The Hechinger Report is a nonprofit news outlet that covers education across the United States. We’re a small newsroom with big ambitions to cover the most pressing issues facing classrooms and campuses. Our journalists travel across the country and the world asking tough questions, seeking out promising solutions, and listening to the voices of educators, families and kids. Here are the opportunities to join us in our mission.

Openings:

Group and Individual Information Sessions

We’re hosting an information session about the Executive Editor position and the selection process on Wednesday, Oct. 4, at 3 p.m. ET. Your identity will not be visible to participants other than our staff.  Click here for more information.

If you’d like to talk to one of the senior editors individually and confidentially about this position or the selection process, click here to pick a time.

Executive Editor

The Hechinger Report is seeking an executive editor to lead our independent, prestigious nonprofit newsroom dedicated to in-depth and innovative coverage of education. We’re seeking a forward-looking leader to run a small nonprofit newsroom, one with a family-friendly workplace, and one that leads the nation in terms of quality education journalism, published on our site and with major local and national partner publications. 

Since its inception 13 years ago, The Hechinger Report has helped fill an education journalism gap left by the disintegration of many other news outlets, playing a critical role in helping the public better understand issues and trends. We publish news feature stories, investigations, op-eds and narrative magazine stories, and our partners include The Associated Press, National Public Radio, The New Republic, The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post and many other national outlets, as well as local and regional publications such as AL.com, The Boston Globe and The Seattle Times. 

As executive editor, you’ll oversee our newsroom, developing ideas for new editorial projects, collaborations and ways to connect with and grow our readership. You’ll work closely with the editor in chief (who leads our fundraising and organization-wide strategy) and development director to promote our work to new audiences, members and funders. You’ll help set editorial strategy, spearhead the recruitment of a diverse and talented workforce, and motivate and inspire staff members and build their skills. You’ll seek out new partnership opportunities and help support our work exploring new platforms for distributing our journalism. 

The salary for this position is $150,000/year. Because we are an independent unit of Teachers College, Columbia University, this position includes the College’s comprehensive full-time benefits package, described here.

While there may be flexibility for remote/hybrid work arrangements, to comply with tax and legal obligations preference will be given to candidates in the New York City area (our flagship location), as well as in New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, California, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas and Washington. We are exploring a preference for Virginia and D.C.

Responsibilities: 

  • Lead our editorial strategy, working closely with editors and writers to develop and plan our coverage
  • Help our journalists build their skills and develop their careers
  • Work with our leadership team and business-side colleagues to help set our organizational strategy, ensuring a healthy future 
  • Collaborate with our engagement and production teams, as they seek creative new ways of getting increased exposure for our work 
  • Be a public face of Hechinger, representing us at conferences and in other media outlets
  • Cultivate an inclusive, supportive work environment, one that values diversity 
  • Supervise the senior editors who lead the editorial staff

Minimum Qualifications:

  • At least five years in a leadership role at a journalism organization 
  • A track record of success overseeing high-caliber journalism with impeccable integrity, including ambitious projects with multimedia components
  • Experience managing, motivating and inspiring staff 
  • Excellent editorial judgment and skills, and detailed understanding of different forms of journalism, including investigative reporting and narrative writing
  • Ability to work effectively and eagerly across departments, promoting a collaborative and inclusive newsroom 
  • An understanding of the importance of the latest audience engagement strategies and methods
  • Commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion
  • Superior organizational skills and ability to balance many different priorities

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience on the education beat 
  • 10-plus years in a leadership role 
  • Experience in nonprofit newsrooms 
  • Investigative journalism background

We’re sure that not all candidates will match exactly what we’ve written above. The Hechinger Report understands that good journalists can come from all kinds of backgrounds. If you have skills and experiences that you think would allow you to thrive in this role, apply and tell us what you will bring to the newsroom. 

Click here to apply, by October 22. In your cover letter, please tell us the most important thing you’ve learned about building, motivating and retaining a team.