South Side Weekly – the South Side’s award-winning alternative newspaper covering arts, culture, and politics – is seeking a new Editor-in-Chief to lead and manage our newsroom. In its 12th year, the Weekly is entering the next phase of its mission to provide deep, critical, and illuminating coverage of the South Side. We are looking for a visionary leader with the management and organizational skills to spearhead the publication of our biweekly newspaper; creatively marshal resources to design and execute special editorial projects; and effectively deepen the Weekly’s standing in Chicago’s independent media landscape as an indispensable cultural and political media source for the South Side.

As Editor-in-Chief, you will be charged with shaping an editorial vision that centers the South Side and the city’s marginalized communities as a storied engine of Chicago’s past and present, and a key site for the city’s future. You will also play a key role in refining the Weekly’s educational programs and cultivating strategic partnerships to maximize the impact of our mission to bring community members into the news and storytelling process.  We’ll look to you to grow a team that can cover the South Side with depth and nuance, engage multigenerational audiences, and intervene in emergent discourse as a compass for our communities.

The Editor-in-Chief will be a key collaborator to the Publisher and will also be a part of the leadership team of the Weekly’s parent organization, South Side Media Works, alongside the Weekly’s sister publication, the Hyde Park Herald, as we embark on building a new model for resilient local journalism. This is a great role for someone who is looking to grow with the organization as we begin to concretize and implement our strategic plan.

Apply here by 11:59 PM CST on January 20th to be considered for the role!

Qualifications

  • At least 5 years of experience in reporting and editing, or a closely related field. We take transferable experience seriously and encourage you to share how your past work would apply to this role!
  • Knowledge of the South Side, its history and its institutions, as well as its dynamic role in the region, the state, and the world
  • Experience developing and executing an ambitious strategy, and leading a team toward the execution of shared and individual goals
  • Proven management skills, working together with editors and reporters, and collaboratively addressing challenges
  • Excellent writing and editing skills, with the ability to make stories particularly relevant to a multigenerational audience of South Siders, and marginalized communities citywide
  • Experience testing and executing new ways of engaging with audiences that go beyond traditional platforms and storytelling modes

Duties and Responsibilities

Editorial Planning

  • Set an editorial direction that is responsive to our audience’s needs and aligned with our engagement and growth goals, with input from the Weekly’s staff and network of contributors 
  • Lead the team to implement goals and address challenges 
  • Lead effective editorial collaborations with partner organizations, ensuring clear terms of each partnership, and consistent communication, feedback, and follow-through on organizational commitments.

Team Management and Coordination

  • Supervise senior editorial staff to success in their goals and projects through 1:1 meetings, delivering direct constructive feedback to develop performance and skills over time
  • Coordinate with the Publisher and board of directors to review and hire for editorial roles, as needed

Editorial Production and Editing

  • Own the quality-control procedure for final products and be the final decision-maker on key publishing decisions like story budget, cover, and final copy
  • Collaborate with the Deputy Editor to manage the editorial calendar and production schedule to ensure consistent, timely and relevant content
  • Proof and edit stories directly and assist with other production tasks, as needed
  • Oversee biweekly production nights, working alongside the Deputy Editor to see the print product through to publication

Organizational Leadership, Mentorship, and Community Engagement

  • Coordinate regularly with the Publisher to align on overall organizational strategy, manage challenges, and communicate with staff
  • Design and implement SSW’s approach to developing contributors and emerging mediamakers, and provide mentorship to early-career journalists 
  • Provide the board with regular editorial updates; attend and assist in the planning of board meetings and retreats as needed
  • Represent the organization at events, speaking engagements, and annual conferences, as needed
  • Support fundraising initiatives, as needed (e.g. write end-of-year fundraising email)

Compensation and Benefits

The expected salary range for this position is $60,000 – $65,000, and includes a reimbursement for healthcare expenses, professional development opportunities, and a generous PTO/sick leave policy.