The Philadelphia Inquirer is hiring a journalist to write and curate weekly newsletters for our suburban audiences, and to help develop and execute a new Inquirer suburban coverage initiative. We’re looking for a highly-organized and efficient curator and writer, with a fluid and approachable writing style and a commitment to understanding and responding to community news and information needs.
This editor will take the lead on three newsletters, each serving specific suburban communities, starting with Lower Merion and Cherry Hill. You’ll curate locally relevant items from broader Inquirer coverage and aggregate other news and information sources. And you’ll work with a cross-functional team to improve this fledgling product, soliciting user feedback and paying close attention to audience analytics.
The Suburban Newsletter Editor will start as a member of the newsroom’s content strategy team, which kickstarts new content initiatives in close collaboration with the Inquirer’s Product and marketing teams. As the initiative grows, you’d become a member of a new Inquirer Local team, with other dedicated editors and reporters. This position is based in Greater Philadelphia.
The ideal candidate will have 3-plus years of experience working in digital media. Prior experience working specifically with newsletters, email and mobile notifications is a big plus, but not necessarily a requirement. Experience working in social media, curation and other audience development roles is also applicable to this position, as is prior reporting and editing experience.
About Us
Since 1829, The Philadelphia Inquirer has been “asking on behalf of the people” of Philadelphia and the region by providing essential journalism. Locally owned and headquartered in Center City Philadelphia, The Inquirer is a for-profit public benefit corporation under the non-profit Lenfest Institute. Its multiple brand platforms — including newspapers, Inquirer.com, e-Editions, apps, newsletters, podcasts, and live events — provide Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism to a growing audience that includes more than 156,000 digital subscribers and 20 million monthly impressions.
What You’ll Do
- Curate and create up to three weekly newsletters, each serving a different suburban community.
- Help develop and refine a system for efficiently collecting news and information from each community, including civics and school news, real estate updates, local food and things to do.
- Work with a cross-functional team developing experimental hyperlocal news products and services.
- Using aggregation and limited reporting, write short news stories that elaborate on newsletter items as needed.
- Constantly iterate and improve upon the newsletters, guided by a combination of user feedback and newsletter analytics.
Who We’re Looking For
- A highly-organized and systematic editor who is comfortable working within and helping to develop workflows that enable efficient creation of these newsletters.
- Strong writing and editing skills are both crucial for this role, as is the ability to quickly distill the most important elements of stories and write and edit concise, accurate and clean copy around them.
- Familiarity with digital publishing tools, content management systems and email service providers are a recurring part of this job.
- The ability to understand data, trends and key performance indicators and use that information to inform your work.
- A curiosity for how people consume information as technology and audience behaviors continue to evolve.
- Desire to contribute to building features and initiatives that encourage people to form a habit of engaging with our journalism.
The Philadelphia Inquirer is committed to attracting a diverse group of people to join our team. As part of our mission, we are seeking candidates who share our passion for indispensable journalism and our drive to create a sustainable business model to support it.
We value diverse levels of experience, abilities, and backgrounds. Because of this, we encourage you to apply, even if you do not meet all of the requirements listed in the job description. The Inquirer may consider an equivalent combination of knowledge, skills, education, and experience to meet the minimum qualifications for this position.
The Inquirer is building an inclusive and equitable workplace where everyone feels a sense of belonging. We especially encourage people from marginalized and underrepresented backgrounds to apply for vacant positions at all levels of the organization, including but not limited to people of color, women, people who identify as LGBTQIA+, and people with disabilities. We are an equal opportunity employer for all regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, and any other category protected by federal, state and/or local law.
