Editor in chief

American City Business Journals, Inc.; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health/Dental/Vision

401K Plan with Employer Match

Parental Leave

Flexible Spending Accounts

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

American City Business Journals, Inc. seeks an Editor-in-Chief to lead the newsroom, shaping content strategy and ensuring high-quality local business coverage across print and digital platforms.

The EIC will mentor reporters, drive audience growth, and collaborate with the Publisher to identify new opportunities, while maintaining a hyper-local mission and a digital-first mindset.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• 5–7 years of management and/or team leadership experience.
• Daily, and preferably, weekly print experience for a business news operation.
• Experience working in an online news environment.
• Inspiring, diplomatic, innovative and collaborative.
• Eager to connect directly with readers and audiences.
• Thrives in rapidly changing media environments.

Responsibilities

• Create content and product vision across print, digital, and future formats.
• Drive staff adaptation to new platforms and storytelling forms.
• Lead the reporting team with hands-on editing and guidance.
• Grow print, digital and event audiences through engagement strategies.
• Maintain vitality of print through thoughtful packaging and exclusive interviews.
• Collaborate with other department heads to plan business and marketing initiatives.
• Pursue content syndication channels and partnerships.
• Serve as primary newsroom conduit between local market and corporate.

Skills

Leadership

Newsroom management

Digital strategy

Audience growth

Mentoring

Collaboration

Reader engagement

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

CMS platforms

Job description

The Business Journal Editor-in-Chief (EIC) is the highest-ranking newsroom leader and responsible for driving content strategy and quality across all platforms. The EIC is expected to show an insatiable desire and proven ability to drive audience loyalty and growth through high-quality and relevant local business news. Leadership and innovation must be particularly pronounced on digital platforms.

With the entire newsroom staff reporting to the Editor-in-Chief, the EIC position is far-reaching and demanding. Some key EIC competencies and responsibilities include the mentorship and development of direct reports; hands-on editing and guidance around coverage decisions and, always, a digital-first mindset.

To be successful, the EIC must possess sharp news instincts, have a burning curiosity about local business and people, a deft editing hand and an ability to be equal parts journalist, leader, entrepreneur, and brand builder. A member of the leadership team, the EIC is expected to collaborate with the Publisher to identify and address new business and audience opportunities to extend the brand.

In a world where the media landscape is in a constant state of evolution, the EIC must embrace change, learning and trying new tools and technologies to disseminate news, while never losing focus on our hyper-local mission of delivering business intelligence to our readers.

Job Responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities, work schedules and/or location may change based on evolving business needs

· Create content and product vision. The EIC must define a clear and compelling vision for the look, feel and voice of our portfolio of products, including the existing weekly print newspaper, daily emails, website and, soon, tablet and mobile.

· Change agent. Must drive staff adaptation to new mediums, new platforms, new skill sets, new story forms, new ways of doing things. Persuasively, diplomatically, strategically, the EIC must guide the business journal operation into new markets, new competencies, and new areas of opportunity.

· Newsroom leader. It is paramount that the EIC take a proactive, hands-on approach in developing and leading the reporting staff. Our ability to produce products that connect with our audiences stems directly from the EIC's interaction with, and direction of, the reporting team.

· Audience. The Office of the Editor and, by extension, the EIC, shares cross-departmental responsibility for growing our print, digital and event audiences. This demands a tight relationship with our audience through blogging and Editor's Notebooks.

· Ensure vitality of print through thoughtful packaging, long-form journalism, exclusive interviews.

· Management. Work with other department heads, create business and marketing plans for the company.

· Seek out content syndication channels and partnerships for Business Journal content.

· National editorial and News Initiatives - EIC will be the primary newsroom conduit between the local market and ACBJ-corporate.

· Meet or exceed goals relating to audience-engagement such as page views, unique users, repeat visits, direct traffic, social media followings and growth, paid print subscribership, email newsletter circulation growth, event attendance, and other such measures.

· Regularly participate in and attend Business Journal sponsored events.

· Take on any other assignment made by manager(s).

· Work cooperatively and collaboratively with all colleagues and professionally with sources.

Skills & Experience

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

· Minimum of 5 -- 7 years of management and/or team leadership experience required

· Daily, and preferably, weekly print experience for a business news operation

· Experience working in an online news environment

· Inspiring, yet diplomatic

· Innovative, curious, collaborative

· Eager to connect directly with readers/audience

· Must be comfortable and thrive in rapidly changing and uncharted media environment

Additional Job Information

The well-being of our employees is paramount. For that reason, ACBJ offers a variety of rich and competitive benefits including bundled health, dental and vision plans designed to meet our employees' needs. We also provide programs to support mental health and wellness and a generous time-off policy in support of taking the time needed to recharge.

• Paid Parental Leave
• 401K Plan with Employer Match
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Employee Assistance Program
• Multiple Employee Dependent Scholarship Programs
• Commuter Flexible Spending
• Lifestyle Programs (Including incentives for healthy habits)
• Medical Infertility Services
• Corporate discount programs
• Employee Recognition/Service Awards
• And so much more!

(Benefits coverage indicated above may be based on employee participation in benefit programs and eligibility)

Salary Range

NA

Compliance Statement

This Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Company considers applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable city, state or federal law.

This Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or on any other basis prohibited by law. Information on race, gender and national origin will only be used for statistical and recordkeeping purposes, and will not be used in making any employment decisions. All information provided will be kept separate from your expression of interest. Providing this information is strictly voluntary, and you will not be subjected to any adverse action or treatment if you choose not to provide this information. If you do not choose to answer these questions, we ask that you select "Decline to Identify" for each question. Thank you for your voluntary cooperation.