Deputy Editor, Engagement

We will begin reviewing applications as we receive them but will accept applications until at least Dec. 30 at 5 p.m. ET.

ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. 

We are seeking a deputy engagement editor to grow our unique, award-winning engagement reporting team. In this role, you will help set the course for ProPublica’s signature crowdsourced investigations, from callouts to tip lines to citizen-fueled science. You’ll do this by supervising members of the engagement reporting team, identifying opportunities for the team in existing lines of reporting and showing editorial leadership on new initiatives. You’ll report to the engagement editor and work together to direct the team.  

The ideal candidate is a sharp communicator, an organized project manager and a creative engagement thinker who is comfortable collaborating across teams, advising colleagues and shaping processes that help powerful journalism reach and involve the people who need it most.

Like everyone in our newsroom, our team focuses on accountability journalism and measures success by impact. This journalism has led to impact big and small, from equipping patients with better information to a promised $2 billion to fix Idaho public school buildings. As deputy editor, you’ll edit projects that channel thousands of people’s stories, including educators, parents, mental health providers, wildfire survivors, migrant dairy farm workers, other vulnerable workers and residents living near toxic hot spots. You’ll help engagement reporters fill information gaps with calculators, guides and letter generators, and you’ll push forward efforts to reach people in the spaces where they gather, both online and off. 

What You’ll Do Here:

• Alongside the engagement and crowdsourcing editor, manage engagement reporters as they work on investigative stories reliant on community outreach and engagement. You’ll be the direct supervisor of at least three reporters on the team.
• Work with team members — including engagement reporters, a product manager and a tips coordinator —  to bring project ideas and pitches to fruition.
• Identify promising crowdsourcing opportunities by consulting, brainstorming and meeting  with teams all over the newsroom. Help prioritize projects and stories so the team can be deployed strategically across the organization. 
• Support and guide the team in designing and managing callouts, building surveys, crafting pitch-perfect outreach language and developing the right crowdsourcing strategy for each investigation. 
• Edit and co-edit stories geared toward the communities we cover, including service journalism, tools and guides.
• Collaborate with national, local and specialty reporting teams across ProPublica and in our many partner newsrooms, including through our Local Reporting Network.
• Brainstorm the biggest ideas you can imagine with a team of the most creative engagement journalists in the country. 

This job is full time and includes benefits. ProPublica is based in New York, but we’re open to remote candidates. We have offices in New York City; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta; Chicago; Phoenix; and Berkeley, California. Applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S.

The expected salary range for this position is $135,000 to $145,000.

This is a good-faith estimate of what we expect to pay for this position. The final salary figure will take into account a person’s experience, accomplishment and location. ProPublica is committed to paying its staff equitably, and these ranges should not be considered career salary limits or caps.

You should apply if you have:

• An interest in pushing the boundaries on how crowdsourcing and engagement journalism can fuel investigations and innovative ideas for how to do it. 
• At least five years of experience editing, guiding or leading engagement-driven investigations. We will prioritize candidates with experience managing and supervising staff.
• Experience building esprit de corps among distributed staff that is grounded in motivating staff, helping them reach career goals and working together.
• A strong news sense, keen attention to detail and the ability to connect the dots in investigations. You’ve worked on projects that shed light on injustices and hold the powerful accountable, and you have a firm commitment to accuracy, high editorial standards and unassailable journalism ethics.
• Experience with — and an appetite for — collaborating, both across the newsroom and with external partners. Strong communication skills are key!
• The ability to see great potential in ideas brought to the team, but also be able to recognize — and say — when engagement is not the right tool.
• Exceptional organizational skills and the ability to juggle many responsibilities, meet deadlines and handle pressure while remaining calm.
• Proficiency in survey-building and data management tools such as Airtable, Jotform and messaging bots.
• A track record of working with communities whose collective experiences require thoughtful approach and handling. Experience with trauma-informed journalism is a huge plus. 
• An ability to set and track engagement analytics, and report results to peers, management and senior leadership. You can explain when strategies are working and when they are not, and you have a proven record of adjusting accordingly.
• The ability to travel, as needed, for team retreats, training, conferences and reporting projects. 

What you should send us:

Work examples are the most important part of this application.

The application form will require you to send us three projects from your portfolio, and it will give you the space to walk us through your own contributions to those clips. Take advantage of this to tell us everything you did, including behind-the-scenes wins you’re proud of. Editing is about far more than moving around words. Show us how you think. Don’t be shy — tell us what succeeded, including numbers and evidence of impact, and feel free to share details on how you’d do it differently next time.

Make sure to read the section above titled “You should apply if” because it’s also our evaluation criteria for the position. Use your projects and the rest of your application to show us that you’ve got the skills we’ve listed, or why the skills you have are the ones we actually need.                                    

Questions? Send an email to talent@propublica.org.

No phone calls, please.