Editorial - Staff, Copy Editor

The Chronicle is seeking a Copy Editor to join its Editorial team.

Salary Range: $70,000 – $75,000K

This is a hybrid position requiring 1 day per week in our Washington DC office.

The copy editor ensures that all copy receives a high standard of copy editing, fact checking, and polishing. This editor is also a web producer, publishing stories online, and a print-production editor, proofing stories that move from web to print. The copy editor writes compelling headlines, captions, quote boxes, and other accoutrements to draw readers in, on all platforms. The copy editor designs and builds elements in the content-management system (CMS) and in our print-production system, builds and sends newsletters, and proofreads all such elements for accuracy and clarity.

What’s in it for you?

Medical/Dental/Vision Plans
24 PTO Days + Company Holidays
Paternal/Family/Adoption Leave
401K with Company Contribution & Profit Sharing
Tuition Assistance
And more!

What you’ll do:

Copy Editing
Fact-check and copy-edit copy for all platforms, including short-term stories and in-depth features, newsletters, Chronicle Almanac and other data projects, multimedia, newsroom and CI reports, Chronicle marketing content, and in-house documentation and communication for accuracy, grammar, logic, style, spelling, rhythm, and grace.
Write captivating headlines, captions, social-media push notifications, and other accoutrements to draw readers in.
Polish stories and newsletters to be the best version of themselves that they can be.
Write headlines and summaries for newsletters and the home page.
Work from noon to night (for the next day’s website) at least twice a week and every fourth Friday, more often when other members of the copy desk are on vacation.
Participate in broad discussions about editorial direction, style, and content.
Check for breaking news when on the late shift, communicating news via Slack.
Work with a team of copy editors to determine what needs attention and when.
Production
Post stories on the web, adding tags for advertising and placement, sidebars, quote boxes, and other elements. Check photos for irregularities and aptness, and write captions.
Embed tweets, charts and tables, multimedia, photos, Document Cloud files, advertising promos, etc.
Edit tables, charts, or maps in Excel, Datawrapper, and Flourish; embed from that software into CMS. An annual special print issue, the Almanac, involves helping edit and proof more than 100 pages of tables, charts, and related materials.
Assemble and schedule newsletters.
Build sidebars and other modules for stories in the content-management system.
Update home page and other pages as needed.
When editors are on vacation, may copy online stories into print-production system, along with photos and captions, and trim to fit.
Trim and proof print stories and other elements, including Table of Contents, in Adobe InCopy, and sign off on finished pages.

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 3 years of newspaper copy-editing experience, which could include working at a college newspaper.
Knowledge of grammar, spelling, punctuation, story construction, and the use of a style guide.
Solid news judgment.
Readiness to gain knowledge and thorough understanding of The Chronicle’s production and content-management systems.
Flexibility of schedule, including evening availability several nights a week.
Excellent editing and writing skills.
Excellent attention to detail.
Good collaborator and communicator, especially in office-communication systems like Slack.
Ability to work well independently and on a team and show respect for all constituencies.
Ability to work fast despite myriad interruptions.
Ability to remain cool-headed during copy onslaughts; eagerness to find things to do (there’s always plenty) during occasional copy lulls.

The Chronicle is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to creating a diverse work environment. We encourage members of underrepresented communities to apply.