Rest of World seeks an Africa editor

Rest of World is a new international journalism publication that’s focused on exploring the impact of technology beyond the Western bubble. Our goal is to surface and showcase the often surprising and unintended effects of tech in places that get little attention from mainstream news outlets.

Since launching last year, Rest of World has published stories from over 50 countries. Through compelling storytelling and fresh, innovative design, our digital publication explores the spaces where tech, culture and human experience collide. We are a mission-driven nonprofit startup that aims to push forward our understanding of technology’s role in rapidly changing cultures.

Rest of World is looking for an energetic, enterprising and experienced regional editor to lead our coverage from Africa. The ideal candidate will be someone who has significant experience editing stories from across the continent, ideally with some background reporting on technology, business and economics in the region.

We are looking for people who are deeply curious about the world, tenacious and thorough in their approach to uncovering a good story or telling detail, and someone who can manage a group of local contributors. This role will be the creative engine for determining how we cover Africa and will be tasked with a mix of editing, reporting and collaborating with editors in Hong Kong, London and New York. We’re looking for a well-rounded utility player who combines rigorous reporting and editing skills with a passion for exploring cultures and change.

Location: Flexible within the region

Responsibilities

• Pitching, reporting and editing stories about global technology issues in the region. The particular mix of these tasks is dependent on the editor’s skill set and interests.
• Generating ideas for ambitious features and helping us pull them off, either as a writer or editor
• Managing, recruiting and editing the work of contributors across Africa
• Making regular contact with the tech community, entrepreneurs, activists, tech users and policymakers in the region

Qualifications

• 6+ years experience in journalism or publishing, with at least 3+ years in editing
• Fluency in English is required. Language skills that allow working with local reporters are a major plus
• Willingness to travel within the region
• Experience reporting on business or tech preferred
• A serious desire to bring new information into the world and an obsession with telling great stories
• Experience managing journalists is preferred
• A strong work ethic, comfort with startup conditions, a motivated self-starter
• Collaborative, enjoys working in teams with different disciplines and learning from others

To apply, please send a resume and a short cover letter to jobs@restofworld.org with “Africa editor” in the subject line. In your cover letter, please share three stories you’ve edited, describe your role in shaping them and tell us what you’d do differently this time.