Welcome. We are The Markup (https://themarkup.org/) -- a brand new nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism organization in New York City. We're hiring!

Our mission is to investigate and illuminate the societal effects of new technologies. With little accountability or oversight, technology is affecting who we vote for, how we raise our kids, who is able to get housing, jobs, healthcare and a comfortable life. We will investigate these impacts, with the goal of holding the powerful to account, raising the cost of bad behavior, and spurring reforms. We begin publishing in 2019.

The Markup is looking for an enthusiastic Assistant Managing Editor, Explanatory to shape our daily coverage of how technology is transforming our lives. We want a creative thinker who can design and oversee a steady pace of explanatory stories about the human impacts of new technologies.

The Markup is committed to building a team that includes a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives, and an organizational culture that is reader-centered, inventive, rigorous, and courageous. A collaborative team-based approach is core for us: we won't tolerate jerks. We aim to be a place where a diverse mix of dedicated people will want to come, to stay, and do their best work. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, country of origin, citizenship, ancestry, physical or mental disability, or veteran status.

About the position

At The Markup, we aim to clearly explain the human impacts of technology. We are seeking an innovative, reader-centered editor who can find compelling ways to offer insight and analysis to readers who don’t necessarily care about technology for its own sake.

The AME will supervise reporters, helping them use their technical expertise to explain and demystify technology’s effects on our lives. They will cut through technical jargon to tell human stories for intelligent and curious people. They will have a sense of fun, assigning reporters to stories such as scanning the Wi-Fi at Mar-a-Lago or buying discriminatory ads on Facebook.

The AME will need to be not only a wordsmith, but also a visual thinker, working closely with the design and graphics team to find ways to best tell our stories.

The AME will report to the Managing Editor and will be a key member of the editorial leadership team. This is an amazing opportunity for a smart, inventive person to get in on the ground floor, helping to build an exciting new publication.

Responsibilities

Supervise reporters by green-lighting stories, guiding their reporting, and setting the agenda for their daily output. Edit and copy-edit their articles.

Uphold editorial standards: Ensure individual stories are at an appropriately high level of quality when it comes to style, layout, imagery and writing. Work with legal counsel to ensure articles are reviewed before publication.

Execute the editorial calendar: ensure people's stories get done on time and figure out how to fill the hole when a story falls apart or is delayed.

Work with colleagues in Product and Technology on a daily basis (e.g. Design, Graphics, Social Media, and Partnerships) to ensure that stories are being told and shared in the best ways possible.

Act as a conduit for information across the newsroom with the goal of helping people know what's going on and stay aligned with each other.

Qualifications

We are looking for someone who can take a inventive, rigorous, and courageous approach toward creating a roster of daily explanatory stories. You’ll need to be collaborative, transparent, and excited to be part of a team.

The skills we are looking for are:

You have at least five years of experience as an editor guiding news reporters through the reporting process, and know how to spot and encourage a promising story.

You’ve worked in journalism for at least ten years as a reporter or editor, preferably covering technology.

You value human stories. You’ll need the ability to help reporters unpack technical issues, and to push them to clearly explain what these issues mean for society.

You are organized and collaborative. You can manage the day to day editorial flow by working with a producer and graphics editors to get the best possible stories into the world. You can see gaps in our coverage and work to fill them.

You are passionate about accuracy and embrace data.

You are a lover of words. You know how to fine-tune a story to make it sing.

You know that stories need to be published. You’ll always be on the lookout for inefficiencies and blockers in our publishing process and will work to resolve those issues quickly.

You are reader-centered and helpful. You are laser-focused on publishing high quality stories that will serve readers who are not necessarily technically oriented, and you will pass on stories that won’t.

You are flexible. You are excited about shaping a new thing and are willing to evolve as our startup newsroom evolves.

Compensation

We pay fair and reasonable salaries, and we offer a generous benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, life, disability, pet insurance, and retirement plan contributions.

The salary for this position begins at $125,000, and will be established based on the successful candidate's skills, abilities and experience.

How to apply

We have engaged DRi Consulting to assist us with this search. To apply, please fill out the form below and submit a cover letter, resume, 3-5 clips of work you have edited, and 3-5 story ideas for explanatory stories you might want to assign if you joined us.

Applications that don't include a cover letter will not be considered. Please do not contact the hiring manager directly. Please do not send a CV or application package to staff at their individual email addresses. If you do, it will probably just get lost.

This position will work out of our New York City office. If you don't currently live in New York but are willing to relocate for this position, please make that clear in your cover letter. We will pay relocation expenses for successful candidates.

At this time, we can't consider applications from people who don't already have the legal right to work in the United States. In order to work for The Markup, you'll be required to provide documentation establishing that you're eligible for U.S. employment.