US News seeks auto reporter

U.S. News & World Report is seeking an experienced, full-time Autos Online Editor/Technical Writer for our consumer-oriented automotive site, usnews.com/cars.

This position is based in our metro-accessible, Washington, D.C. office and will be working in a brand new office suite, set up for the collaborative work environment our employees appreciate. The autos team at U.S. News & World Report is a friendly atmosphere, where individuals are encouraged to bring ideas to the table and employees are rewarded by the work they do as well as regular engagement activities.

U.S. News has earned a reputation as the leading provider of news and information that helps consumers make decisions, for example with Best Colleges, Best Hospitals and Best Cars. U.S. News Best Cars helped more than 40 million car shoppers in the past year through rankings and reviews of new and used cars.

Enthusiasm about cars and the automotive market is a big help, but the best person for the job will be just as enamored with writing about minivans as they are with writing about sports cars. Most importantly, the best candidate for this job will be passionate about helping consumers navigate the new and used car markets.

The primary responsibilities of the Autos Online Editor will be to write and edit consumer-oriented new and used car reviews based on opinions from automotive critics and safety and reliability data that have been translated into scores.

This Online Editor will synthesize these opinions, data and scores into a cohesive review that outlines the strengths and weaknesses of a car and how it stacks up against its competition so that consumers can make informed decisions. Consumers expect that these reviews be unbiased and based on fact. This position requires a candidate who is comfortable with and excited about writing reviews of this nature.

The Online Editor/Technical Writer will do the following:

• Write clear, objective and concise new and used car reviews based on scored research to help consumers
• Write news articles and blog posts, feature stories and buying guide content that aids our users with car shopping
• Research monthly manufacturer car deals, enter deal information into content management system and write deal summaries
• Fact check his/her own reviews and content, as well as supporting others on the team
• Edit new and used car reviews for subject matter, clear explanation of reviewer opinion, flow, consistency, tone, audience, brevity and accuracy
• Copy edit new and used car reviews — grammar, spelling, AP style, punctuation, SEO keywords, formatting, overall flow and consistency
• Final edit new and used car reviews to ensure top-quality work consistently
• Collaborate with writers on a regular basis to review edits

Qualifications:

• 5-8 years of professional experience in a writing and/or editing role
• Journalism experience/degree or technical writing background
• Expertise combining and writing about quantitative and qualitative data
• Experience with cars or writing for a consumer-based audience a plus
• Experience working with online content management systems required
• Moderate Microsoft Word and basic Microsoft Excel skills
• Moderate knowledge of search engine optimization best practices
• Must have prior editing experience
• Knowledge and experience with AP style
• Solid copy editing skills a plus
• Ability to meet deadlines and be extremely detail-oriented
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills

Please email your cover letter, resume and 2-3 clips to: mliccini@usnews.com. Please include “Autos Online Editor” in the subject line of your email.