National Audubon Society seeks an associate editor

The National Audubon Society is a nonprofit conservation organization that protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Together as one Audubon, we aspire to alter the course of climate change and habitat loss, leading to healthier bird populations and reversing current trends in biodiversity loss.

Audubon magazine has an exciting full-time opening for a journalist to join our editorial team as Associate Editor, working on both digital stories for Audubon.org and our quarterly print magazine.

As the flagship publication of the National Audubon Society, our reporting both celebrates our fascination with birds and probes pressing planetary issues, including biodiversity loss, habitat conservation, climate change, and more. The magazine also emphasizes, through stories and visuals, the importance of a diverse and inclusive science and conservation effort to help meet the challenges facing birds and people today. In 2021, Audubon won a National Magazine Award for “General Excellence”—the highest honor in the magazine industry—for our exceptional work across platforms, plus received a nomination for the past five consecutive years.

We envision this position as a combined writing and editing role. The initial split between reporting and writing vs. assigning and editing is flexible and will be determined in collaboration with the Associate Editor. This position is a fantastic opportunity for a versatile reporter and strong writer who is excited about taking on more editing duties, with mentorship from more senior editors on staff. We welcome applicants with prior editing experience, but that is not required, and we don’t want a lack of editing experience to discourage interested journalists from applying.

This role can be remote or based out of our NYHQ.

Compensation:

Salary range based on geo-differentials:

$53,000 – $58,000 = All other locations

$59,500 – $64,500 = Alaska, California (not San Francisco), Connecticut, D.C., Chicago, Oyster Bay,NY

$66,000 – $71,000 = NYC, San Francisco, Seattle

Essential Functions:

• Stay abreast of news developments and emerging science in the conservation, environmental, and bird spheres. You will provide a steady stream of pitches for coverage with thoughtful angles suited to Audubon’s audience.
• Develop your curiosity about birds and propose explainers and service pieces that explore questions our readers may have and add to our trove of content. You will also have the opportunity to help create rubrics or recurring frameworks for these types of stories.
• Write or assign weekly digital stories while balancing longer-term pieces on varied timelines for both platforms. For the print magazine, you will initially pitch and contribute to the front- and back-of-book sections; in time, the Associate Editor may take over planning and managing one of those sections, or overseeing other areas of our coverage, depending on their interests and the evolving needs of our team.
• Assist in the editorial team’s goal of continuing to expand and diversify its freelance contributor pool by seeking out talented new voices.

Qualifications and Experience:

• BA and at least three years of demonstrated experience in one of the following beats: science journalism, environmental journalism, or conservation/wildlife journalism. An equivalent combination of education and experience will also be considered.
• Interest in learning about birds and writing about birds. We do not expect the Associate Editor to identify as a “birder” or even know the difference between a sparrow and finch. But curiosity and enthusiasm will go far. Some of our best story ideas have come from those who are looking at birds more closely for the first time.
• Strong interviewing and writing skills. You know how to hook a reader in your lede and structure an 800-word story that keeps them with you until your colorful kicker.
• Story ideas to spare. You regularly develop and pitch original angles and creative ideas, and you have a track record of executing them.
• Demonstrated commitment to producing journalism that is shaped by diverse perspectives and centers the experiences of communities and individuals who are currently or historically marginalized.
• A collaborative approach to your work and a proactive, collegial communication style. You will work closely with freelance writers, other editors, our interns and editorial fellows, our photo and design teams, and fact checkers to refine stories—sometimes on tight print magazine deadlines. You will also represent the magazine’s unique journalistic mission and goals to the larger National Audubon Society organization and its partners.
• Proficiency in Spanish is a bonus. Since bird conservation, like the annual cycle of many birds, is hemispheric, there is ample opportunity to report or assign stories involving Spanish-language sources and communities. Likewise, there’s an opportunity to help build and steer Audubon’s Spanish-language content.

For more information click here.