Editor in Chief

About Real Change

Real Change exists to provide opportunity and a voice to low-income and homeless people while taking action for economic, social and racial justice. For over 30 years, we have been a trusted hub for community, journalism, and economic opportunity in Seattle. Our Vendor Program offers immediate, low-barrier work to people experiencing homelessness and poverty. Vendors are self-employed, earning income by selling the weekly, award-winning Real Change newspaper. Vendors are the heart of our organization, and centering their voices, agency, and success guides every department and every role at Real Change. We meet people where they are, without judgment, and support one another in reaching personal and professional goals. All Real Change staff are expected to bring this commitment to their work, actively welcoming vendor engagement, supporting vendor participation across the organization, and advancing our mission of economic, social and racial justice.

Job Overview

The Editor in Chief is a full-time, exempt position reporting to the Executive Director. This is a senior leadership position and is responsible for the development and oversight of the Real Change newspaper. This position involves setting and maintaining an editorial direction that is consistent with the Real Change mission and strategic goals, producing a high-quality paper with a combination of original and sourced content every week, supervising newspaper staff, contributors and volunteers, and acting as a liaison with community supporters and other departments at Real Change. This position will ensure the paper is uplifting vendor voices and covering topics affecting our community and readers, including city politics, housing and transportation, homelessness and poverty, labor, environmental issues, health, racial and LGBTQ+ issues, and arts and culture.

Primary Roles and Responsibilities

Production of Weekly Paper (60%)

• Plan and produce a high-quality newspaper each week
• Work with reporters, contributors and volunteers to craft ideas and pitches
• Recruit, oversee, and steward volunteer and contract contributors to the newspaper
• Assign and solicit weekly coverage and content
• Identify content and plan weekly issues
• Follow local news trends as they relate to priority issues
• Manage unsolicited submissions and respond as necessary to authors
• Incorporate feedback and evaluate story pitches from the Vendor Editorial Committee
• Contribute news stories, as needed
• Review and approve overall layout and design of paper
• Edit copy for content and accuracy
• Supervise volunteer copy editors
• Oversee Real Change’s digital and web presence, including coordinating timely publication of content to the website and maintaining editorial standards for online platforms.

Newsroom Management and Administration (20%)

• Build upon departmental goals and engage in long-term planning for the newsroom
• Provide direct supervision of all editorial staff, including weekly one-on-one meetings and annual performance evaluations
• Develop and maintain the Vendor Editorial Committee
• Develop and manage departmental budget
• Design and host panels or community forums to further organizational visibility and deepen connections with readers and community stakeholders
• Work with staff to coordinate social media content, video strategy, and cross-departmental communications aligned with the Marketing & Communications plan
• Support contributors and volunteers as needed
• Participate in industry associations and represent Real Change in regional journalism networks
• Research opportunities, develop, and submit materials for annual journalism awards

Community Relations (10%)

• Attend and participate in weekly truck unload of newspapers
• Develop relationships with vendors, encourage participation and solicit feedback about the newspaper (sales, reader attitudes, etc.)
• Serve as a public face of Real Change and represent the organization at special events
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with individuals, community organizations, publishers, contributors and other media

Leadership Duties (10%)

• Hire, train, and supervise newsroom staff, interns and volunteers; actively support employee development
• Facilitate and foster cross-departmental communication and engagement
• Participate in executing Real Change’s strategic planning goals and objectives
• Serve on the Real Change Leadership Team
• Other activities as assigned

Preferred Skills:

• Three to five years of relevant experience in journalism, ideally with some experience at a weekly or daily news publication
• One to three years of management experience
• Extensive knowledge of journalistic standards and ethics
• Knowledge of legal considerations for journalists, including shield law, libel law, first amendment protections, and public records rules
• Ability to synthesize complex information, to write and edit journalistic materials
• Ability to encourage, mentor, support, and hold others accountable
• Ability to use editorial production programs (Adobe InDesign, Adobe InCopy, etc.)
• Understanding of graphic design concepts such as composition, typography, hierarchy, etc.
• Strong time management & ability to communicate and hold others to firm deadlines
• Ability to make decisions and bring others along with a decision that isn’t popular
• Ability to bring an anti-oppressive lens to all parts of this work, with a willingness to keep an open mind and continually self-educate
• Experience with digital publishing, CMS platforms, and social media content strategy

This job description represents the minimum required level of performance necessary to be successful in the position and is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of functions or responsibilities that are required of the role. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s rights to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time, and does not constitute a written or implied contract of employment.

Compensation: Salary range is $75,000 - $85,000/year, depending on the candidate’s experience and qualifications; this position is salaried exempt. The benefit package includes Health and Dental coverage, 3 weeks’ vacation, 2 weeks’ sick time, 11 holidays, 403(b) Retirement Fund with a 4% Real Change contribution, and annual professional development funds.

Health and Dental coverage, 3 weeks’ vacation, 2 weeks’ sick time, 11 holidays, 403(b) Retirement Fund with a 4% Real Change contribution, and annual professional development funds.