Editorial Director, Unexplainable and The Gray Area, Vox.Com

Job Description

At Vox, we take audiences from curiosity to understanding, and we're looking for an Editorial Director to oversee our shows about science, philosophy, and uncertainty: Unexplainable and The Gray Area. Unexplainable is our narrative show about the unknown, focusing on scientific mysteries. The Gray Area is our in-depth interview show featuring philosophical conversations around the biggest issues of our time. Both shows have at their core a sense of curiosity and intellectual humility.

WHO WE ARE

We're looking for a leader with experience building strong team cultures that strive for editorial excellence and put ideas at the center of their work. The Editorial Director will manage the hosts and staff of both teams and serve as each show's primary editor. We're looking for a leader who can work closely with our team to expand each show's ambition and creativity and set up sustainable processes to do so. As editor, this role will run pitch meetings, participate in prep meetings, and give feedback and guidance on episode drafts and mixes. Experience with both interview and narrative formats is preferred.

The Editorial Director will also work closely with the Executive Director of Audio to chart the course for each show's future: from special projects to brand expansion across a range of platforms. You'll work closely with leadership to assess each show's vision and strategy, strengthen programming, and implement plans for ongoing improvement, audience growth and overall business goals. This is a role with potential for growth on a leadership track.

To that end, the right candidate for this role will have a strong creative sensibility, impeccable editorial judgment, and the ability to manage a complex, fast-paced production process. You will be an experienced manager who excels at fostering a creative, joyous team culture while also ensuring the highest standards for journalism and production. You should be equally at home vetting story pitches/weighing in on an edit AND attending meetings with internal and external partners to lead each show's expansion.

Vox values thinkers, creatives, and obsessives from all backgrounds. We are looking to hire the right person - not the right résumé. We encourage those with diverse and nontraditional experience to apply.

Vox candidly shepherds audiences through politics and policy, business and pop culture, food, science, and everything else that matters.

Vox is part of Vox Media, the leading modern media company. We guide our audience from discovery to obsession. We inspire essential conversations about what's now, what's next, and what's possible.

As a community of journalists and storytellers, business professionals, creators and technologists, we believe it is a moral and business imperative to amplify voices: to cultivate diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout our organization and media. This applies to our candidates, our teams, our storytelling, our creative work, and our platforms, products, and partnerships.

WHAT YOU'LL DO
• Serve as soup-to-nuts editor on both shows, from pitch to publication, working to ensure rigor and creativity.
• Line edit scripts and shape the overall editorial vision
• Manage hosts and production teams and support your reports' career growth.
• Set strategic course for brand and audience expansion; from reporting series to newsletters and beyond.
• Lead two teams and ensure they have resources and support needed to meet goals.
• Set objectives for audience growth and work with the data team to monitor and create actionable opportunities based on the data we're gathering.
• Lead staff recruitment, hiring and retention.
• Oversee the shows' budget, staff scheduling, staff evaluations and overall ecosystem.

WHO YOU ARE
• 2+ years of experience as the showrunner or manager for a successful podcast or radio program.
• 2+ years experience editing narrative and interview formats
• Experience directly managing a team.
• Strong leadership and management skills and the ability to help employees grow and thrive in their work.
• A portfolio that demonstrates an ear for great tape and inventive approaches to audio storytelling.
• Ability to frame and execute audience growth opportunities.
• Experience coaching and developing talent
• A track record of developing content that draws on diverse perspectives/source lists.
• Strong collaborative skills, as well as the ability to delegate and prioritize effectively.

If you think you have what it takes, but don't meet every single point in our job posting, please apply with a cover letter to let us know how you believe you can bring your unique skills to the Vox Media team or get in touch! We've hired chefs who became editors, DJs who became UX designers, and sommeliers who became writers.

WHERE YOU'LL WORK

This job is remote.

PAY TRANSPARENCY

The salary range listed below represents the minimum and maximum base pay for this position at the time of this posting. Final salary offered to the candidate selected for the position will be based on factors including but not limited to the candidate's skills and experience.

Pay Range

$130,000 — $150,000 USD

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-gq78v6-216-73-216-62-42 in your application.