openDemocracy is a global independent media outlet dedicated to challenging power and inspiring change.

Our recent journalism – for example on ‘dark money’, misinformation, women’s and LGBTIQ rights and COVID-19 – has triggered law change, parliamentary debate, criminal and regulatory investigations, action by public health bodies and much more.

Our stories attract widespread media coverage, including in The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Yorker, Daily Mail, CNN, BBC, Deutsche Welle, Al Jazeera and many others across the world.

Contract type: Full time or part-time / Freelance / Contract (to be negotiated)

Reports to: News & Features Editor

We are looking for experienced, flexible and self-directing subeditors to lift standards at openDemocracy to a new level.

We deal in subtle, unfamiliar ideas and complex investigations, but we believe it is important that they reach as many people as possible.

Help us bring world-changing content to a wide audience through copy that flows clearly, beautifully and accurately, headlines and pictures that grab the eye and layout that holds it.

A key priority for openDemocracy is to help build a more inclusive international media ecosystem. We strongly encourage applications from all groups that are under-represented among media workers.

Key responsibilities:

• Copy-editing: checking spelling, grammar, typography, house style, basic fact-checking
• Polishing style, narrative flow and structure
• Checking for legal problems
• Writing compelling, SEO and social-friendly headlines and standfirsts
• Selecting pictures, writing captions, identifying and adding credits
• Selecting and editing pull quotes, adding crossheads and other furniture to lift and frame content
• Uploading articles to CMS, final pre-publication checks and publishing
• Updating and populating landing pages; adding and organising taxonomy
• Proofreading
• Enforcing deadlines
• For breaking stories, drafting and publishing social media posts
• Sub-editing newsletters and other external communications, as needed

We are looking for people who:

• Want to use journalism to inspire people to challenge power, and to engage in democratic debate
• Love it when lots of people read, watch or listen to something they’ve worked on
• Want their work to make a difference in the world
• Have excellent interpersonal skills, diplomacy and sensitivity towards different experiences and backgrounds
• Are comfortable working through consensus and persuasion more often than command, but also exercises good judgement on enforcing deadlines and standards where necessary
• Are skilled at subbing news, comment and narrative features
• Have at least three years’ experience as a sub-editor

They will be someone who can:

• Focus, shape and cut stories so that readers get the point, and then keep reading
• Write and rewrite headlines that grab readers’ eyes, hearts and minds – while also delivering on SEO and optimised performance across social
• Find pictures that draw people to a story
• Use a content management system to display content in ways which encourage people to keep reading, watching or listening to the end
• Cut through the noise on social media

and, even better:

• Speak another language fluently, in addition to English 

openDemocracy is committed to being an equal opportunities employer that values and respects the people who work with us.

We positively encourage applications from suitably experienced candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity. 

We are open to accommodating family-friendly hours and other caring responsibilities.

How to apply:

Click 'APPLY' now and include your CV and a personalised cover letter telling us why this is the job for you. Please also state your salary expectations. 

If you have any questions regarding the role, please send them to recruitment@opendemocracy.net.

Application deadline: Friday, 28 August 2020 at 4.00pm GMT