Senior Staff Editor, Kids

$122,529 - $125,000/Yr

Unclassified - New York, NY

Full-time - Senior

New York, NY

About the position

The New York Times for Kids is seeking a senior staff editor to join our dedicated team. Launched in May 2017, NYT Kids is a cherished monthly print section designed to help young readers comprehend the world around them. This role is pivotal in shaping the content that engages and educates children, meeting them at their level of understanding. As a senior staff editor, you will be responsible for assigning, editing, and packaging short-form journalism tailored for kids, although prior experience with children's content is not a prerequisite. Your ability to collaborate effectively across teams, particularly with design, will be crucial for success in this position. In this role, you will report directly to the Editorial Director of The New York Times for Kids and will be a key member of our editorial team. You will work in a hybrid capacity, spending three days a week in our New York City office located at 620 8th Avenue. Your responsibilities will include brainstorming creative and timely stories that leverage the unique format of the broadsheet, planning issue lineups in collaboration with the editorial director, and assigning and editing multiple pages of the monthly section. You will also work closely with the art and photo departments to prioritize visual storytelling, ensuring that articles are shepherded from concept to completion while collaborating with various teams including editorial, art, photo, copyediting, production, and research. Additionally, you will be tasked with developing a diverse range of voices in our content, planning and participating in classroom visits and special events, and engaging in partnerships with other New York Times desks and related projects. A strong commitment to journalistic independence and the mission of helping people understand the world is essential for this role.

Responsibilities

• Brainstorm creative and timely stories for kids, especially those that take advantage of the broadsheet format.
• Plan issue lineups with the editorial director.
• Assign and edit multiple pages of the monthly section.
• Collaborate with the art and photo departments to prioritize visual storytelling.
• Shepherd articles from idea to completion, working with editorial, art, photo, copyediting, production, and research teams.
• Develop and include a wide range of voices in the content.
• Plan and participate in classroom visits and special events.
• Engage in Instagram brainstorming and partnerships with other New York Times desks and related projects.
• Demonstrate support and understanding of journalistic independence and the mission of The New York Times.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience as an assigning editor, managing multiple assignments from start to finish.
• Strong writing and editing skills.
• Knowledge of and ability to work with a pool of freelance writers.
• Experience working closely and collaboratively with design and photo departments.
• Enthusiastic idea generation and magazine front-of-book and package editing experience.
• Ability to brainstorm creative ways to translate print stories into social media posts and generate ideas for Instagram content.
• Strong news judgment and a broad knowledge of current events and daily news journalism.
• Ability to communicate with kids as equals, using clear and conversational language.

Nice-to-haves

• An eagerness to discover what kids are interested in.
• Understanding of The New York Times' standards of journalistic excellence and truthfulness.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision plans for employees and their families.
• Health and wellness programs.
• 401(k) plan.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Paid vacation.
• Paid parental leave.