Engagement Editor, Healthbeat

Healthbeat, a new nonprofit news platform from Civic News Company and KFF, is seeking an experienced audience and engagement editor as we launch newsrooms dedicated to local public health journalism this summer in New York City and Atlanta.

Healthbeat aims to help people understand our public health system so they can participate in strengthening it. We do that by producing journalism that drives impact.

As Healthbeat’s founding engagement editor, you will lead our growing newsroom’s efforts to develop our core audience and strengthen our relationship with new and loyal readers. You will guide editors and reporters on strategies to better understand the news needs of our audiences across platforms, build stronger connections with communities that need critical local public health information, and elevate those community voices.

Who you are: You are a strategic editor and thoughtful leader who can help guide a growing newsroom. You have a strong, proven commitment to local news and you care deeply about the needs of readers and communities. You are a coach to reporters and editors on audience and content strategy. You have experience building and engaging audiences across platforms, including newsletters, search, and social media. You write with the reader in mind and can craft strong headlines, social posts, and subject lines that are accurate, contextualized, and engaging.

This position will report to the Director of Audience and will work in close collaboration with Healthbeat’s Editor in Chief, our editorial partners at KFF Health News, and the Civic News Company audience team.

The key responsibilities for this role include:

• Leading audience and engagement strategy for Healthbeat’s local bureaus

• Guiding the newsroom on SEO and content strategy, including the development of public health explainers and other alternative formats

• Supporting newsletter strategy and subscriber list growth initiatives

• Supporting and maintaining partnerships with local and state news organizations

• Supporting local bureaus with strategies for virtual or in-person events and engagement-driven reporting that elevate voices from the communities we serve

• Leveraging analytics to develop best practices for growth and engagement

What background and skills do you have? (We know not all strong candidates will have all the skills we list. That’s OK. What else do you bring to the table? Please tell us!):

• 5+ years of work experience, with at least three years in audience-focused roles at news organizations

• Familiarity with Parse.ly, Google Analytics or other content analytics platforms

• Proficiency with third-party email service providers such as Mailchimp

• Deep understanding of SEO best practices

• Strong audience-centered writing and editing skills

• Strong news judgment

• Team-oriented mindset with a generous spirit toward collaboration with your colleagues

• Passion for political participation and civic health; knowledge of public health systems is a plus, but not required.

This is a full-time and remote-eligible role – preference given to candidates in New York City and Atlanta – with a focus on collaboration and communication with a distributed Healthbeat and Civic News Company team.

The salary range is $70,000 to $80,000 commensurate with experience, with a generous benefits package, including:

• Medical, vision, and dental insurance

• 20 days of PTO and a paid one-week recess

• 401(k) matching program

• Paid parental leave

This is a role covered by the CBA with the Writers Guild of America, East.

About Civic News Company

At Civic News Company, our mission is helping people understand how America works so they can make it work better. Committed to equal employment opportunities, Civic News Company welcomes applicants and employees from diverse backgrounds, including but not limited to races, colors, national origins, ancestries, creeds, religions, genders, ages, disabilities, veteran status, sexual orientations, and marital statuses. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply and contribute to our shared vision.

Civic News Company participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, Civic News Company is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so you can begin to resolve the issue before Civic News Company can take any action against you, including terminating your employment. Civic News Company can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9.