Overview

The Chicago Tribune is looking for an editor to oversee Red Eye, Chicagoland’s go-to Eat, Drink, Do guide. This editor will also oversee the expansion of Chicago Tribune’s Things to Do coverage on chicagotribune.com. The Tribune has recently launched a new Things to Do page, and is looking for someone who can own this project and help shape its development. This is a fast-paced job that requires an ability to respond quickly to the digital demands of our audience, while also coordinating the print production of the weekly Red Eye magazine. The ideal candidate will have a his or her finger on the pulse of Chicago’s entertainment and dining scene. This editor also will understand the importance of accuracy in everything we publish, including event listings, and be willing to put in the work it takes to ensure our things-to-do audience receives Chicago’s most comprehensive and authoritative event recommendations.

Responsibilities

Major responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

• Being fast and accurate
• Managing the chicagotribune.com/thingstodo and chicagotribune.com/redeye websites: harness audience data to program, search for and request content, including photo and video, that is of interest to the local audience and maximizes engagement
• Maintaining editorial calendar for Red Eye and curating weekly story lineup for the weekly Red Eye print publication.
• Editing articles and graphics for grammar, punctuation, clarity and accuracy; proofreading others’ work; and writing headlines, captions and blurbs appearing on the Chicago Tribune’s digital platforms.
• Employing creativity to present all information in easy-to-read, visually appealing, informative and energetic design.
• Making smart, data-driven decisions on story promotion, inclusion and emphasis across all platforms, from sites to apps to email newsletters to social to alerts, to reflect the Tribune’s brand and mission.
• Conceiving, creating, editing, aggregating or producing various types of content.
• Work with audience and digital teams to ensure Red Eye social accounts are being optimized.
• Produce weekly Red Eye newsletter.
• Editing photos: pulling photos from wires and other sources; cropping photos for publication, building galleries.
• Measuring performance of digital content through audience engagement metrics and helping develop tactics and strategies to build audience
• Employing creativity and independent news judgment to text editing, designing, photo editing, and otherwise preparing work for publication.

Qualifications

Skills and Requirements:

• Basic knowledge of where to “eat, drink and do” in Chicago.
• Ability to foster excellent communication with peers, supervisor(s), department and newsroom.
• Solid grasp of the rules of grammar, spelling, punctuation. Ability to write and edit accurately, with clarity, without bias.
• Familiarity with analytics and ability to translate data into tactics and strategies, including ability to use metrics from Chartbeat, Adobe Analytics, social and other tools.
• Knowledge of Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms and ability to develop/follow best practices for social.
• Knowledge of SEO best practices and ability to research SEO and appropriately populate fields and headlines.
• Strong command of the English language
• Ability to work independently when required while at the same time operate efficiently in a team dynamic
• A minimum of three years editing and design experience at a news publication or website
• Must be familiar with computers and software, including Internet software.
• Must be able and willing to work irregular hours and holidays as necessary