Senior Editor, Audio

Job Description

WAMU 88.5 is the leading public radio station in the greater Washington, D.C. area. We provide in-depth and enterprise reporting alongside essential daily news and information that aims to reflect and serve the diverse communities of our region. We believe in news as a public service and put our current and future audience at the center of our work.

Summary:

The Editor leads a cross-platform, multimedia coverage team of reporters, with a focus on broadcast and audio storytelling, ensuring that WAMU has thoughtful and inclusive coverage of the D.C. region.

The Editor directs multiple reporters, each focused on core WAMU topic areas, and primarily edits and manages those reporters for broadcast. Using demonstrated audio editing and production skills, they will shape features/reporting for radio and on-demand platforms. They will also coordinate with a digital counterpart and provide web edits, as needed.

This position will also otherwise support individual reporters’ growth and career goals, helping to identify opportunities that advance their desired skillsets.

This position reports to the Managing Director Audio News, Audio and works closely with other Editors to enforce a unified vision for WAMU’s regional coverage agenda.

Essential Functions:

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

1. Evaluate pitches, assign, and edit stories:

• Drive the vision and execution of stories from a team of reporters, ensuring work is timely, accurate, and reflective of the region’s diversity in both sourcing and topic.

• Serve as the primary audio editor for stories generated by the reporter team.

• Edit digital stories as needed.

• Exercise judgment in setting deadlines and expectations for reporters, and communicate those expectations clearly.

2. Train staff:

• Design and conduct audio training including field recording, writing for audio, digital audio editing.

• Work with individual reporters across the newsroom to enhance audio skills and quality.

3. Enterprise story planning:

• In collaboration with newsroom staff, develop ambitious, longer-term reporting projects and facilitate the execution of them with an eye towards experimentation and platform expansion.

Job Requirements

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent.

• 4-6 years of relevant experience.

Preferred Education and Experience:

• Master's degree or equivalent.

• 5-8 years of relevant experience.

Additional Eligibility Qualifications:

• Degree in journalism or related field, or equivalent experience.

• 5+ years of storytelling/journalism experience, with leadership experience or demonstrated leadership potential.

• Skill at editing broadcast radio for narrative strength, storytelling style, speed, and factual accuracy. Digital editing and production skills are also valued.

Supervisory Responsibility:

• Supervises a team of reporters.

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