With a goal to better focus on our audience and drive deeper engagement, NPR is looking for an enthusiastic and experienced journalist for our Engagement Editor role. The engagement team is critical to the daily operations of NPR’s newsroom. The editor will contribute to a culture of collaboration and innovation across all disciplines by working closely with shows, desks and podcasts to develop social media and audience engagement strategies for digital stories.
Do you have excellent news judgment? The engagement editor keeps track of breaking news events and ensures that NPR’s presentation is up-to-date on mobile platforms, including NPR News App and Apple News. Crafts brand-appropriate language on NPR social channels to engage audience and monitors developments with social media companies. Edits headlines and text on a wide range of subjects to ensure NPR’s content is engaging and reaches a wide audience online. Checks stories’ headlines to maximize search engine optimization and ensure story pages provide related links and content. Also assists in projects with Digital Media team to improve NPR’s digital editorial products and newsroom tools.
- Participate in daily coverage discussions to help shape coverage that works for off-platform audiences and be a voice for evolving coverage.
- Advocate for the needs of NPR’s native platforms and off-platform channels.
- Plan and execute social media promotion based on audience insights.
- Ensures homepage and social channels accurately convey NPR news content in a timely way.
- Writes, edits and sends breaking news and feature push alerts when appropriate.
- Research and experiment with emerging platforms.
- Edits headlines, teasers, and photographic elements of stories as appropriate to maximize audience engagement on all platforms.
- Uses sound editorial judgment and an understanding of NPR’s audience to determine story presentation; chooses stories, audio, photos and other visual elements to be displayed on the home page and social channels.
- Proficient in SEO and audience analytical tools, including Chartbeat and Google Analytics, to understand and better serve the digital audience
- Coordinate across news, product and business parts of the organization.
- Educate newsroom on our audience and understand how they come to us.
- Ability and willingness to work nights and weekends. Shifts will vary.
- Other duties as assigned.
- Experience as a reporter, editor, or producer.
- Thorough knowledge and demonstrated skill in news-writing techniques
- Considerable skill in feature and news copy editing
- Strong oral communication skills
- A broad range of general news knowledge
- Ability to handle multiple and complex projects simultaneously under stringent timeframes and changing priorities/conditions
- Proven ability to consistently work well with others, demonstrating at all times respect for the diverse constituencies at NPR and within the public radio system
- Ability to work quickly and efficiently under deadline pressure
- Ability and willingness to work varied shifts as needed
- Strong understanding of journalistic ethics. Experience maintaining high journalistic ethics and standards under deadline pressure, including standards of objectivity, balance and fairness.
- Ability and willingness to travel
- Ability to relocate. In the future, NPR may choose to transfer employees to other geographic locations. This position is a union position with SAG-AFTRA. Severance provisions of the SAG-AFTRA collective bargaining agreement will apply should you choose not to accept a transfer.
PREFERRED SKILLS
- At least two years of experience in editorial decision-making
- Demonstrated ability to edit reporter pieces to conform to the editorial needs of any NPR News content
- Demonstrated ability to organize and disseminate information and to coordinate daily news coverage.
- Demonstrated initiative and self-starting skills, ability to work independently
- Previous experience in Digital Media
- Knowledge of audio production
NPR offers a competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits package including health and wellness benefits, retirement, and work/life balance programs, as well as opportunities for career growth and development.