dignity, openness, and bottom‑up empowerment. PBM® empowers our employees to be entrepreneurial, to innovate, and to continually drive transformation.

We believe diversity fuels creativity, broadens knowledge, and helps drive success, and that is why we’re proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and strive to treat all employees and applicants with honesty, dignity, respect and sensitivity.