Job Type: Full time
Job Title: Managing Editor
Location: Remote

Job Description

Prison Journalism Project (PJP), which trains incarcerated writers to be journalists and publishes their stories, is looking for an experienced and innovative managing editor who understands how newsrooms work and appreciates the importance of shedding light from behind prison walls. 

PJP is a fast-growing independent, non-profit journalism organization that aims to develop a national network of prison correspondents. We believe that the deep reforms that are necessary to fix the U.S. criminal justice system can only happen through informed, bipartisan public discourse about mass incarceration. Incarcerated people, who are talked about but are rarely heard from, must be a part of this conversation. Intentional, responsible and well-crafted journalism from within the incarcerated community can also break stereotypes, and provide timely information about conditions inside America’s many prisons. 

We’re looking to hire our first managing editor, who will help shape our editorial direction and run our day-to-day newsroom operations as we break new ground in developing high-quality relevant journalism with writers and reporters who are learning the craft and have limited access to journalism in often hostile environments. 

PJP is rooted in training and education to create sophisticated observers, reporters and journalists, who can tell stories that resonate with mainstream readers. PJP J-School, the first journalism program of its kind, trains incarcerated writers in the tools of journalism, primarily through a correspondence-based curriculum. The Newsroom works hand in hand with the J-School to ensure that the training helps writers create the kind of stories that the Newsroom is seeking to produce and publish on our own site and in collaboration with outside media partners.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

The Managing Editor is a new position for the Prison Journalism Project, reporting directly to the CEO and Editor-in-Chief. 

You will: 

  • Manage day-to-day newsroom operations, from publication calendar to team meetings to last reads on stories appearing on PJP. (Some of these responsibilities may be delegated)
  • Administer and refine industry-leading Duty-of-Care protocols for our writers. 
  • Manage a team of staff editors, contractor editors, volunteer editors and writers across the country, who are incarcerated and incarceration-impacted. 
  • Help lead the shaping of PJP’s overall education and publication strategy alongside CEO/Editor-in-Chief, Chief Education Officer and Director of PJP J-School to ensure that the two programs are strategically intertwined. 
  • Partner with senior newsroom team (Editor-in-Chief and Senior Editor) to set editorial direction to produce consequential journalism. 
  • Partner with Director of Media Partnerships to strategically cultivate collaborations and partnerships with other newsrooms to produce consequential journalism at local and national levels. Oversee Senior Editor and the team to ensure excellent execution of projects. 
  • Partner with future Director of Strategy to build a local journalism pilot program that explores ways that incarcerated journalists can work to produce stories with impact at a local level in partnership with local newsrooms. 
  • Collaborate with PJP J-School team to ensure that PJP’s training is in service and complementary to our editorial work. 
  • Collaborate with Managing Editor of PJPxInside to ensure that PJPxInside content is consistent with the newsroom’s editorial and strategic direction. 
  • Work integrally as a team with PJPxInside’s Managing Editor and Director of PJP J-School.
  • Support audience engagement and growth efforts, including newsletters and a future membership program. 
  • Lead hiring for an expanding newsroom. 
  • Manage recruitment of writers alongside CEO and oversee writers’ progression through a six-stage development progression. 
  • Manage the editorial budget to maximize writer safety and editorial quality. 

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

  • At least three years in a newsroom management position overseeing operations. 
  • Seven to ten years of journalism experience 
  • Experience teaching the practical tools of journalism or training new journalists. 
  • Experience working journalistically with underserved communities that may carry trauma.  
  • Experience managing budgets and thinking strategically. 
  • An enthusiastic collaborator with a knack for managing people and content.
  • Exceptional time-management and organizational skills.
  • A strong writer with solid news judgment.
  • Fluency in English with a masterful grasp of grammar and AP style is a must.

MORE ABOUT PJP

PJP’s online magazine launched in April 2020 to publish incarcerated writers’ experiences with the pandemic, but since then, we have expanded to cover the gamut of stories from issues around mental health and addiction to stories and experiences of life behind bars to op-eds and other perspectives. We also publish art with an emphasis on those that tell true stories. We have so far published over 1,700 pieces of work from more than 520  incarcerated and incarceration-impacted writers from 175+ prisons in 34 states. The online publication is a place to experiment with how to tell stories from behind and around prison walls. We publish an award-winning quarterly instructional print newspaper called PJPxInside that showcases some of our writers’ best work and provides instruction and tips on journalism tools and writing. We also work within the media industry to help advance journalism from prison.

Underscoring our efforts is a strong underlying commitment to duty of care, making sure that we are working with our writers responsibly without taking their agency away from them. 

This is an exciting time to be joining us. We are seeing strong momentum and receiving a lot of attention as we work towards becoming a sustainable organization. PJP has a fast-paced culture of innovation, reinvention and refinement. We are seeking someone who is versatile, can think outside of the box and would be excited about growing an organization that seeks to redefine journalism, help shed light on criminal justice from inside prisons and make the world more equitable. 

EEOC/Diversity Statement

PJP is an equal opportunity employer. We commit to fostering an environment in which people of all identities are welcomed, valued and supported. We seek to create an organization with diverse voices and experiences that are representative of our society and the communities we serve. Harassment and discrimination in the workplace is not tolerated. We are committed to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion within our workplace and encourage all qualified applicants to apply. We promote a climate of mutual respect.

Salary and Benefits 

  • $85,000 – $95,000
  • Generous paid time off
  • Health, dental and vision insurance
  • 401K 
  • Annual professional development stipend

APPLICATION REQUIREMENT

To apply, please visit our job posting on Polymer: https://jobs.polymer.co/prison-journalism-project/26781