The Guardian Work For Us

Guardian News & Media (GNM) is the publisher of the US news website www.theguardian.com/us, the Guardian and Observer newspapers and www.theguardian.com website in the UK. We're a highly regarded global news brand, owned by the Scott Trust — an arrangement that guarantees its independent voice in perpetuity.

Headquartered in New York City, Guardian US, is an entirely digital operation that seeks to engage US readers by combining the Guardian's internationalist, online journalism with US voices and expertise.

We are now looking for an Audience engagement editor to join our New York team. 

Department: Editorial

Reports to: Head of Audience Development

Normal location: New York, NY (open to applicants from other states)

Terms & conditions: Full time, permanent. News Media Guild position. Some late shifts and weekend work required.

The role

The Guardian US seeks a creative, energetic and collaborative editor to join our US team and help us grow and diversify our audience. The audience engagement editor, underrepresented communities will be a core member of our audience team with a specific focus on increasing the diversity of our audiences culturally and geographically and increasing reach and engagement among underrepresented communities in the US. The role will support our wider newsroom efforts to create journalism and build an readership that is representative of America.

The right candidate will be full of ideas for how we might introduce the Guardian to new readers. Tactics might include: partnerships with media outlets and other community organizations, social media strategies, newsletters and advocating for story ideas and coverage zones that have the potential to connect with audiences we don’t currently reach.

Key responsibilities

The audience engagement editor will be a key player on a collaborative team that sits at the heart of our newsroom. The team’s responsibilities include headline writing, optimizing stories for search engines, social media production, building promotion plans for journalism projects, generating story ideas, and feeding data back to the newsroom.  The audience team is also involved in growth areas like newsletters, platform relationships and new growth opportunities. 

The Guardian has experienced significant growth in the US and currently draws more than 50 million monthly unique visitors in America, and more than 170 million unique visitors around the world. This role will help us build on that trajectory.

The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of internet culture and communities, as well as digital publishing and distribution. A strong journalism background is helpful, as are the skills of communication, collaboration and persuasion required to foster an audience-aware newsroom. 

We encourage candidates who might not have all the experience listed to apply; for this role we value attitude, willingness to learn, commitment and flexibility.

Key skills & experience 

• 2-3 years minimum at a digital news organization
• Newsroom experience, ideally in a fast-paced environment
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with particular understanding of the voice and approach required for social media
• Knowledge of search engine optimization, particularly for breaking news
• Proven ability to use data to inform decision-making
• Experience building diverse newsroom audiences
• Knowledge of emergent platforms and trends in digital media, and a desire to experiment
• Active on social media and embedded in internet culture
• Strong interpersonal skills and ease working within teams remotely or on-site
• Experience creating socially-driven or -conceived news and features

All candidates interested in applying should upload a resume and cover letter as one document. All candidates must have the right to work and live in the United States.

Guardian News & Media is an equal employment opportunity employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, national origin or citizenship.

We value and respect all differences in all people (seen and unseen) at the Guardian. We aspire to inclusive working experiences and an environment that reflects the audience we serve, where our people have equal access to career development opportunities, their voices are heard and can contribute to our future.

This job description is a guide to the work you will initially be required to undertake. It summarizes the main aspects of the job but does not cover all the duties that the job holder may have to perform. It may be changed from time to time to meet changing circumstances. It does not form part of your contract of employment and as your experience grows, you will be expected to broaden your tasks, suggest improvements, solve problems and enhance the effectiveness of the role.