Managing Editor - Quad City Times

Colonial Group; Davenport (IA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Quad-City Times, The Dispatch/Rock Island Argus and Muscatine Journal seek an ambitious Managing Editor to shape the next phase of growth for our newsrooms. This leadership role oversees day-to-day coverage across three publications and drives newsroom strategy in a fast-paced, multiplatform environment.

The ideal candidate will blend journalistic integrity with innovation, preserve a trusted legacy, and move the organization forward in a rapidly changing media landscape.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in high-impact news coverage.
• Strong news judgment and commitment to local journalism.
• Ability to lead across multiple publications, communities and platforms.
• Desire to innovate and build new products and approaches.
• Commitment to developing journalists and fostering ambitious work.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Guide a team of reporters covering the Quad-Cities, Muscatine, eastern Iowa and western Illinois.
• Direct daily reporting, breaking-news coverage, enterprise journalism and accountability work across all three publications.
• Shape multiplatform product lineup, including newsletters, podcasts, video, and visual journalism.
• Lead from the field by contributing as a reporter, writer, editor and content creator.
• Coordinate coverage while preserving each publication’s local identity and audience needs.
• Coach journalists, set clear expectations and cultivate a collaborative newsroom culture built on urgency and public service.
• Use audience insights and sound news judgment to identify coverage priorities and grow readership.
• Build and maintain relationships with key community and company stakeholders.

Job description

Managing Editor — Quad-City Times, The Dispatch/Rock Island Argus and Muscatine Journal

The Quad-City Times, The Dispatch/Rock Island Argus and Muscatine Journal are seeking an ambitious, rigorous and entrepreneurial leader to shape the next phase of growth for our newsrooms as Managing Editor.

This person will directly oversee day-to-day news coverage across the three publications while playing a key role in developing and executing newsroom strategy.

The ideal candidate will combine uncompromising journalistic integrity with an insatiable appetite for innovation, strengthening trusted, tradition-rich news organizations while helping them thrive in a rapidly changing, multiplatform world.

Our publications have deep roots in the communities they serve and a long history of delivering essential local journalism. The successful candidate will respect that legacy while working urgently to build the future of the organization.

The Quad-Cities and Muscatine comprise a distinctive region spanning two states and connected by the Mississippi River. The area is shaped by manufacturing, agriculture, health care, higher education, arts and culture, and consequential politics in both Iowa and Illinois. Our coverage aims to capture the vibrancy and complexity of these communities across multiple platforms and in multiple formats.

What you’ll do

• Guide a team of reporters covering the Quad-Cities, Muscatine, eastern Iowa and western Illinois.
• Direct ambitious daily reporting, breaking-news coverage, enterprise journalism and accountability work across all three publications.
• Help shape our multiplatform product lineup, including newsletters, podcasts, video, visual journalism and whatever comes next.
• Embrace a “lead from the field” model by finding meaningful ways to contribute to coverage as a reporter, writer, editor and content creator.
• Coordinate coverage across communities while ensuring each publication retains a strong local identity and responds to the distinct needs of its audience.
• Coach journalists, set clear expectations and cultivate a collaborative newsroom culture built around urgency, accuracy, creativity and public service.
• Use audience insights and sound news judgment to identify coverage priorities, strengthen engagement and grow readership.
• Build and maintain relationships with key community and company stakeholders throughout the region.

What we’re looking for

• A proven track record of leading high-impact news coverage in a fast-paced, competitive environment.
• Strong news judgment and a commitment to accurate, independent and courageous local journalism.
• An appreciation for the news, politics, business and cultural landscapes of the Quad-Cities, Muscatine, Iowa and Illinois.
• The ability to lead effectively across multiple publications, communities and platforms.
• A relentless desire to innovate, experiment and build new products and approaches.
• A commitment to developing journalists and creating a newsroom where people can do ambitious, meaningful work.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with reporters, editors, audiences and other stakeholders.