Deadline: Ongoing (Rolling)
Mongabay is hiring a new English Editor to cover Latin America!
Are you a strong, analytical writer capable of choosing stories that are important and of interest to readers? Are you knowledgeable about the environment and forest conservation?
If this sounds like you, then apply for our brand new opening for an English Editor – Latin America.
In this role, you will be responsible for producing English-language news and feature stories about Latin America with a focus on:
- forests and biodiversity conservation;
- actions of natural resource industries;
- relevant environmental policy developments;
- implications of environmental changes for communities throughout Latin America.
The Editor – Latin America will be responsible for the production of English-language news and feature stories relevant to forests and biodiversity conservation, the actions of natural resource industries, relevant environmental policy developments, and the implications of environmental changes for communities throughout Latin America. The editor will help to develop a team of journalists focused on Latin America, manage assignments, edit articles, and ensure adherence to grant guidelines and reporting expectations. This is a high-visibility, high-impact role with room for growth.
A qualified candidate for this position should have strong analytical skills and the ability to discern what stories are important and of interest to readers. Knowledge and familiarity with environmental issues and/or forest conservation are strong positives.
COMPENSATION & LOCATION
As a globally distributed organization, there is no required location for this position. However, location is a consideration and an ability to coordinate with colleagues working in a diversity of time zones is strongly preferred. Mongabay aims to offer competitive pay rates that will attract, retain, and motivate our full-time staff. Please submit a pay range when applying.
KEY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
WRITING, REPORTING, EDITING, PUBLISHING (80% of time)
- Commission, edit and publish English-language journalistic articles on topics related to the environment and conservation in Central and South America with a special focus on the Amazon rainforest;
- Work cooperatively with Mongabay’s multilingual team of editors and writers to develop story series, arrange field reporting, and produce news and features, consistently of high quality;
- Conduct interviews, phone calls and/or meetings, and perform other research as needed, to gather background for the planning of stories and article series;
- Engage and grow Mongabay’s contributor network to generate story pitches;
- Assess story proposals from freelance reporters living in Latin America and around the world;
- Work closely with staff writers and freelance journalists to manage story assignments and edit drafts;
- Research, fact-check, and review articles as well as translations prior to publication;
- Source and/or produce visual content including charts, maps, photos, and videos, as needed, for each article produced;
- Occasional aggregation of breaking news from third-party sources;
- Provide other support as needed to ensure content meets Mongabay’s high standards of professionalism, consistency, authenticity, and reliability;
- Develop and maintain ongoing editorial and co-publishing partnerships between Mongabay and other media outlets.
STRATEGIC PLANNING & ADMINISTRATION (20% of time)
- Report regularly to Mongabay’s Global Program Director on progress toward meeting reporting objectives;
- Support editorial planning to reach established production goals in the set timeline and budgets;
- Collect data on impacts of stories including examples of republication for use in grant reports;
- Must be able to work within tight deadlines and be responsive to Mongabay.com headquarters and to other Mongabay staffers via email, skype, phone and messaging platforms.
EXPERIENCE, QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS
- Five or more years of experience working in journalism / editorial / writing required (environmental journalism preferred).
- Exceptional fluency (writing and speaking) in English is required while Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese language capability is strongly preferred.
- Knowledge and familiarity with conservation and environmental issues are essential. Awareness of the drivers of tropical forests loss, biodiversity conservation, Indigenous groups, climate change science, plus related topics is preferred.
- Professional experience working with media outlets in Latin America is also preferred.
- Demonstrated editorial ability to work with a variety of content, including formatting of feature articles, graphics, photo captions, and HTML.
- Familiarity with Microsoft Office, WordPress (or similar), Google Drive, Social Media (Twitter / Facebook), and Asana (or similar project management system).
- Reliable access to high-speed Internet is required.
- Must be willing to commit to full-time role (40 hours per week) and available during regular business hours.
