Audience Engagement Editor

High Country News (HCN) seeks an audience editor to attract and acquire new audiences and deepen engagement with them – in our newsletters, on our social media platforms and on our website – using a variety of tactics. HCN’s overarching aim is to increase the number of people who know about its work, develop new readers into loyal supporters and retain existing audiences.   

The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of internet culture and communities, as well as digital publishing and distribution strategies. They will have innovative ideas to help broaden and diversify HCN’s audience, as well as a firm command of analytics and data-informed decision-making in an editorial context. 

High Country News is part of a growing number of newsrooms addressing a historic lack of representation, inclusion and equity in journalism with effective solutions. We welcome applicants from all life experiences and encourage members of traditionally underrepresented backgrounds to apply, including people of color, women, people with disabilities and LGBTQ+ people. 

Position responsibilities will include:

• Newsletters 

• • Collaborates on a shared vision for an overall newsletter strategy

  • In close partnership with the editors and the newsroom, assembles emailed newsletters

  • Implements the newsletter using common templates and technologies

  • Collaborates with writers and editors to launch and maintain new emailed products

  • Acts as the lead writer for HCN’s all-audience newsletter and as an editor for additional newsletters

• Social media

• • Develops a strategic vision and branding consistency for audience engagement and growth across all digital and social media channels in support of HCN’s broader business and journalistic goals

  • Posts stories on social media, meeting exposure and engagement goals, while maintaining strong journalistic and visual standards

  • Works with writers and editors to craft unique social experiences around editorial content

• Audience engagement

• • Obtains direct feedback from HCN’s audiences, informing and expanding on editorial content

  • Imagines and implements creative new engagement projects and experiences

  • Helps to build and post digital content as needed

  • Implements a virtual events strategy designed to grow audiences and improve understanding of HCN’s mission and themes

• Audience analysis

• • Collaborates with newsroom editors and reporters to analyze what content reached which audiences, and establishes best practices for audience cultivation and engagement

  • Tracks analytics on newsletter subscribers, website visitors and social media audiences, and develops strategies for increasing audience engagement

  • Helps track real-time and overall traffic patterns, using various analytics tools

Skills and experience:

The Audience Engagement Editor has a deep understanding of internet culture and communities, as well as digital publishing and distribution strategies. They will have innovative ideas to help broaden and diversify HCN’s audience, as well as a firm command of analytics and data-informed decision-making in an editorial context.

The position holder will possess strong written and verbal communication skills, with a particular understanding of the voice and approach required for social media. They will be adept at adapting stories for social media, particularly Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. A demonstrable knowledge and understanding of web metrics and analytics tools to measure audience behavior is essential. 

The Audience Engagement Editor will have proven experience working in a newsroom, ideally with skills in newsletter writing.  They should have the ability to work as a contributing member of a dispersed, diverse editorial team and to contribute to the cultural competence of the organization. 

A bachelor’s degree in journalism or communications is an advantage, but this position is open to people whose other qualifications, skills and experience fit the needs of the role. Most importantly, the position holder should demonstrate strong desire to work in a not-for-profit environment and support the mission of High Country News, and possess a deep understanding of the West, its people and complexities. 

Compensation and general terms:

This is a full-time, exempt position with medical, dental and vision healthcare benefits; paid vacation leave starting at 12 days a year plus 9 paid HCN holiday days each year; paid sick and family leave benefits; and a salary in the range of $54,540 to $60,600 annual equivalent, dependent on skills and experience. 

This position is open to candidates who reside in Arizona, Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington or Wyoming. HCN’s business headquarters is in Paonia, Colorado, but the editorial and marketing staff works remotely.

HCN is committed to equal employment opportunities and prohibits the unlawful discrimination against applicants or employees based on race, color, national origin, ancestry, creed, religion, sex, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.

To apply, please send a résumé and cover letter to careers@openmediafoundation.org with “Audience Engagement Editor” in the subject line. 

Closing date for applications is August 18^th, 2021. This job was posted by the Open Media Foundation on behalf of High Country News. 

Background:

High Country News is the nation's leading independent source of thoughtful, in-depth reporting on the Western United States. Established in 1970, HCN produces an award-winning monthly magazine and a popular website, along with email newsletters, special reports, books and events. From Alaska and the Northern Rockies to the Desert Southwest, from the Great Plains to the West Coast, HCN is a beloved and essential resource for those who care about this region.

High Country News is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit whose mission is to inform and inspire people to act on behalf of the West's diverse natural and human communities. Its journalism is supported largely by its devoted readership through subscriptions and contributions, with additional revenue from grants and advertising. It has received countless honors and accolades, including two coveted George Polk Awards.

HCN’s readers are educated and engaged. They include policymakers, educators, public-land managers, environmental professionals, outdoor enthusiasts and an expanding Indigenous audience. The organization has roughly 30,000 print and digital subscribers. The website, which includes archives stretching back to the first issue in 1970, attracts approximately 400,000 sessions each month.

In a time of media fragmentation and polarizing sound bites, readers come to High Country News for fact-based, independent journalism and civil conversation across diverse perspectives. With the decline in local newspapers leaving news deserts across the nation, HCN’s relevance is sharper than ever.