Saga Magazine, Features Assistant

Job Introduction

The magazine team mainly work remotely but meet two or three times a week in Saga’s London (King’s Cross) office and occasionally at the company’s Folkestone HQ.

Aimed at people aged over 50, Saga Magazine is a subscription-only monthly magazine with a circulation of over 250K. It features everything from celebrity interviews and culture pieces to health and relationship features as well as motoring, food and travel sections.

The small and friendly team thrives on the varied experience of - and exchange of ideas between - colleagues of different ages, and is committed to challenging  the stereotypes around age and ageing.

This features assistant job would suit someone who’s passionate about magazines and has some journalistic experience and/or a post-graduate journalism qualification. The ideal candidate will be keen to get hands-on experience of the processes involved in producing a magazine – from ideas meetings, planning and commissioning to subbing and picture research.

Main Responsibilities

Your main duties will be to:

• Help research feature articles from celebrity pieces to health stories; assist picture editors and sub-editors with research and fact-checking.
• Keep up to date with upcoming cultural launches and other events, and contribute short newsy pieces to, for instance, the What’s On (culture) pages.
• Deal with reader correspondence as well as with contributor invoices and requests (sending PDFs etc).
• Represent the magazine at events such as film previews and reader events.
• Assist with newsletter and social media content.
• Organise and update the magazine’s archive of content and directory of contacts, as well as update the magazine’s planning spreadsheets.

The Ideal Candidate

You will need:

• To be educated up to at least degree level - preferably with a post-graduate qualification in journalism.
• An excellent command of written English.
• A passion for print and digital magazines and newspapers.
• Brilliant organisational & people skills.
• Digital skills: Excel, Word, PowerPoint essential.
• Knowledge of or willingness to learn Adobe Creative suite and CMS systems desirable.
• The ability to meet deadlines and juggle tasks.
• Curiosity and an enthusiasm for pitching ideas.

The standard benefits when you join Saga Magazine include: 

• Remote working available where possible 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays with the choice to buy a further 5 days annual leave per year  Free private medical insurance after 1 years' service  Workplace Pension  AXA Be Supported 
• A range of reductions and offers from leading retailers, travel groups and entertainment companies

Our values are:

Precision Pace - Always owning and making things happen.

Empathy – Always aware of others.

Curiosity – Always asking why.

Collaboration – Always one team, the Saga team!