Hearst Magazines is one of the largest publishers in the world, with more than 25 brands, including Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Harper’s BAZAAR, Popular Mechanics, and Oprah Daily.
Cosmopolitan’s features team has a rare opening for an intrepid journalist who will work across the brand’s print and digital platforms to help shape our prize-winning investigative journalism, buzz-worthy narrative reads, and compelling cultural analysis. We’re looking for an ambitious features specialist who has a near-miraculous talent for finding stories (and has a razor-sharp understanding of what makes a story a story), infinite curiosity about the lives of young women today, the bravura to take big swings (journalistically and creatively), and a steadfast commitment to making every story better, smarter, and totally unforgettable. This person will report to the features director.
Responsibilities:
- Develop feature proposals
- The heart of your role will be leveraging a host of tools—in-person and phone reporting, public records gathering, data analysis, use of social platforms, and cultivation of key sources—to track leads and turn them into robust, viable pitches that break through the noise
- Write the stories you pitch … but not all of them, because that would be bananas
- Your careful pre-reporting will form the basis of assignments to freelance journalists, with an eye toward diversifying our network of contributors
- Collaborate with external writers
Qualifications:
- You’re an editor with at least 6 years of experience developing enterprise features for editorial publications, the ability to think broadly and critically, and a track record of publishing impactful long-form journalism
- You have a shoe-leather sensibility and are not shy about working the phones/kicking the tires/shaking the trees—basically all the journalism cliches that mean wrangling a story no one else has
- You have a clear, confident writing style that translates across reported narratives, deep think pieces, punchy service packages, and more
- You have a deep understanding of journalistic ethics and standards, and experience overseeing legally sensitive stories
- Ideally, you are also versed in trauma-informed reporting practices
- You possess a solution-oriented mindset
- Curveballs come with the territory in long-lead features land; your adaptability and resourcefulness will be essential to carrying complex pieces across the finish line
- Bonus if you have data journalism experience
Salary: The base salary for this role is between $72,000 and $90,000
For further details click here.
