Senior Staff Editor (Temporary)

The New York Times; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 125,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

The New York Times’ Washington bureau is seeking a temporary senior staff editor to edit Washington news, including stories on the White House, Congress, the military, intelligence agencies, the Justice Department, the State Department, the Supreme Court, health care, economics and more.

You will work on a mix of daily and enterprise stories as well as breaking news and live coverage during weekday evenings, picking up from the dayside team and working alongside other editors in the Washington

Qualifications

• 5+ years of editing and writing experience at a journalism or media company or other relevant organization.
• Commitment to NYT strategy, ethics, standards and mission for themselves, their team, stringers and colleagues.
• Ability to collaborate across the Washington bureau and The New York Times newsroom.
• Experience in high-pressure, deadline-driven newsrooms including breaking-news or live-coverage workflows.
• Writing and editing skills demonstrating mastery of journalistic style and standards.

Responsibilities

• Edit a wide range of material for accuracy, grammar, style and readability, including breaking news, live updates, daily news and major enterprise stories.
• Provide first and second edits for a variety of stories and topics across the desk.
• Manage coverage of breaking news stories, coordinate with editors on deployment decisions and launch reporters as needed.
• Coordinate with editors and the audience team on story publication and promotion plans as needed.

Skills

Editing experience

Deadline-driven

Journalistic writing

Collaboration

Job description

The mission of The New York Times is to seek the truth and help people understand the world. That means independent journalism is at the heart of all we do as a company. It’s why we have a world-renowned newsroom that sends journalists to report on the ground from nearly 160 countries. It’s why we focus deeply on how our readers will experience our journalism, from print to audio to a world-class digital and app destination. And it’s why our business strategy centers on making journalism so good that it’s worth paying for.

The Washington bureau is seeking a temporary senior staff editor to work on editing Washington news, including stories on the White House, Congress, the military, intelligence agencies, the Justice Department, the State Department, the Supreme Court, health care, economics and more.

You will work on a mix of daily and enterprise stories as well as breaking news and live coverage during weekday evenings, picking up from the dayside team and working alongside other editors in the Washington bureau and on the Live team in New York, as needed. You will also monitor news developments, consult with the Washington Night Editor and bureau leadership about priorities, do first and second reads and make judgments on the length, placement and framing of stories and, at times, assign stories to reporters.

You will need to have familiarity with a wide variety of topics, versatility, speed, proven judgment and the ability to collaborate across desks and platforms.

This is a temporary position based in Washington, D.C., with regular presence in the office, 4 days per week. It includes night and weekend work as newsroom needs require.

Responsibilities

• You will work with other editors and reporters to ensure stories are cleanly edited.
• You will edit a wide range of material for accuracy, grammar, style and readability, including breaking news, live updates, daily news and major enterprise stories.
• You will provide first and second edits for a variety of stories and topics across the desk.
• You will manage coverage of breaking news stories, coordinate with other editors on deployment decisions and launch reporters as needed.
• You may work with reporters on stories from assigning to publication, including framing, shaping and close-in editing.
• You will monitor wires, social media and other sources for news developments and stay in touch with reporters and editors about advancing running news stories to keep the report fresh and competitive through the evening, with an eye to coverage into the next news cycle.
• You may manage the Washington live blog, as needed. Be familiar with its workflows and adjust presentation and coverage plans as news developments require.
• You will work with other editors in the Washington bureau, on the Live team and across the newsroom to collaborate as necessary.
• You will coordinate with editors and the audience team on story publication and promotion plans as needed.
• Demonstrate support and understanding of our value of journalistic independence and a strong commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world.
• You will report to the Washington Night Editor.

Basic Qualifications

• 5+ years of editing and writing experience at a journalism or media company or other relevant organization
• Commitment to The New York Times strategy, ethics, standards and mission for themselves, their team, stringers and colleagues
• A willingness to collaborate and the ability to partner with colleagues across the Washington bureau and The New York Times newsroom
• Experience working in high-pressure, deadline-driven newsrooms, including breaking-news or live-coverage workflows
• Writing and editing skills that demonstrate mastery of journalistic style and standards, including ethical and superb news judgment

Preferred Qualifications

• A strong understanding of Times style and standards
• Experience managing or contributing to a live blog, running news report or other continuous coverage format
• Knowledge of Washington politics, policy and institutions
• A willingness to be flexible as the bureau and newsroom’s needs evolve

This position is represented by the NewsGuild of NY.

REQ-020642

Additional Compensation and Benefits

For roles in the U.S., dependent on your role, you may be eligible for variable pay, such as an annual bonus and restricted stock. Benefits may include medical, dental and vision benefits, Flexible Spending Accounts (F.S.A.s), a company‑matching 401(k) plan, employee stock purchase plan, paid vacation, paid sick days, paid parental leave, tuition reimbursement and professional development programs.

For roles outside of the U.S., information on benefits will be provided during the interview process.

The annual base pay range for this role is between:

$124,979.94 - $135,000 USD

Candidate Use of GenAI Tools

We’re excited to learn more about you and your experience. To keep our hiring process as fair and authentic as possible, we ask that you submit your own work and not use GenAI tools to generate substantive content during the application and interview process.

If you’re an engineering candidate, we’ll let you know what specific GenAI tools you are permitted to use for your technical assessment.

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