Associate Editor, Pacific Northwest Magazine

The Pacific NW magazine, a weekly showcase of The Seattle Times' finest storytelling and visual journalism, seeks an Associate Editor. We're looking for a self-starter who is a strong editor, a good communicator and a team player, and who also has experience assigning and refining stories. We prize print and digital journalism that depicts that vibrant culture and people of the Northwest and help readers connect to the special place we call home. Help us chart and drive our overall editorial strategy by identifying relevant subjects and ensuring that we are covering local life and culture in ways that serve our diverse readership. Bonus points if you’re knowledgeable about Seattle’s culture and history.

Responsibilities:

• Edit and produce stories that appear in Pacific NW magazine, in print and online. This can include creating, editing and building out stories in WordPress; working with reporters/freelancers and the photo department to coordinate photo assignment requests; writing headlines for print and online
• Assign freelance stories and maintain an editorial calendar in line with the magazine’s needs.
• Work with staff writers and freelancers to improve their stories from ideation phase to publication. Discuss and improve stories with the magazine editor, magazine designer, staff writers and freelancers and, when necessary, others around the newsroom.
• Proof pages and compile fixes from other editors and writers to share with our designer; writing web summaries; and sending these stories to our designer.
• Work closely with the magazine editor and designer, and other members of the magazine team throughout the production process.
• Have a clear vision of the type of storytelling the magazine attempts to do, and the stories that fit our style – stories that are local, have a strong sense of place, and are highly visual.
• Work closely with our Graphics and Photo departments throughout the production process, communicating clearly and frequently.
• Write occasional magazine stories as assigned.
• Have an inclusive mindset. This means considering in our stories the full range of human diversity with respect to ability, language, culture, gender, age and identity, and the ways that people of various identities interact with our magazine.
• Help in the planning process by updating our Pacific NW magazine schedule, which is set up for week by week, and also by topic.
• Take a multi-platform approach to storytelling and participate in the associated prototyping, storyboarding and planning endeavors. This includes attending a weekly magazine planning meeting and story conferences with editors, writers and photographers and contributing to discussions about our coverage, stories and future plans. Each month, one of our weekly meetings will be a story-idea brainstorming session that you will be asked to contribute to.
• Attend quarterly newsroom staff meetings, and other staff meetings and training sessions, as possible.
• Stay up to date on digital best practices and on how to use digital and social media tools to look for stories, reach audiences and promote our content.
• Utilize digital analytics to help devise coverage strategy, reach audiences, win subscribers and build reader loyalty.
• Communicate with readers (usually by email), when appropriate.
• File corrections when necessary.

Qualifications:

We are committed to diversity and creating an inclusive newsroom and encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply. If your profile does not match this job description exactly, you may still be a candidate for this position. Please let us know how your skills and experience relate to the role and its objectives in your cover letter.

• Experience: Three or more years of experience in a news operation or equivalent.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree or relevant equivalent experience.
• The ability to work in a high-pressure, fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Strong attention to detail and a commitment to accuracy.
• Strong organizational and communication skills and ability to work as part of the magazine team.
• Requires a strong level of accuracy, honesty, fairness and knowledge of libel laws. Must possess the ability to find holes in a story, to ask the right questions under pressure and have a working knowledge of what constitutes strong story organization.
• Possess cultural competence and familiarity with best journalistic practices related to equity and inclusion.
• Have excellent grammar and language skills.

Compensation: The full salary range for this position is $62,700 to $86,500. We typically pay between $68,000 to $81,000, depending on experience and qualifications.

Benefits:

• Medical, dental, vision, and long-term disability insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Optional life and AD&D insurance and long-term care insurance
• 401(k) plan with employer match
• 10 days of annual vacation accrual, increasing with tenure up to 20 days
• 10 days of annual sick accrual; unused sick pay accrues to an extended illness bank
• 9 paid holidays
• Internet stipend for predominately remote employees
• Subsidized transit cards
• Complimentary Seattle Times subscription
• Wellness program
• Parental leave options

Please Note: As a union-represented position, you will be required to join a union and pay regular membership dues.