Staff Writer
Washingtonian is looking for an enterprising, resourceful, and versatile journalist to work as a full-time staff writer at the magazine.
The mission of our monthly print magazine and daily news website is twofold: We tell readers how Washington works. And we tell them how to get the most out of living here. We do this through deep reporting about both Washington the hometown and Washington the company town—and we also do it by conveying our magazine’s sensibility in real time online. In a city whose major industry and myriad offshoots affect the entire nation, our job is to chronicle the personalities, local obsessions, and back-stage cat-fights that are often off the radar of the national media, but crucial to explaining the workings of the federal city. We tell stories that show how what happens here matters to the country, and how the things that matter to the country play out in its capital.
As a city magazine, we also tell stories that are weird, wild, and fun.
Your job will be to work sources, scour the news, and bring us attention-getting ideas—in abundance. You should be perpetually curious, and eager to share what you find with our readers. You should be something of an omnivore, as interested in a spectacular crime story as in one about a juicy battle between two titans of real estate. You should be a flexible writer with a knack for multitasking—comfortable with print and digital publishing, writing short and long, and able to work simultaneously on a deep-dive feature and a quick-turn blog post. The highest-profile part of your job will be writing for the feature well, but you’ll also regularly write for our website, contribute to the front of the book, and periodically brainstorm and contribute to cover, service, and feature-y packages. A minimum of 3-5 years of experience is preferred but not required. Reporting experience is mandatory, as are clips that demonstrate stylish writing, versatility, and a strong comfort level with magazine story structure and tone. Knowledge of Washington’s DNA isn’t essential; a keen interest in learning it is.
Washingtonian is a certified woman-owned business that serves a diverse region and we believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce represents the best way to cover that region. We seek a staff with a diversity of life experiences, backgrounds, viewpoints, and professional experiences. We strongly encourage people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, LGBTQ+ and gender nonconforming candidates to apply. Washingtonian is an Equal Opportunity Employer and we prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind based on race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, pregnancy or any other protected condition under federal and local laws.
To apply: Please send your résumé and a maximum of 6 clips to staffwriter2024@washingtonian.com. Clips should be hyperlinked or in PDF format. Do not send emails larger than 5 MB. No phone calls.