Senior Editor

This senior editor will lead the magazine’s coverage of arts and entertainment, including performing arts such as music, movies, television and theater; visual arts such as painting and sculpture; and other topics, including books and sports.. This role reports to the deputy editor and works closely with the deputy editor for digital and other assigning editors who contribute to arts and entertainment coverage online.

The editor should have their finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the arts both in the state and beyond its borders, with an eye toward assigning stories that capture trends or Texan artists on the rise; stories that illuminate unique Texas cultural phenomena or help connect readers with a sense of Texan cultural identity; and stories that highlight the state’s cultural icons, from Simone Biles to Willie Nelson. The arts and entertainment editor will be expected to cultivate a reliable and diverse roster of writers, meet deadlines (and help others do the same), and enthusiastically engage in conversations around digital strategy to help grow our online audience.

Ideal candidates should be digitally fluent, literary-minded journalists who are able to move easily among storytelling platforms, story styles, and subjects. This senior editor will oversee our cultural coverage both in print and online and should be able to balance the monthly print process with regular quicker-turn assignments on the web.

This full-time staff position is based in Austin, Texas, and requires working out of our downtown office at least two days a week. It offers stable employment at a nationally renowned media company that is growing in audience, revenue, and editorial staff, and has cultivated a culture defined by collegiality, curiosity, ambition, experimentation, the highest journalistic standards, and an abiding sense of service to our millions of readers both in and outside of Texas. This position also offers generous benefits, including a comprehensive health-insurance plan, 401(k) matching, profit sharing, and eligibility for performance-based bonuses. Compensation is competitive and negotiable.

Job responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Editing 1-2 short or medium-length articles for print each month and 3 articles for the web each week, as well as occasional longer features
Developing quality story ideas and shepherding them from inception to production
Making freelance assignments and developing new freelance talent
Supervising several staff writers and helping them generate a regular flow of high-quality stories
Crafting headlines, deks, and all manner of display type, for an array of platforms (print, web, social)

Successful candidates will possess the following skills/abilities:

Precise line editing
The ability to edit stories for clarity, precision, fairness, and structure
The ability to establish and meet deadlines
Effective management of freelancers and staff writers
An enthusiasm for collaboration
Conceiving and executing a vision for Texas Monthly‘s coverage of arts and entertainment
An ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with other editors, copy editors, fact-checkers, and members of the art department
An appreciation for the complex cultural dynamics of a sprawling, diverse, and fast-growing state and a desire to surprise, delight, and inform a diverse audience

Education/experience:

At least five years’ experience editing, in print or online
An intimate knowledge of Texas arts and culture or the curiosity and enthusiasm required to quickly immerse yourself in it
A set of Texas-based freelance writer contacts and publicist relationships is preferred but not required

Application Process:

If you are interested in this position, please fill out this application form by February 25, 2024. Applications will be considered only if they are submitted through that form.

Texas Monthly will review applications on a rolling basis and may reach out to some candidates before that date, but all applications received by the deadline will be reviewed. Promising candidates will have an initial interview with the HR manager and one or two members of editorial leadership. From there, some candidates will be asked to complete an editing test. TM will then select 2–3 finalists to do a final round of interviews with TM leadership and other members of the editorial department.

Candidates who are interested in the position but would like to know more information about the role or about Texas Monthly before applying can book an information call with the director of editorial operations via Calendly.

Texas Monthly is committed to diversity and to cultivating an inclusive environment. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, or veteran status.