Managing Editor – Communities, Platforms

Jobtailor; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Chicago Public Media is seeking a senior editorial leader to develop and drive a unified audience-centered strategy across multiplatform publishing. You will oversee Audience, Engaged Journalism, and Platforms teams, partnering with editorial, product, technology, membership, and marketing to advance growth and engagement.

The role requires strong editorial judgment, large-scale team leadership, and a track record of building collaborative workflows that improve audience impact and

Qualifications

• Significant leadership responsibilities in audience strategy, community engagement, newsroom editorial, and/or multiplatform publishing.
• Proven success growing audience and engaging communities in a complex editorial organization.
• Experience guiding cross-functional teams across audience, engagement, digital publishing, and newsroom operations.
• Strong editorial judgment with deep understanding of audience behavior and evolving platforms.
• Ability to use audience research, analytics, and performance data to guide strategy.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead a unified editorial strategy that centers community and audience growth, community engagement, and multiplatform publishing across Chicago Public Media.
• Oversee the newsroom's Audience, Engaged Journalism, and Platforms teams, ensuring collaboration across editorial, product, technology, membership, and marketing.
• Lead editorial strategy across newsletters, social media, audience engagement, community initiatives, print production, photography, video, interactive storytelling, and emerging platforms.
• Use audience insights, analytics, and community feedback to inform editorial priorities, distribution strategies, and newsroom planning.
• Establish workflows and editorial standards that support efficient, audience-first publishing across all platforms while improving collaboration between teams.
• Partner with newsroom leadership to shape platform coverage strategies for breaking news, enterprise reporting, special projects, and organizational priorities.
• Lead platform innovation initiatives, including new storytelling formats, workflow improvements, and investments in emerging audience opportunities.
• Build and mentor a high-performing leadership team while fostering a culture of experimentation, collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Work with newsroom leaders to identify operational efficiencies, optimize platform investments, and support long-term organizational sustainability.

Skills

Audience Strategy Leadership

Audience Research

Analytics

Digital Publishing

Editorial Standards

Cross-functional Initiative Management

Change Management

Job description

• Develop and lead a unified editorial strategy that centers community and audience growth, community engagement, and multiplatform publishing across Chicago Public Media.
• Oversee the newsroom's Audience, Engaged Journalism, and Platforms teams, ensuring strong collaboration across editorial, product, technology, membership, and marketing.
• Lead editorial strategy across newsletters, social media, audience engagement, community initiatives, print production, photography, video, interactive storytelling, and emerging platforms.
• Use audience insights, analytics, and community feedback to inform editorial priorities, distribution strategies, and newsroom planning.
• Establish workflows and editorial standards that support efficient, audience-first publishing across all platforms while improving collaboration between teams.
• Partner with newsroom leadership to shape platform coverage strategies for breaking news, enterprise reporting, special projects, and organizational priorities.
• Lead platform innovation initiatives, including new storytelling formats, workflow improvements, and investments in emerging audience opportunities.
• Build and mentor a high-performing leadership team while fostering a culture of experimentation, collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Work with newsroom leaders to identify operational efficiencies, optimize platform investments, and support long-term organizational sustainability.

Requirements

• Significant leadership responsibilities in audience strategy, community engagement, newsroom editorial, and/or multiplatform publishing.
• Demonstrated success leading audience growth, community engagement, or platform strategy in a complex editorial organization.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary teams across audience, engagement, digital publishing, visual journalism, or newsroom operations.
• Strong editorial judgment with a deep understanding of audience behavior, digital publishing, and evolving media platforms.
• Experience using audience research, analytics, and performance data to guide editorial strategy and organizational decision-making.
• Proven ability to lead organizational change, build collaborative workflows, and manage cross-functional initiatives.
• Experience balancing daily news operations with long-term strategic planning and innovation.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and change management skills.
• Commitment to public service journalism, inclusive storytelling, collaboration, and serving diverse communities.

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in leading audience strategy, community engagement, and multiplatform publishing while fostering collaboration and innovation within editorial teams. Utilizes audience insights and analytics to inform editorial priorities and enhance organizational sustainability.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Audience Strategy Leadership
• Community Engagement Management
• Multiplatform Publishing Expertise
• Editorial Judgment
• Change Management

Hard Skills

• Audience Research
• Analytics
• Digital Publishing
• Visual Journalism
• Editorial Standards
• Workflow Optimization
• Storytelling Formats
• Performance Data Analysis
• Cross-functional Initiative Management
• Operational Efficiency

Soft Skills

• Leadership
• Communication
• Collaboration
• Accountability
• Continuous Improvement

Industry Keywords

• Public Service Journalism
• Inclusive Storytelling
• Community Feedback
• Engaged Journalism
• Newsroom Operations
• Platform Innovation
• Audience Growth
• Editorial Strategy
• Breaking News Coverage
• Special Projects