Senior Editor, Features

Texas Monthly is looking for a senior editor to assign and edit longform features. Narrative features have been core to Texas Monthly’s identity and reputation since its founding, in 1973, and this position, which will report to an executive editor, is a key contributor to the magazine’s legacy of publishing some of the best longform narrative journalism in the country.

This editor needs to have exemplary editing abilities, from working with writers to hone and greenlight pitches, to identifying and fixing structural issues in a draft, to polishing prose at the sentence level to ensure a writer’s voice shines. This role will be expected to help cultivate a reliable and diverse stable of freelance writers; supervise several staff writers; meet deadlines (and help others do the same); and identify and assign features, including compelling, unexpected narratives; colorful profiles; inventive feature packages; nuanced true crime stories; and investigative articles. This senior editor should be comfortable managing their time between immediate editorial deadlines and developing stories from weeks to months in advance.

This full-time staff position is based in Austin, Texas. It offers stability at a nationally renowned media company that is growing in audience and revenue and has a culture defined by collegiality, curiosity, ambition, experimentation, the highest journalistic standards, and an abiding sense of service to our millions of readers both in and outside of Texas. This position also offers generous benefits, including a comprehensive health-insurance plan, 401(k) matching, profit sharing, and eligibility for performance-based bonuses. Compensation is competitive and negotiable.

Job responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Shepherding multiple longform features at once, either for print or for the website
• Developing quality story ideas, in collaboration with staffers and freelancers, and shepherding them from infancy to production
• Making freelance assignments and developing new freelance talent
• Supervising several staff writers and helping them generate a regular flow of high-quality articles
• Crafting headlines, deks, and all manner of display type for an array of platforms (print, web, social)

Successful candidates will possess the following skills, abilities, and qualities:

• Exceptional editing at the structural and line level
• Strong time management around deadlines, both for oneself and for others
• An eye for compelling story ideas
• Effective management of freelancers and staff writers
• Effective communication and collaboration with other members of the editorial process, including fact checkers and copy editors

Education/experience:

• At least seven years’ experience editing for a magazine or magazine-style publication
• At least five years’ experience editing longform features
• A bachelor’s degree
• Experience managing direct reports is a plus

Application process:

Interested candidates should fill out this form by January 5. Only applications submitted through that form will be considered.

Texas Monthly will review applications on a rolling basis and may reach out to some candidates before that date, but all applications received by the deadline will be reviewed. Promising candidates will have an initial interview with the director of editorial operations, the HR manager, and the executive editor for features. From there, candidates will be asked to complete an editing test. Texas Monthly will then select 2–3 finalists to do a final round of interviews with editorial leaders and a group of staff writers.

Candidates who are interested in the position but would like to know more information about the role or about Texas Monthly before applying can book an informational call with the director of editorial operations via Calendly.

Texas Monthly is committed to diversity and to cultivating an inclusive environment. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, or veteran status.Tips: Provide a summary of the role, what success in the position looks like, and how this role fits into the organization overall.