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Locum Chief News and Features Editor, Nature
Springer
London, , United Kingdom
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Nature Research is a flagship portfolio of journals, products and services including Nature and the Nature-branded journals, dedicated to serving the scientific community.
Locum Chief News and Features Editor
Nature Research
London
Nature, the world’s most authoritative science journal, seeks an experienced science journalist and proven leader to manage the team of award-winning editors and reporters around the globe who produce outstanding reported content across all of Nature’s digital and print platforms.
This is a locum position starting in early April 2016 and lasting 6-12 months.
The Chief News and Features Editor will be committed to, and responsible for, producing thought-leading, authoritative, analytical, reported news and feature articles, for an international audience of researchers and science stakeholders around the world.
Reporting to the Chief Magazine Editor, you will inspire and motivate a shared vision around creative, innovative, enterprising journalism. The successful candidate will help shape the strategic direction for Nature’s journalism, especially in digital media, will be passionate about the craft, practice and ethics of journalism and have an excellent understanding of our core audience.
You will have extensive experience in journalism and in managing a team of editors and journalists, as well as excellent interpersonal skills that enable you to communicate and build cohesion across global teams. You will be adept at sharp, accurate writing and editing, and comfortable working to tight and continuous deadlines.
Responsibilities:
• Work with the Chief Magazine Editor, Director of Editorial & Publishing, Magazines, Editor in Chief of Nature and other senior staff to devise content and operations strategies for Nature’s news and features;
• Work to establish a digitally adept, analytically informed, audience-focused journalistic team;
• Lead the generation of Nature’s journalistic content in digital and print media including: overseeing content quality, timeliness and impact; devising a strategy for coverage that best serves Nature’s audience and builds its brand and reputation; co-ordinating plans on special themes or issues; co-ordinating response to high-visibility breaking news;
• Supervise the heads of journalism in Nature’s regional bureaus in Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific region, as well as reporters as necessary; appraise them, set their goals and empower them to ensure excellent, timely content delivery; ensure seamless communication between, and joined-up operations of, those bureaus. As needed, develop plans for broader team training;
• Liaise closely with Nature’s Chief Opinion Editor, Chief Careers Editor and other team members to ensure co-ordinated planning, content generation and response to world-events;
• Work collegially and effectively with the leaders of Nature’s research sections, Managing Editor, Creative Director, Editorial Director, Partnership & Custom Media and other senior staff to ensure joined up planning and thinking across Nature, while maintaining due independence where necessary;
• Work with platform and technology leaders to ensure Nature-worthy reader/user experience; help develop and improve the rapid delivery of Nature’s journalistic content on digital platforms;
• Write, line-edit and top-edit journalistic content as needed for all platforms;
• Contribute to writing of compelling headlines, stand firsts and other key aspects of articles to ensure articles have maximum reach and impact;
• Help manage staff and freelance budgets as necessary;
• Work with sub-editing, art and production teams to ensure timely delivery of content; help establish efficient workflows for digital and print journalistic content;
• Work with colleagues and analytic tools to track reader responses; log quantitative and qualitative impact, and tune content as needed;
• Contribute to development, implementation and enforcement of relevant editorial policies and procedures including those around journalistic ethics;
• Help liaise with legal team and editors to handle articles with legal sensitivities;
• Identify and commission new freelance writing and editing talent as needed;
• Track developments in the journalism and digital publishing industry and use them to help inform and support team strategy as needed; help develop novel ways to present content in print and digital;
• Coordinate and liaise with producers of other magazine content within Springer Nature, as needed;
• Liaise with Commercial, Multimedia, Communications, Human resources and other teams as needed;
• Where appropriate, take a leadership role for journalistic content within NRG and Springer Nature, helping to represent the Nature brand both externally and internally;
• Contribute actively to broader editorial strategy discussions across the magazine and company, as necessary.
Experience, skills and qualifications
Essential
• Substantial experience in science journalism;
• Extensive experience in editorial leadership, including people management and team leadership;
• Mastery of journalism practice, including reporting, writing and editing for various media;
• Mastery of organization and planning; ability to build and operate short and long term schedules;
• Enthusiasm for, and basic fluency in, an array of science topics; good understanding of the interests and concerns of Nature’s audience of working research scientists.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ease working with staff and freelance colleagues;
• Ability to work to tight deadlines;
• Flexibility to adapt to new production processes and tools alongside the rapid evolution of digital publishing and media;
• Command and comfort with journalistic values and best practices including libel law and defamation;
• University degree in a relevant subject, or equivalent professional experience.
Desirable
• Comfort with analytic newsroom tools and their use to enhance content;
• Experience with social media platforms to promote and enhance content.
To apply, please submit a CV and a cover letter outlining your key ambitions in the role, including your salary expectations.
Closing date: 31st January 2017