Digital editor & audience engagement lead

The digital editor is responsible for the daily digital presence of Adirondack Explorer. This role ensures our journalism reaches the widest possible audience through savvy social media management, high-performing newsletters, and meticulous website oversight. You will be the primary bridge between our deep-dive reporting and our community of readers, donors and Adirondack enthusiasts.

Primary responsibilities1. Social media & community management

Platform strategy: Execute a daily engagement plan across all social media channels.
Content creation: Utilize Canva to produce graphics, trivia, and reels that deepen the reader’s connection to the Adirondacks beyond just link-clicks.
Moderation: Monitor comments and DMs across all channels to foster a healthy, informed community dialogue.

2. Newsletter & email marketing

Production: Edit, link-check, and schedule all weekly newsletters via Mailchimp.
Growth & hygiene: Implement strategies to grow the subscriber base while periodically "purging" inactive users to maintain list health.

3. Website & digital operations

Performance tracking: Use Chartbeat and Google Analytics (GA4) to monitor real-time traffic and monthly KPIs, reporting trends to the editorial team.
SEO & UX: Continuously optimize headlines and metadata; work with Newspack to improve site user experience and package evergreen content into landing pages.
Daily content posting: Help prep and schedule stories in Wordpress.

4. Fundraising & events

Campaign support: Partner with leadership on major biannual fundraising drives.
Event logistics: Pitch in on helping to publicize organizational events.

Technical skills and qualifications

Software proficiency: Mastery of Mailchimp, Canva, event management and fundraising tools.
Analytics: Experience with Chartbeat and Google Analytics is highly preferred.
CMS mastery: Comfort working within WordPress, specifically the Newspack platform.
Editorial eye: Ability to identify breaking news that warrants a "Special Alert" email.
Journalistic standards: Ensuring all digital copy meets high standards of journalism. AP style knowledge is a must.

About Adirondack Explorer

Founded in 1998, the Adirondack Explorer is a non-profit news organization dedicated to the wise stewardship, public enjoyment, and lasting protection of New York State’s 6-million-acre Adirondack Park. We bridge the gap between breaking digital news and deep-dive narrative journalism through our daily website and a bimonthly print magazine. Our reporting covers critical environmeptal and economic issues, community vitality, and recreation, ensuring that local stories within the park receive the attention they deserve.

Why work and live in the Adirondacks?

The Adirondack Park offers a unique lifestyle that blends world-class outdoor recreation with the charm of small-town community living.

Outdoor paradise: With over 3,000 lakes, 30,000 miles of rivers and streams, and the famous 46 High Peaks, your doorstep provides unlimited opportunities for hiking, paddling, skiing and mountain biking.
A "Forever Wild" workplace: You will be working in the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous United States—a 6-million-acre wonderland of woods and waters.
Quality of life: The region is known for its relative affordability, safe environment and a rising quality of life supported by a vibrant local food and arts scene.
Connected and accessible: While remote and peaceful, the North Country is "remote but not too remote," with easy access to regional hubs like Montreal, Albany and Burlington.
Inspiring environment: Live in a place where your professional work in journalism directly impacts the preservation of the landscape you explore on your days off.

This position pays $53,000 a year, with generous paid time off, including a week around the year-end holidays, a stipend for health insurance and a 403(b) employee retirement plan.

The ideal candidate

A "digital first" storyteller: You don’t just write a headline; you envision how the article lives across a newsletter, a reel, and a push notification. You understand that the headline for a print magazine is rarely the best headline for a Facebook feed.
Data-informed, and data-obsessed: You can look at Google Analytics or Chartbeat and tell the team why a story about hiking trails outperformed a story about local legislation—and then suggest how to replicate that success.
Community architect: You enjoy the "Engagement" part of your title. You’re ready to dive into the comments, moderate niche Facebook groups, and turn casual readers into loyal, paying members.
Visually fluent: You have a "good eye." Whether it’s selecting the perfect lead photo from a freelancer or quickly mocking up an Instagram graphic in Canva, you know how to make the Explorer’s digital presence look as professional as its print counterpart.
A versatile editor: You’re equally comfortable proofreading a 2,000-word feature for AP style as you are writing a "breaking news alert" under a tight deadline.
Adirondack enthusiast: You aren't just looking for a job; you’re looking for a lifestyle. You’re genuinely curious about the balance between park conservation and community vitality, and you're excited to spend your weekends exploring the terrain you cover during the week.
Tech-agile: You aren't intimidated by a new CMS or a platform update. You’re the person who says, "Let's see if there’s a plugin for that," or "I can figure out how to automate this workflow."

Requirements

Minimum of bachelor’s degree in journalism.
1–3 years of newsroom experience.
Based in the Adirondacks or willing to relocate.

How to apply

Please send your resume and cover letter to Melissa Hart, editor, at melissa@adirondackexplorer.org.

Adirondack Explorer

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