Managing Editor Job at Society of Professional Journalists in Portland

The Portland Mercury— a scrappy, independent, alternative source of news and information located in Portland, Oregon is looking for a smart, dedicated Managing Editor to help oversee day-to-day operations in our editorial department, which is committed to bringing top‑notch news and culture reporting to our community, amplifying underrepresented voices, and showing the city a good time.

This position will primarily focus on assisting the editor-in-chief (EIC) with the execution of the Mercury’s vision, including managing workflow and the editorial budget, supporting staff with daily practical needs, organizing production flow of print products, handling internal issues and performance assessments, while also assisting with editing and proofreading. The position also includes many opportunities for general assignment reporting and writing.

The Managing Editor role carries supervisory authority—including hiring, performance management, and addressing staff concerns—in partnership with the EIC. They will supervise select section editors, assist and work alongside unionized staff, and coordinate with the production team to produce a monthly print product. This position plays a key leadership role in onboarding, and cross‑departmental operations.

This position requires excellent, proven leadership abilities, strong editorial expertise, superb mediation and organizational skills, and—this is important—a great sense of humor.

Key responsibilities:

Systems and processes

• Implement and design editorial workflows, style guides, and internal processes.
• Help develop and execute the publication’s editorial calendar, including web and print.
• Lead coordination with the production team to ensure their needs are met with print and web content, and editorial deadlines are maintained.
• Coordinate with our social media and marketing managers, as well as the advertising department to ensure smooth production.

Organizational leadership

• Serve as EIC’s primary support, including occasionally covering EIC responsibilities when needed.
• Work with the EIC to oversee the editorial department’s budget, allocating funds to staff, and ensuring efficient use of resources, while also managing freelance pay.
• Assist the EIC in the supervision of select section editors, including managing schedules, providing feedback, and overall management responsibilities.

Editorial content

• Assist editorial staff with daily needs, including adhering to deadlines and providing editing and proofreading assistance.
• Mentor staff writers, helping them produce the very best possible content.
• General writing contributions for both web and print.
• Assist freelance writers, answering their questions and addressing any concerns.

Requirements

Ideally, we’d like applicants to possess the following:

• Three-plus years of journalism and/or editorial department experience—managerial experience is a definite plus.
• Demonstrated writing, editing, and proofreading skills.
• Superb organizational skills, including the ability to regularly meet or exceed deadlines.
• The ability to juggle multiple deadlines while keeping a cool head and maintaining a positive attitude.
• Demonstrable mediation skills, with expertise in problem solving, bringing creative ideas to the table, and the ability to work effectively with managers from other departments and divisions.

Preferred qualifications

• Having a fun, can‑do attitude and being able to exhibit editorial flair.
• Possessing an inspiring, positive personality that can bring out the best in employees.
• A working knowledge of Portland, and what makes it so special.
• A love for progressive politics, and uplifting underrepresented communities.

Find out additional information about benefits and our company in the linked job listing.