Senior Editor, Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair holds a mirror to society by celebrating the best of global culture and investigating the forces that propel it. Pop culture can be profound and current affairs can be ridiculous. Our cast of characters is wide-ranging, wildly diverse, always exceptional, and quite often, with great style. In every medium, Vanity Fair harnesses the tensions of modern life.

Job Description

Vanity Fair is seeking an experienced and imaginative Senior Editor to join our award-winning editorial team. This role is ideal for a journalist who thrives on big ideas, has a sharp cultural sensibility, and knows how to tell a story that resonates across platforms.

The ideal candidate will be a self-starter who can assign, edit, and publish stories on tight timelines, with foresight and enthusiasm. Applicants should be well acquainted with Vanity Fair’s tradition of incisive coverage of cultural figures and power players across industries, and be able to incorporate the qualities of magazine journalism into regular digital coverage: crucial reporting, sharp analysis, lively writing, and distinctive headlines. This is an in-office position and reports to the Deputy Editor.

Primary Responsibilities

• Assign and edit stories with an eye towards making Vanity Fair the destination for readers obsessed with the leading cultural figures of the day
• Play a critical role in Vanity Fair’s cross-cultural coverage across platforms
• Assist with liveblog planning and coverage of major events, from film festivals to election nights to the VF Oscar Party.
• Manage and develop a stable of top-notch, go-to writers for both print and digital who can contribute on both long-lead and short-lead deadlines
• Contribute to VF’s slate of newsletters as a writer and editor
• Help to develop and maintain Vanity Fair’s distinctive voice across platforms
• Oversee the publication of book excerpts
• Write and/or report if situation calls
• Use traffic data and social-media feedback to optimize performance and maintain consistent growth
• Collaborate across departments including photo, video, social, PR, audience development, etc.

Desired Skills & Qualifications

• At least three–five years’ experience in a fast-paced, news-driven environment
• Ability to balance daily deadlines with longer-lead stories across platforms
• Experience managing a team and developing writers
• Experience using a CMS to publish a high volume of daily content
• Experience covering breaking news and/or current events on a digital platform
• Social media-savvy, with experience using social platforms to monitor conversations around major events
• Strong prioritization skills
• Experience overseeing content from brainstorm to deployment—approving ideas, sourcing art, scheduling posts, promotion on newsletters and social, etc.
• Strong writing skills
• Creative, and eager to contribute ideas constantly, spotting original targets and helping hone Vanity Fair’s voice
• Fantastic collaborator and communicator
• Proven ability to use editorial feedback to improve work