Editorial Director, Vox
Vox Media
WHO WE ARE
Vox candidly shepherds audiences through politics and policy, business and pop culture, food, science, and everything else that matters.
Vox is part of Vox Media, the leading modern media company. We guide our audience from discovery to obsession. We inspire essential conversations about what’s now, what’s next, and what’s possible.
As a community of journalists and storytellers, business professionals, creators, and technologists, we believe it is a moral and business imperative to amplify voices: to cultivate diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout our organization and media. This applies to our candidates, our teams, our storytelling, our creative work, and our platforms, products, and partnerships.
ABOUT THE ROLE
We’re looking for a senior leader to oversee some of the most dynamic and essential coverage areas core to Vox. The Editorial Director is a senior newsroom leader who oversees the Future Perfect team, as well as our Climate, Health, Down to Earth writers, and our biweekly ideas-driven video podcast The Gray Area. This person will set editorial strategy for these teams, manage editors and writers, and help chart the future of Vox’s coverage on these subjects. The Future Perfect section covers the world through a distinctive prism: What are the best ways to do good in the world? We shine a light on neglected stories that have, or will have, a profound impact on the lives of billions of humans and animals. We bring rigorous, evidence-driven journalism to some of the most consequential questions of our time — from the rapid advance of artificial intelligence to the slow-motion crisis of factory farming, from the promise of global health breakthroughs to the catastrophic risks that threaten civilization itself.
We’re looking for someone who combines deep editorial judgment with genuine intellectual engagement in Future Perfect’s subject areas — someone who can pressure-test a thesis about AI governance as readily as they can sharpen a lede about pandemic preparedness — as well as real experience in science, health, biodiversity and climate journalism. The right candidate will be a strong people manager and a strategic thinker, but above all, they’ll be someone who cares about getting the most important stories right.
Key subject areas include
- Emerging technology and artificial intelligence
- Philanthropy, altruism, and the institutions that shape giving
- Global health and global development
- Animal welfare and factory farming
- Catastrophic risks to humanity, including pandemics and nuclear war
- Climate change, energy, and biodiversity
- Philosophy, ethics and the world of ideas
- Health coverage through a personal, patient-focused lens
- Other evidence-driven approaches to improving lives at scale
WHAT YOU’LL DO
- Set and drive the editorial direction for Future Perfect, Climate, Health, and Down to Earth — deciding which topics to double down on, which approaches merit greater emphasis, and where to take creative risks.
- Shape stories and coverage plans to ensure they are rigorous, compelling, and aligned with Vox’s editorial strategy and audience goals. You should be able to spot when a piece needs a sharper argument, a stronger evidence base, or a fundamentally different frame.
- Work closely with the executive editor and the managing editor for audience and membership to ensure editorial priorities connect to Vox’s broader strategy in the membership era.
- Provide editorial guidance for The Gray Area video podcast team, including assisting in selecting guests and strategizing on interview approaches.
- Identify gaps and opportunities in coverage, and help facilitate collaborations across Vox’s text, audio, and video teams.
- Manage editors, giving substantive editorial feedback, coaching career growth, and building a culture of high standards and mutual trust.
- Support the development of early-career reporters alongside more experienced staff.
- Serve as a member of the editorial leadership team, contributing to broader newsroom strategy and decision-making.
- Champion Vox’s internal culture by bringing teams together on cross-functional and cross-platform projects — very much including video and audio — organizing newsroom brainstorms, and modeling collaborative leadership.
- Partner with the chief of staff and director of development on grant-funded editorial projects, including contributing editorially to proposals.
WHAT YOU'LL BRING
- At least 5 years of full-time editing experience in a fast-paced digital newsroom or equivalent editorial environment, with significant management experience. Experience managing editors (i.e., managing managers) is a strong plus.
- Strong editorial judgment and intellectual range. You can help a reporter move from a promising question to a sharp nut graf, from a messy draft to a coherent argument, and from “interesting” to “compelling and useful.” You’re as comfortable editing a deeply reported global health feature as a provocative ideas piece about AI.
- A clear philosophy on managing and developing editors and writers, especially the ability to give direct feedback while building trust and momentum. You know how to help people get better at their jobs, not just produce better copy on any given day.
- Genuine intellectual engagement with Future Perfect’s core areas — emerging technology and AI, philanthropy, global health, global development, animal welfare, and catastrophic risk. You don’t need to be an expert in all of them, but you should have strong instincts about what matters in at least some, and a genuine appetite for the rest.
- Strategic thinking about editorial coverage in the context of audience, membership, and sustainability. You can think clearly about what topics and approaches serve both the mission and the business.
- An ability and willingness to work across multiple mediums and platforms — text, audio, and video — and to partner closely with podcast, video, and audience teams in a highly collaborative setting
- An organized, self-starting approach. You can manage multiple teams, competing priorities, and shifting timelines without losing the thread. You’re proactive about solving problems before they escalate.
- Comfort with the realities of web publishing: you understand urgency and speed without sacrificing accuracy and care.
If you think you have what it takes, but don't meet every single point in our job posting, please apply with a cover letter to let us know how you believe you can bring your unique skills to the Vox Media team or get in touch!
WHERE YOU’LL WORK
This job based in either New York City or Washington, D.C., and the person hired will be expected to be able to come into the office.
WHY VOX MEDIA?
WHAT WE OFFER
This is a permanent, full-time position. This job is benefits-eligible. We pride ourselves in providing comprehensive benefits to support all of our employees wherever they are in life. You can find more information about our benefits here.
OUR DEI+ COMMITMENT
Vox Media is committed to building an inclusive environment where everyone can show up as their authentic selves and create their best work. We recognize that great stories, platforms, products and services come from people with all manner of backgrounds and experiences. We recognize that our commitments require ongoing work and sustained attention, as well as adaptation to new insights and best practices. We keep our diversity data public for the sake of accountability, transparency and communication. Learn more about our values here, and our approach to corporate citizenship here.
Vox Media is an Equal Opportunity Employer and qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, disability, national origin, protected veteran status, age, or any other status protected by applicable national, federal, state, or local law. Vox Media will also consider all qualified applicants with criminal histories in accordance with applicable Fair Chance laws. We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodations as part of the application process to candidates with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation as part of the application process, please contact our People team (recruitment@voxmedia.com).
WHAT COMES NEXT
Our recruiting team will go through applications in a timely manner. Please note that our recruiting team will only contact you from @voxmedia.com email addresses, never via text message. Read more about how our recruiting team operates, and how to protect yourself from recruitment fraud, here.
PAY TRANSPARENCY
The salary range listed below represents the minimum and maximum base pay for this position at the time of this posting. Final salary offered to the candidate selected for the position will be based on factors including but not limited to the candidate's skills and experience.