Managing Editor

Description:

About Boulder Reporting Lab

Boulder Reporting Lab is Boulder County’s nonprofit newsroom, producing high-impact, public-service journalism that helps residents understand their community and participate in it.

Since 2022, BRL has grown into one of the region’s most widely read local news organizations, reaching tens of thousands of readers through our website and newsletters. About 25,000 readers receive BRL Today, making it Boulder’s most widely read local news product and the primary way many residents engage with our journalism. BRL also publishes Nibbles, a weekly food newsletter, and Culture Club, a weekly arts and events newsletter.

As BRL enters its next phase of growth, we are hiring a Managing Editor to oversee daily newsroom operations.

The Role

The Managing Editor will manage BRL’s day-to-day newsroom operations, driving coverage and ensuring stories are edited and published on schedule. This person will manage the editorial calendar, coordinate assignments and deadlines across staff reporters, freelancers and contributors, and track stories from assignment through publication.

The Managing Editor will edit stories as needed and oversee the production and editing of BRL Today, the newsroom’s flagship morning newsletter. The role will also provide editorial and production support for Nibbles and Culture Club, BRL’s weekly food and arts newsletters.

Working closely with the publisher and reporters, the Managing Editor will improve newsroom workflows, manage breaking news coverage and maintain consistent editorial standards across BRL’s journalism.

The ideal candidate is a highly organized, hands-on editor with strong news judgment who enjoys managing the many moving parts of a growing, modern local newsroom.

What You’ll Do

Manage daily news production

• Coordinate daily coverage planning and newsroom production.
• Manage the editorial calendar and lead story budget and coverage discussions.
• Coordinate assignments and deadlines across reporters, freelancers and contributors.
• Track stories from assignment through editing and publication.
• Manage newsletter and story production in BRL’s content management system, including formatting, scheduling and publishing.
• Establish workflows and systems that support an efficient, growing newsroom.

Lead BRL Today and support newsletter growth

• Oversee production of BRL Today, the newsroom’s flagship newsletter and primary audience product.
• Shape the lineup, framing and presentation of each edition, determining how the day’s reporting is prioritized and presented to readers.
• Write and edit headlines, summaries, newsletter introductions and explanatory copy.
• Ensure BRL Today functions as a cohesive daily report, not simply a collection of links.
• Work closely with reporters to identify the strongest angles and most important takeaways.
• Provide editing and production support for Nibbles and Culture Club.
• Help grow BRL’s newsletter audiences and reach new readers.
• Use audience data and reader feedback to improve newsletter performance and engagement.

Edit and elevate journalism

• Edit stories across beats and formats.
• Strengthen reporting, structure, clarity, fairness and impact.
• Ensure consistent editorial standards across published work.
• Collaborate on enterprise reporting, investigations and special projects.
• Manage submitted opinion pieces, including evaluating submissions, working with contributors and editing accepted pieces for publication.

Manage breaking news coverage

• Coordinate coverage of breaking news and major local developments.
• Ensure readers receive timely, accurate and contextualized information across BRL’s website, newsletters and other platforms.
• Help develop newsroom systems for responding to fast-moving events.

Help shape the newsroom’s future

• Work closely with the publisher on editorial strategy and organizational growth.
• Identify opportunities for new coverage areas, products and partnerships.
• Contribute to audience growth and reader engagement.
• Help the newsroom evaluate and improve how its journalism reaches and serves readers.

What We’re Looking For

We don’t expect one person to check every box, but strong candidates will bring many of these:

• Substantial editing experience in a digital newsroom.
• Strong news judgment and excellent editorial instincts.
• Experience with newsletters, digital publishing and audience-focused journalism.
• Comfort working in a content management system and handling hands-on digital production. Familiarity with WordPress is a plus.
• Strong writing and editing skills and the ability to quickly sharpen stories and explain complex issues.
• Experience managing reporters and overseeing daily news production.
• Exceptional organizational and project management skills.
• The ability to manage multiple deadlines in a newsroom.
• A commitment to local journalism and public-service reporting.
• A collaborative approach to working with reporters, freelancers and contributors.

This role could be a great fit for:

• A managing editor, city editor or deputy editor looking to take on a central role in a growing newsroom.
• An experienced editor seeking a hands-on role with responsibility for daily newsroom operations and production.
• A journalist who enjoys editing, newsletters and the organizational work that keeps a newsroom functioning well.

Location & Salary

• This position is based in Boulder County.
• Salary range: $90,000–$105,000. Final compensation depends on experience and qualifications.

How to Apply

Send the following to Stacy Feldman, publisher, at jobs@boulderreportinglab.org.

• A resume.
• A cover letter explaining your interest in Boulder Reporting Lab and how your editing, newsletter or newsroom management experience has prepared you for this role.
• Three examples of work you edited or helped produce. Please include at least one story and, if available, one newsletter or other digital news product. Briefly explain your role in each example.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.