Shape the future of Canadian media as National Observer’s new Managing Editor
Help shape the future of Canadian media as the Managing Editor of Canada’s National Observer at Observer Media Group. For more than a decade, Observer Media Group has led the digital re-invention of Canadian media, driven the national conversation on energy and climate change, and made history as the first all-digital publication to win a National Newspaper Award and a Michener Award citation. And our Election Integrity Reporting Project has placed us at the centre of Canada’s battle against online misinformation and electoral manipulation.
We seek a talented editor with significant journalism and management experience to support our next phase of groundbreaking journalism and organizational growth. You’re the right person for the job if you share our commitment to the highest journalistic and ethical standards, shine at managing people as well as words, and enjoy mentoring good reporters into world-class journalists.
This position can be based in Ottawa or Toronto.
What you will do
The managing editor is the senior leader in charge of the day-to-day operations of the Observer’s newsrooms in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver. Reporting directly to the editor-in-chief, you will advise on editorial priorities and opportunities, manage our team of talented staff and freelance journalists, and ensure the smooth operation of all three newsrooms. Your editorial instincts and managerial smarts will be key to delivering effective enterprise reporting, investigative pieces and strong storytelling on a wide range of topics of public interest.
In this role you will be responsible for:
Managing our team of journalists: Assigning, coaching and supervising reporters; managing the editorial process and team; setting and tracking assignment deadlines; creating and maintaining a daily story calendar; collaborating with editor-in-chief to give final publication approval.
Nurturing our readership: Analyzing subscriptions and readership data in consultation with our audience development team; overseeing social media posts and promotions; and supervising email newsletters and email outreach to build readership and engagement.
Managing the newsroom budget: Negotiating staff and freelancer rates and payments; tracking newsroom spending against budget; and tracking grant- and donor-funded journalism projects, ensuring excellent delivery within budget.
Delivering on our editorial vision and values: Collaborating closely with the editor-in-chief to develop major investigations and reports; ensuring our content and sources reflect Canada’s diversity; guiding staff on reporting methods, journalistic ethics, legal issues and Access to Information requests; overseeing the publication of wire and climate desk stories; ensuring all articles meet the highest standards for ethical journalism and that opinion pieces are fair and accurate.
Coordinating the editor-in-chief's weekly staff meetings to review major reports, investigations and business developments.
Who you are
You are the right person for this job if you are a passionate, insightful and tech-savvy journalist with significant experience as both an editor and manager. You may love dogging an investigation or writing a brilliant story, but you get even more satisfaction from identifying and cultivating new talent, coaching someone else’s story from good to great, and building a close-knit, high-powered team.
This role is a good fit for someone who likes to work collaboratively, as part of a senior leadership group, rather than as the top dog in a chain of command. You’ll find this position particularly fulfilling if you share the Observer’s commitment to rigorous coverage of climate and social justice issues, combating misinformation, and developing innovative ways of delivering high-quality journalism online.
You should have at least eight years of journalism or media experience, and hold a Master’s degree or higher in journalism or a related field.
Your specific background and skills should include:
Managerial experience: You should have at least five years of experience managing diverse teams of ten people or more; a deep commitment to working relationships as well as editorial outcomes; and a track record sustaining effective working relationships with a range of people and personalities, including those in roles both senior and junior to you.
Editorial skill: You should have a portfolio of published work that demonstrates your own excellence as a writer and reporter; a proven ability to provide effective, timely and constructive feedback on stories in progress; an instinct for identifying and framing stories that attract and engage readers; and a demonstrated capacity to identify and nurture talented writers and journalists.
Work ethic: You are a hard worker who is organized, reliable, hard-working and detail-oriented; you know how to juggle tasks and priorities as part of a fast-paced organization; you communicate clearly and respectfully with colleagues; and you inspire others with you own hard work and commitment.
Expertise: You are deeply engaged in the business of journalism, with a thorough knowledge of industry news and publications; you’re a forward-looking journalist with genuine passion for the emergent possibilities of online storytelling and audience engagement; and you’re knowledgeable on the key issues in Canada today, including national and provincial parties and policies, climate change, the energy industry, and the problem of misinformation.
How to apply
We will accept applications for this position until August 15, 2019, with the intention of filling the position no later than September 15th; we will begin reviewing applications as we receive them, so please submit yours as soon as possible.
This is a permanent, full-time employee position to be based in Toronto or Ottawa; salary will be commensurate with experience, and will be competitive with editorial roles at traditional print or broadcast companies.
To apply, please submit a résumé and cover letter through our online application portal. Your cover letter should specifically address:
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Why this role appeals to you
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Your experience and major accomplishments as a journalist and editor
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Your experience and approach to managing teams
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A particular issue area or type of journalistic initiative you would be excited about working on at Canada’s National Observer
Please be advised that we can only contact candidates we wish to interview, but we thank everyone for their interest in working with the team at Observer Media Group.
About Canada’s National Observer
With offices in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver, CNO is a leader in digital media. We have a core team of full-time journalists and work with freelancers across Canada and in the U.S. With a focus on climate change, energy, disinformation, and politics, CNO has made history as the first digital-only publication to win a National Newspaper Award and to receive a Michener Award citation. CNO is owned by Observer Media Group, a certified B corp. CNO is a member of The Trust Project.
Other job postings: National political reporter (Ottawa)
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