Wirecutter is seeking a staff writer to focus on gifts.
As a Gifts writer, you should have an eye for quality, meticulous organizational skills, and unfailingly good taste. You’ll be responsible for finding the best of the best for our vast catalog of gift guides. You’ll also write other types of gifts-focussed short-form pieces, which may include everything from helping readers understand how to shop for a particularly tough recipient to an explainer on when or if regifting is ever appropriate. As a Wirecutter writer, your point of view matters, but it’s equally important to consider what people with different needs and diverse perspectives might like to receive.
A successful person in this role will be comfortable collaborating with team members and editors, but should also enjoy spending a good portion of time working independently–researching, writing, and responding to edits. This position reports to the team’s supervising editor and has the potential to be remote, though preference will be given to candidates based in New York City.
Responsibilities:
- Research and select gifts to recommend to readers; think creatively about how certain products might fit into a particular category, identify experts to deepen your understanding of each category.
- Write short form entries about each gift we recommend, succinctly explaining why this item is a useful, unique or beautiful gift and a great fit for this guide
- Stay organized and deadline-oriented while juggling multiple guides at once
- Request product samples and track and process their return
- Methodically scan user reviews and forums to find what truly matters to readers
- Collaborate with editors to conceive new content and move ideas from pitch to publish
- Collaborate with photo, video and illustration departments to produce visuals to support guides and blog posts
- Work with our community team to respond to reader feedback and questions; work with our affiliate team to resolve stock issues on recommendations; work with our operations team on product orders and testing plans.
- Perform related work as assigned
Basic Qualifications:
- Minimum 2 years of professional writing experience and the ability to communicate with clarity and voice, and explain the features of a product in a natural, accessible, and detailed way
- A comprehensive knowledge of the gifts beat–familiarity with established and also fledgling brands, as well as a point of view on style
- Excellent communication and task management skills in a remote work environment, with a distributed team that works across time zones
- Patience to work collaboratively through multiple rounds of edits and balance several reporting projects and deadlines simultaneously
- An inherent skepticism of marketing claims and a commitment to high standards of reporting and accuracy
- Must be comfortable with detailed research that involves gathering large amounts of data, organizing it in spreadsheets, and probing the work for inaccuracies
- Savvy at finding ways to get in touch with brands, designers, and other experts
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience doing original reporting and research for features or how-to guides is preferred; experience covering products or services, especially involving hands-on testing, is also valuable
Please include a cover letter, your résumé/CV, and links to at least three published articles on style or accessory topics. You can only upload one file in the “Résumé/CV” box, so please combine your application materials into a single PDF file.
This position is covered by the collective bargaining agreement between Wirecutter and The NewsGuild of New York, CWA Local 31003, AFL-CIO.
The annual base pay range for this role is between $71,000.00 and $82,000.00.
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