Description
As the UK and US editions of WIRED merge into one, we are seeking an experienced UK-based editor to help manage our expanded and more global science desk. Working alongside your counterpart in the US, you will oversee the output of a joint US/UK team of staff writers as well as a small stable of freelancers around the world.
Our science desk ranges broadly but its main areas of focus are climate, health, and space. As the editor in the UK time zone, you will primarily assign and edit stories produced by UK-based writers, though you’ll also take edits filed late in the US evenings and assign ideas for pickup in the US mornings, as schedules and the news cycle dictate. The way our team is distributed means you will work with writers on a range of subject areas, but you will collaborate with the US-based science editor to craft an overall coverage strategy and workflows. We’ll rely on you in particular to identify worthwhile non-US science stories, and where necessary, recruit freelancers who can cover them.
We’re looking for someone driven by an endless curiosity about the potential of science and technology to tackle humanity’s biggest challenges. You’ll work with a talented and experienced bench of writers to produce everything from short, sharp news reports and analyses to longer reported pieces, and potentially essays and investigations as well. You should have a good eye for surprising angles on stories and a knack for spotting the wider significance of a new development; you should also be a sharp line editor, good at structuring an argument, cutting superfluous material, and eliminating jargon. You’ll need to be able to work autonomously whilst maintaining tight coordination and collaboration with your far-flung colleagues.
This role is based in London and reports to the UK news editor of WIRED and works hand-in-hand with the US science editor. It can be remote if you live elsewhere in the UK. If you live in Germany, France, Italy or Spain, where Condé Nast has offices, that may also be an option; please note on your application if you live in one of those countries.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
Top edit junior writers and editors
Work closely with WIRED’s art, production, research, copy editing, and social teams
Work with other editors and writers to develop and fine-tune ambitious and original ideas
Assign, oversee and edit stories from staff and freelance writers across the globe
Work with your US counterpart and the UK news editor to plan and execute science coverage
Essential Skills & Requirements
Ability to work collaboratively and collegially with a team of fact checkers, copy editors, designers, photo editors, digital producers, social media producers, and other story editors
Experience with and a curiosity about stories that explain how science impacts all of our lives in big and small ways
Experience managing a large group of internal and external writers
4+ years of digital editorial experience, with a strong focus on science coverage
