[Hiring] Senior Editor @Atlantic Media

Role Description

The Atlantic is seeking an experienced editor to join the newsroom. This editor will be assigned to the Books desk, focusing on assigning a variety of idea-driven books coverage, including:

• Critical essays
• Reported articles on cultural and publishing trends
• Profiles

The ideal candidate will be:

• Well-versed in magazine journalism
• Obsessed with clarity and accuracy
• Very organized
• Deeply curious about a wide range of ideas across politics and culture

You will be refining pitches and assigning stories that contribute to the cultural conversation, potentially juggling topics such as:

• An essay on the evolution of the internet novel
• A philosopher’s new take on how to live meaningfully
• A historian’s assessment of what Victor Hugo would have thought of Donald Trump
• A reported story on the romance genre

You should understand how to bring a magazine sensibility to a competitive digital environment, with all the intelligence and speed that requires.

Working with both staff and freelance writers, and brainstorming constantly with the Books team and colleagues across the newsroom, you will:

• Clarify and elevate ideas
• Ensure that every article makes the strongest, most interesting, and most air-tight argument possible
• Move quickly when the moment calls for it, without sacrificing rigor
• Collaborate effectively
• Be comfortable with a wide array of viewpoints and perspectives

This position may include night, early-morning, and weekend work.

Qualifications

• Substantial experience as an assigning editor, including essays, reviews, and news stories
• A demonstrated knack for spotting and nurturing talented up-and-coming writers
• An obsession with literature, and a keen interest in the ideas driving both fiction and nonfiction
• Facility with the standards, ethics, and rigors of journalism
• Deep familiarity with The Atlantic
• Impeccable news judgment and an eye for argument and stylish execution
• A track record of working with, and generating ideas with, high-level writers
• Sophisticated writing skills, with a facility for communicating compelling ideas to a general-interest audience
• Interest in and openness to a wide variety of views and perspectives
• An ability to work quickly, switch gears as needed, and meet deadlines
• Close attention to detail and high standards for accuracy
• A collaborative spirit, and an ability to communicate effectively both up and down, and across different departments

Requirements

• This job will ideally be based in Washington, D.C., but remote applicants may be considered.
• Salary minimum: $105,000; salary maximum: $165,000

Benefits

• The Atlantic has, for more than 160 years, advanced ideas that matter and sparked global conversation on the most important issues of our time.
• We aim to bring clarity and original thinking to questions of consequence, on topics ranging from politics, the economy, and global affairs to technology, science, and culture.
• As the third-longest-running magazine in America, we find ourselves at a remarkable moment: one of both continuation and transformation, of upholding our legacy while continuously reinventing ourselves for the future.

Company Description

The Atlantic is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to diversity and encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, LGBTQ people, people of color, and people with disabilities.

We do not discriminate against our applicants because of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable law.

Job offers to work at The Atlantic are contingent upon the candidate’s successful completion of reference checks and compliance with The Atlantic's COVID-19 vaccination policy.

The Atlantic requires all employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, including subsequent boosters, and submit proof of vaccination status. Employees who cannot receive the vaccine because of a disability/medical contraindication or sincerely-held religious belief may request an accommodation (e.g., an exemption) to this requirement.