Overview

The Chicago Tribune seeks to hire an editorial page editor to lead the Tribune Editorial Board and direct the production and distribution of opinion content.

The Tribune editorial page has four essential roles: to serve as a check on the power of government, to set an agenda for the betterment of Chicagoland and the nation, to make persuasive arguments for the enactment of that agenda, and to inform and guide its readers so they can make better decisions as citizens of this community.

The editorial page of the Tribune believes in the principles of limited government; maximum individual responsibility; minimum restriction of personal liberty, opportunity and enterprise. It believes in free markets, free will and freedom of expression. These principles are guidelines. The specifics of each topic dictate where the newspaper will stand.

The editorial page draws on a legacy forged by a campaign to elect Abraham Lincoln president. It brings a Midwestern sensibility to public debate. It is suspicious of untested ideas. This has been a basic tenet of the Tribune throughout its history. It believes that change must be made in the light of tradition and the lessons of history, not the fluctuating sensibilities of the moment.

With these principles in mind, the editorial page editor leads the members of the Tribune Editorial Board in discussing and determining the priorities and agenda for the board. The editorial page editor provides a vibrant platform for our community to engage in public debate with diverse ideas and perspectives.

The successful candidate for editorial page editor will be a seasoned journalist, a strong leader, someone who is comfortable with public speaking and constant community interaction.

The editor will set the strategic agenda for digital innovation in opinion, including nurturing a robust audience development program. The editor will use metrics/analytics to drive strategy, direct coverage and make staffing decisions. The editor will manage staff, budgets, and strategic direction. The editor will recruit and develop diverse talent.

The editor must have an intensely competitive spirit, the ability to think and act strategically, superior news judgment, business acumen, creativity, public and personal communication skills, attention to detail, a commitment to accuracy, the ability to perform well under constant deadlines without supervision, a strong command of the English language, and editing skills that conform to accepted journalistic principles.

Responsibilities

• Editing and writing pieces to convey the views and voice of the Tribune Editorial Board.
• Representing the Tribune at public events, broadcast appearances and online forums.
• Arranging and supervising coverage of the opinion/commentary subject area. Tailoring that coverage to digital audiences.
• Supervising, assigning, directing and scheduling staffers, providing continual feedback to employees on their performance and completing formal annual performance reviews.
• Effectively managing change and crises, inspiring the staff, minimizing legal exposure.
• Managing budgets, including compensation, expenses and travel. Planning annual spending and ensuring fiscal responsibility by adhering to or achieving annual spending targets.
• Making smart, data-driven decisions on content promotion, inclusion and emphasis across all platforms, from sites to apps to email newsletters to social to alerts.
• Measuring performance of digital content through audience engagement metrics and helping develop tactics and strategies to build audience and drive subscriptions.
• Representing the editorial department internally and externally and communicating departmental mission, direction and strategic future.
• Ensuring the department hits deadlines and other production goals.

Qualifications

• An imagination and ability to find new ways to tell stories online.
• Ability to articulate the importance and benefits of culture change and advocate for it across the newsroom.
• Knowledge of media industry economics and challenges facing legacy media companies.
• Solid grasp of the rules of grammar, spelling, punctuation. Ability to write and edit accurately, with clarity.
• 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.
• Strong working knowledge of Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms and ability to develop/follow best practices for social.
• Adherence to the Tribune editorial code of ethics.
• Strong work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit.
• Knack for diplomacy.

Supervisory duties and work relationships:

Reports to the publisher and editor-in-chief. Supervises editorial board members and other staff members who contribute to the production of opinion content.

Interacts daily with supervisor, with newsroom and opinion staff and, occasionally, with other departments in the company, including central and market teams.