Editor

Political Research Associates is seeking an Editor to primarily oversee all editorial aspects of The Public Eye magazine, which is best known for publishing original analysis and insightful commentary that unpacks the U.S. Right as a movement.

WHO WE ARE:

Political Research Associates is a social justice research and strategy center devoted to supporting organizations, civic leaders, journalists, and social sectors that are building a more just and inclusive democratic society. We provide changemakers with strategic insights and actionable research in order to identify, disrupt, and compete with movements and institutions that undermine democracy, justice, and human rights.

PRA produces investigative reports, articles, and tools; publishes the peer-reviewed magazine The Public Eye; advises social justice movement organizers; and offers expert commentary for local and national media outlets. Our core issue areas span reproductive justice, LGBTQ rights, racial and immigrant justice, civil liberties, and economic justice. Our office is located in Somerville, Massachusetts.

WHAT YOU WILL DO:

The Editor is primarily responsible for all editorial aspects of The Public Eye magazine, which is best known for publishing original analysis and insightful commentary that unpacks the U.S. Right as a movement.  (View our commemorative 100th issue here.) Most of our readers are social justice organizers, journalists, and scholars who depend on our rigorously sourced articles to sharpen their understanding of influential and oppressive ideologies, institutions, and key movement figures.

Commission and edit 12-15 articles and at least as many shorter commentaries, book reviews/excerpts, and interviews per year for The Public Eye from a diverse slate of new and familiar contributors. You’ll recruit authors, select and assign pieces, edit and steward drafts through 1-2 revisions.
Collaborate with your communications and editorial colleagues regarding editorial calendars, content review, fact-checking, proofreading, print production, and digital publishing and promotion. Every issue should be able to stand on its own and fit in with the others in PRA’s collection.
Given the long lead time for magazine pieces, you’ll allocate approximately 30 hours per month to editing stories for ReligionDispatches.org or other publications at PRA to help ensure a balanced workflow.
As a leader on the editorial team, you’ll have supervisory responsibilities, oversee contracts, and work with the Managing Director and others to refine editorial policies.

The Editor reports to the Managing Director and supervises the Editorial Coordinator.

WHO YOU ARE & KEYS TO SUCCESS:

Editorial Vision: The Editor brings ideas for how they would improve coverage of the U.S. Right, impatience for shallow reporting, and aptitude for attracting and working with writers who align with PRA’s mission. You have professional experience leading a newsroom, magazine, or other entity that enables you to independently make and communicate complex decisions. You read widely and are sufficiently informed to edit work by experts in their fields (and point out gaps in their arguments, if needed). You are committed to representing PRA’s standards and values.

Effective Communication: The Editor is responsible for supporting authors with clear expectations and constructive criticism, as well as holding them accountable to deadlines. You have exceptional editing skills. You are organized, detail-oriented, and motivated to meet production schedules. You are willing to learn and use technology/internal systems to keep colleagues informed and facilitate their work on  interrelated tasks. You are also a skilled listener.

Inclusive Leadership: You recognize ways that race and other identities intersect in the work and strive to actively contribute to a more equitable and inclusive field.  You have a desire to challenge the status quo in journalism and will ensure work published by PRA demonstrates cultural competency alongside probing theses. You are excited to provide opportunities to promising writers who share PRA’s values and can deliver compelling and well-researched stories whether they are established scholars/journalists or just starting out. You will bring existing relationships with writers and a commitment to expanding PRA’s roster of contributors.

Collaborative Approach: You want to work as part of a team and enjoy engaging productively in meetings.  You value helping those you supervise grow through regular 1:1 meetings and are committed to supporting others to take action and meet goals. You’ll bring equal attention to your supplemental role in editing other PRA publications as schedule permits. The Editorial team includes the Editorial Coordinator (your direct report) and the Editor of Religion Dispatches. PRA’s Managing Director serves as a sounding board, helps navigate legal challenges and tough editorial calls, and will enthusiastically advocate for you to take advantage of paid time off and professional development resources. You will work closely with the Communications team and collaborate with others across the organization.

SALARY, BENEFITS & ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Salary: This is a full-time salaried position ($80,000-$85,000/year).

Paid Time off:

Paid Vacation Leave: 15 paid vacation days per year
Paid Holidays:  3 PRA Holidays + 12 Choose-your-own Holidays
Paid Office Closures: 5 day Winter Break
Paid Health & Wellness Leave: 6 hours accrued per pay period up to 200 hours
Additional: 4-day/32-hour work week pilot starting in Spring 2023. Eligible for 2 month paid sabbatical after reaching 5 years tenure. Civic Duty Leave; Bereavement Leave; PFML

Other Benefits:

100% employer-paid medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance. PRA also offers a 5% employer contribution of salary towards a socially responsible retirement fund, anniversary bonuses, as well as fabulous colleagues in a collaborative working environment and $1000 professional development.

Location:

Remote or Greater Boston area. This position is eligible for full telecommuting or you can choose to work from our office in Somerville, Massachusetts. Relocation assistance is provided. PRA’s office hours are 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. ET, but we offer flexible schedules to all employees.

This position is not included in the PRA Staff Union (Washington-Baltimore News Guild, CWA Local 32035).

Political Research Associates is committed to hiring someone with the right mix of experience (both traditional and nontraditional), social justice commitment, and potential to grow with us. We strongly encourage people from communities most negatively affected by right-wing ideologies & campaigns to apply, particularly: people of color; immigrants; women and feminine-identified people; lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and Two-Spirit people; genderqueer, trans, intersex, and gender non-conforming people.