Senior Editor, Science & Research News

Duke PA; Durham (NC); On-site; USD 63,000 - 98,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental benefits

Retirement benefits

Family-friendly programs

Job summary

Duke University’s Futurity seeks a Senior Editor to lead development, editing, publication, and promotion of research-based stories for broad audiences. You’ll shape editorial planning, ensure accuracy, and drive digital publishing excellence across multiple institutions.

You will collaborate with researchers and communicators to turn complex findings into accessible narratives, maintaining high standards and ethical practices while expanding reach and impact.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Journalism, Communications, Science Writing, English, or related field.
• Three to five years of experience editing or producing digital content.
• Exceptional editing, proofreading, fact-checking, and headline-writing skills.
• Strong news judgment and the ability to identify compelling stories from complex subject matter.
• Demonstrated success writing and editing content for broad public audiences.
• Experience managing multiple deadlines while maintaining a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Excellent interpersonal, collaboration, and communication skills.
• Commitment to accuracy, fairness, transparency, and responsible research communication.

Responsibilities

• Lead Story Development and Editorial Planning: Identify timely, relevant, and newsworthy research stories from leading universities and research institutions.
• Evaluate submissions and develop compelling story angles, headlines, framing, and audience-focused narratives.
• Manage and maintain a balanced editorial calendar across multiple institutions and subject areas.
• Contribute to special editorial initiatives, thematic coverage, and multi-institution research features.
• Edit and Elevate Research-Based Content: Edit stories for accuracy, clarity, readability, engagement, and accessibility.
• Transform complex scholarly research into clear and compelling content for general audiences.
• Verify facts, study findings, quotations, sources, and attributions.
• Apply editorial, ethical, legal, and style standards consistently.
• Provide constructive feedback that strengthens contributor content and supports professional growth.
• Drive Digital Publishing Excellence: Publish and manage content within Futurity's content management system.
• Optimize headlines, summaries, metadata, images, captions, and content presentation.
• Ensure stories meet accessibility, SEO, usability, and mobile-readiness standards.
• Monitor and update published content to maintain quality and relevance.
• Build Relationships Across the Research Community: Partner with university communications teams, researchers, writers, and institutional contributors.
• Provide clear guidance regarding editorial expectations, revisions, and publication timelines.
• Coordinate publication materials, permissions, visuals, and supporting assets.
• Cultivate productive relationships that support a continuous pipeline of exceptional content.
• Expand Audience Reach and Engagement: Support story distribution through newsletters, social media, search, and emerging channels.
• Adapt content and promotional messaging for diverse audiences and platforms.
• Analyze audience engagement, website performance, and content effectiveness.
• Use insights and analytics to refine editorial strategy and identify growth opportunities.
• Improve Editorial Operations: Manage editorial workflows from submission through publication.
• Maintain and improve editorial standards, processes, and quality controls.
• Contribute to multimedia storytelling, newsletter initiatives, and digital content innovation.
• Participate in planning sessions, team meetings, and ongoing professional development.

Skills

Editing

Proofreading

Fact-checking

Headline-writing

News judgment

Collaboration

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Job description

Duke University’s Futurity seeks a Senior Editor to lead development, editing, publication, and promotion of research-based stories for broad audiences. You’ll shape editorial planning, ensure accuracy, and drive digital publishing excellence across multiple institutions.

You will collaborate with researchers and communicators to turn complex findings into accessible narratives, maintaining high standards and ethical practices while expanding reach and impact.