Assistant Editorial Director, Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk

Journalism

Background
The Missouri School of Journalism hosts the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, an innovative, independent, award-winning environmental reporting network covering agriculture, water, climate and other issues across America's largest watershed. Through a partnership with Report for America, we have journalists in more than 15 outlets across the region working collaboratively to cover critical issues. In three years, our reporters have produced more than 1,600 stories, including more than 150 collaborative pieces. Our work has been published by more than 400 news outlets, from small rural newsrooms to large national media.

The Job
The Desk is hiring its second full-time position, an Assistant Editorial Director, to help the Editorial Director with editing, content distribution, internal and external communications and training. In addition, the Assistant Editorial Director will have primary responsibility for the Desk's audience engagement efforts, including its social media and newsletter.

We seek a versatile editor who can handle a variety of tasks for our small but growing newsroom. The role will report to the Executive Director and work collaboratively with other members of the team, especially the Editorial Director, Operations Manager, mentor journalists, and other specialists.

Duties
Assist the Editorial Director with editing, fact-checking and creating content as needed.
Assist in expanding the news distribution network, organizing content and sharing it with the network.
Assist in maintaining the Desk's website.
Develop and manage the Desk's engagement strategy, including social media and newsletters.
Write reports, newsletters and press releases.
Assist with training journalists and communicating with partners.
Fill in for the Editorial Director occasionally.
Other duties as assigned.

Full-time, Monday-Friday, 8-5, with occasional weekend and evening hours

A Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience and at least 3 years of experience from which comparable knowledge and skills can be acquired is necessary

Skillful communication, strong organizational skills, ability to be a team player.
Experience working with news collaborations and remote teams.
Excellent AP style and grammar skills and solid editorial judgment.
Experience editing news stories on a variety of platforms.
Knowledge of environmental issues, especially within the Mississippi River Basin.
Experience managing audience engagement strategies and products, including social media and newsletters.
Experience using tools such as Google Drive, Excel, Microsoft Office, WordPress and BlueLena.
Aptitude with Adobe Suite, Canva and other design and editing software.
Skilled in shooting and editing photo, audio and video.
Ability to learn quickly with attention to detail.

Salary Range: $55,000 - $70,000/year

Grade: GGS-10

University Title: Senior Strategic Communications Associate

Internal applicants can determine their University title by accessing the Talent Profile tile in myHR.

Required application materials are (a) a cover letter describing why you want to work with the Ag & Water Desk and how your skills can contribute to our team; b) a CV/resume; c) a list of three references; d) 3-5 relevant work samples. Applications must be made online and will not be considered without all application materials.

Applications will begin being considered on XXXX date and continue until the position is filled.
For questions, please contact Professor Sara Shipley Hiles at hiless@missouri.edu .

This position is eligible for University benefits. As part of your total compensation, the University offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental and vision plans, retirement, paid time off, short- and long-term disability, paid parental leave, paid caregiver leave, and educational fee discounts for all four UM System campuses. For additional information on University benefits, please visit the Faculty & Staff Benefits website at https://www.umsystem.edu/totalrewards/benefits.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of Missouri is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

To request ADA accommodations, please call the Director of Accessibility and ADA at 573-884-7278.