Editor in Chief, The Root

G/O Media is the publisher of the web’s most original media brands, including Gizmodo, Kotaku, Deadspin, Jezebel, Jalopnik, The Root, The Onion, Quartz and The A.V. Club. We reach over 100 million unique visitors a month—more than one-third of all Americans—and connect with diverse, opinionated and highly engaged audiences.  Through fearless journalism, high-impact storytelling, and piercing wit, we elevate and illuminate the stories and issues our readers and viewers are most passionate about.

About the Role:

G/O Media is looking for an Editor-in-Chief to lead and grow The Root, a storied brand committed to important, relevant and urgent storytelling by and for the Black community.

The ideal applicant is deeply invested in the issues driving conversation and debate in Black communities, which inspired Henry Louis Gates to found The Root back in 2008. You are an idea machine, connected to established, top-tier writers who you can tap for freelance opportunities. We want to make noise in this category, with smart, buzzy storytelling about politics, pop culture, and everything in between. We want to be a differentiated voice in a crowded field, and your vision will help us achieve that.

In addition to your journalism chops, you are a seasoned manager who can nurture a diverse team of 10+ writers and editors and inspire them to do the best work of their careers here. (A tall order, but this team is talented and ready.) You will help define and refine The Root voice, evangelizing it not just to your audiences but to our advertisers, too. This is an opportunity to reshape a storied brand for a strong and illustrious future. If you are ambitious, determined, experienced, informed, and networked, a culture carnivore with an instinct for the zeitgeist, a storyteller bar none, The Root wants you.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Set the strategic editorial policy for the site commensurate with the company’s overall goals
• Ensure the site’s work across all platforms meets the highest standards of editorial excellence and positions the site as authoritative and agenda-setting
• Stewardship of the site’s authentic and fearless voice, based on thorough reporting, strong opinion, conversational style and skepticism of conventional wisdom
• Oversee daily production of the site’s output across multiple distribution channels
• Meet targets for growing the reach, loyalty and engagement of the site’s audience
• Hire, retain and develop editorial staff
• Manage the editorial budget
• Represent the title externally at events and in the media to raise its profile
• Ability to assess the short and long term traffic to The Root with an eye toward implementing tactics that utilize the data

Qualifications:

• Strong leadership skills with at least 7 years of experience (ideally most of it in Black media or in related coverage areas) managing a team of journalists in a fast-paced deadline-driven, digital environment
• Experience in video, TV, podcasts and other platforms into which The Root can expand
• First-rate editorial judgment and editorial skills
• Ability to generate original ideas for creative and engaging content
• Demonstrable interpersonal skills with the ability to manage, motivate and mentor a diverse and talented team of writers and editors
• Strong collaborative skills, including experience of liaising with stakeholders across the company

G/O Media is deeply committed to fostering a transparently inclusive workplace environment, and people of color, women, people with disabilities, veterans, and LGBTQIA+ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. Our company-wide mission is to reach very diverse audiences, and so, we are deeply committed to having teams and leaders that reflect this mission.

The salary range for this position is $125,000.00 to $180,000.00 

In-Office Policy:

We're better together! G/O Media is back in office with 6 work from home days a month. This role is based in our New York City Office.

Vaccination policy:

The company is committed to public health and to the safety and wellbeing of our colleagues, visitors, and volunteers.  As such, we have adopted a policy requiring all employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 or to meet the legal guidelines for an exemption.

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy:

G/O Media provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Warning:

We have recently become aware that individuals not associated with G/O Media have fraudulently used our name – and fictitious employee names– to solicit applications for fake and real jobs, to conduct fake job interviews and to make fake job offers. Any request to schedule an interview and any bona fide offer of employment will only come from an authorized representative of G/O Media with an email address “@g-omedia.com”.  We will never require an applicant to provide credit card or banking information to cover any supposed advance costs.

If you have provided personal information in connection with a fake job offer or interview and you are concerned, we suggest that you take appropriate action.

G/O Media takes these activities very seriously and are taking appropriate steps to shut down this fraudulent activity.