FT seeks a US political news editor

The Financial Times is looking for a dynamic and ambitious journalist to edit our US political coverage.

The US political news editor will report to the US news editor and work with the FT’s Washington bureau chief to coordinate coverage of the next administration and all other  major American political events.

In addition to commissioning and deploying reporters on stories and assignments, the editor will be responsible for long- and medium-term planning of our political coverage and picking big stories, from battles over election results to the key cabinet appointments and policy moves in 2025, legislative fights on Capitol Hill, and wider political themes beyond the Beltway.

They will be the main interlocutor between the Main News Desk and World News Desk in London, the New York News Desk, and the Washington bureau with regards to political news, ensuring there is a single point of contact.

This is a very high-profile job within the FT and the successful candidate will control one of our most important areas of coverage during a seminal period in US politics. They will steer coverage as the Federal Reserve unwinds an era of high interest rates, the White House and Pentagon navigate wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and as the next president executes their agenda.

You will work closely with the Washington bureau chief, the World news editor, and correspondents in DC as well as other reporters in the FT network.

Key responsibilities

• Manage all aspects of our US political coverage, including long- and medium-term planning, commissioning and line editing
• Act as a splash writer during major political events
• Generate distinctive story ideas that play to the FT’s strengths in a crowded field
• Work with a tight-knit New York news desk and Washington bureau as well as colleagues in other US bureaus and editors in London

Is this the role for you? 

The position requires you to be comfortable with these essential skills:

• Fast, accurate editor and clean writer
• Accomplished planner, able to generate distinctive ideas and turn them into stories that are scheduled for maximum impact
• Excellent communicator able to share and explain plans with multiple people in the FT newsroom
• Solid understanding of how US political news story can appeal to both a domestic readership and global audience

Please submit your application by the end of the day, Monday 4th November 2024. 

To apply, go here.