Posted On: February 8, 2018

Media-Related Job

Media Organization: Committee to Protect Journalists

Company Description

The Committee to Protect Journalists promotes press freedom worldwide and defends the right of journalists to report the news without fear of reprisal. CPJ ensures the free flow of news and commentary by taking action wherever journalists are attacked, imprisoned, killed, kidnapped, threatened, censored, or harassed.

Job Description

CPJ requires a deputy editorial director to help the department ensure that a growing amount of editorial content meets the organization's high standards for accuracy, credibility, fairness, and timeliness. The deputy editorial director will oversee the editing of daily news and research and work closely with the editorial director to guide CPJ's long-term editorial strategy. They will manage editorial staff and deputize for the editorial director. They will collaborate with other department heads to advance CPJ's mission.

A. Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities:
• Prioritize, delegate, and editor review daily news stories including alerts, statements, protest letters, campaign text, and social media posts
• Determine CPJ's daily news agenda and homepage features
• Oversee ongoing and annual research such as CPJ's lists of journalists killed and imprisoned for their work
• Direct CPJ blog and edit posts
• In consultation with editorial director, guide CPJ's long-term editorial strategy
• Identify potential trends in press freedom and suggest related pieces
• As needed, edit long-term investigative or analytical special reports
• Oversee aspects of web and print production
• Oversee relationships with external writers or editors and other vendors and contractors
• Deputize for editorial director
• Occasional evening or weekend work
• Other duties as assigned

B. Managerial Responsibilities:
• Position's managerial classification: Manager
• People-management scope (completed for positions that directly or indirectly manage or supervise others). Number of:
- Direct Reports: 2-4
- Indirect Reports: None
• Other management responsibilities (can vary based on managerial classification:
- In consultation with editorial director, draft annual departmental budget
- Track and manage departmental budget throughout year

C. Key Stakeholders (whom this position is expected to interact with regularly):
• Internally: Editors, program staff, advocacy department, emergencies department, digital team (including social media account managers), and (to a lesser extent) development department.
• Externally: CPJ's readers/viewers, including journalists and policymakers
D. Travel Requirements: No
E. Physical Demands: No

III. Education/Qualifications & Work Experience:

Required:
• Bachelor's degree
• At least seven years of experience as a news editor for a newspaper, news magazine, news website, news agency, or news broadcaster
• At least two years of management experience
• Experience editing spot news as well as in-depth, analytical, or investigative pieces of several thousand words
• Native-level English-language communications skills
• Experience working with writers whose first language is not English
• Familiarity with web content management systems such as WordPress or Moveable Type and basic HTML coding
• U.S. work authorization

Preferred:
• Background in international news
• Multimedia or data journalism expertise
• Experience at an advocacy or human rights organization

III. Competencies (Key Behaviors):

Required:
• Commitment to, and passion for, CPJ's mission to promote freedom of the press worldwide
• Ability to make independent decisions while taking into account needs of several constituencies
• Ability to meet both short-term and long-term editorial and project deadlines
• Strong organizational skills
• Strong work ethic
• Ability to thrive in a stressful environment

Preferred:
• Ability to respond creatively to ideas, utilizing limited financial and human resources
• Sense of humor

To Apply

Please submit a brief cover letter and resume to jobs@cpj.org, with "Deputy Editorial Director" in the subject line.

CPJ is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Due to volume, we cannot reply to individual inquiries on the status of applications. If you are selected as a candidate, CPJ will contact you directly to arrange an interview. No phone calls, please.