Editor-in-Chief
Floodlight is hiring an Editor-in-Chief to lead the organization's journalistic mission, guide its team of reporters and editors through the next phase of organizational growth, and deepen its partnerships with local and national newsrooms.
ABOUT FLOODLIGHT
Floodlight is a nonprofit newsroom that holds power to account by investigating the interests stalling climate action.
Since launching in 2021, Floodlight has collaborated with local and national publications like NPR, The Guardian, Grist, This American Life, the Los Angeles Times, the Texas Tribune, the Louisiana Illuminator and Capital B. Our team has grown from a staff of one to a team of eight, and our stories have garnered more than 3 million views.
Floodlight’s model has shown how collaborative journalism can have a proven impact. Our reporting with NPR about how power company consultants swayed elections, spied on journalists and bought media coverage was followed by the departure of two CEOs. The stories were seen nationwide by millions, and they were reposted by more than 2,000 news outlets. They were finalists for Harvard’s Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting.
Floodlight’s reporting is nonpartisan and unbiased and adheres to the standards of the Institute for Nonprofit News. While the organization is supported by philanthropic grants from foundations and gifts from individuals, Floodlight retains full authority over editorial content, and our news judgments are made independently and not on the basis of donor support. Read more about our standards & supporters.
ABOUT THE ROLE
The ideal candidate is a strong leader with extensive editing and reporting experience and a deep understanding of both the Floodlight approach and its role in the climate journalism space. The Floodlight Editor-in-Chief will lead a team of five staff journalists (three reporters and two reporter-editors), as well as a network of reporters and editors with our external partners.
All of Floodlight’s work happens through partnerships with national and local news outlets. The ideal candidate for this position will excel at managing those relationships. This includes employing strong news judgment to determine which partners might be best suited for a particular story and setting expectations for how stories will be developed and how schedules will be maintained.
Floodlight’s Founder & Executive Director, Emily Holden, leads the organization’s fundraising efforts and business operations, while the Editor-in-Chief leads the organization’s editorial efforts. The Editor-in-Chief will work closely with Emily to set the organization’s vision and priorities.
The ideal candidate will share Floodlight’s enthusiasm for collaborative journalism and have a clear vision of how to evolve to best serve audiences in a dynamic news field.
Note: Floodlight has also published a Deputy Editor job. However, we’ll likely only hire for one of the two roles. Learn more at https://www.floodlightnews.org/deputy-editor.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Work with the founder and executive team to set and implement the strategic editorial vision in accordance with Floodlight’s overall goals
Ensure reporting meets the highest standards of editorial excellence
Oversee production of output across multiple distribution channels (Floodlight currently publishes about 3 - 4 stories per month)
Set and chase targets for growing the reach, loyalty, and engagement of Floodlight’s audience
Hire, retain and develop editorial staff
Be the face of Floodlight, seeking out opportunities to raise its profile
Manage and expand partnerships with external news organizations
IDEAL CANDIDATE QUALITIES
BS/BA degree
5+ years experience managing a team of journalists and a total of 10+ years in journalism
Strong editorial judgment and skills
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to manage, motivate and mentor a diverse and talented team of writers and editors
Strong collaborative skills as lead liaison with partner media organizations
Exceptional organizational and project management skills with a fine attention to detail
Exceptional communication skills
Ability to weigh in on or make decisions with authority across all parts of the organization
Self starter who is highly motivated and resourceful
The role will be a hybrid of working remotely, as well as some occasional travel for team collaboration.
SALARY AND BENEFITS
The salary for this position is commensurate with experience, starting at a minimum of $130,000 per year.
Floodlight has a flexible and unlimited paid time off policy.
To give staff maximum flexibility for choosing appropriate health insurance plans, Floodlight reimburses health insurance premiums and other qualified health expenses up to the federal maximum (currently $487.50 per month for an individual and $983.33 per month for an individual and their family).
Floodlight provides a retirement 401k plan match of up to 4% on employee contributions to a pre- or post-tax plan.