News Editor
At Lexipol, our mission is to create safer communities and empower those on the front lines with market-leading content and technology. Our top-notch team works closely with law enforcement, fire, EMS, and corrections professionals to tailor our solutions to better address today’s challenges and keep first responders coming home safely at the end of each shift.
Working at Lexipol means making a difference – day in and day out.
The Work
The editorial team is responsible for leading the content development efforts for our media websites – Police1.com, FireRescue1.com, EMS1.com and Corrections1.com. Content includes industry news, incident analysis, training, resource guides, product buying guides, human-interest profiles, and research surveys, as well as multi-media content like podcasts, webinars and videos.
We promote and distribute that content through daily e-Newsletters and social media posts across popular social networks. As a team, we provide public safety personnel with the information and resources they need to do their jobs more effectively and more safely for them and their communities. Our editorial team is comprised of experienced, collaborative, and hard-working editorial professionals.
The News Editor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of our industry news efforts and will be both a lead news contributor, as well as supervisor of news staff execution. The News Editor’s primary obligation is quality control of our day-to-day news operations, across the websites, social media channels, and e-Newsletters.
The News Editor is expected to contribute directly in sourcing news from syndicated and aggregated sources, creating news posts and building e-Newsletters, as well as guiding staff on news selection and execution. The News Editor will edit aggregated news, help refine posts and ensure we are using videos, photos, social posts, response polls, and other enhancements wherever possible.
The News Editor will direct our team in producing work informed by industry best practices and a strong understanding of analytics. This role reports to the Editorial Director.
The work of the News Editor is done through working in these areas of focus:
· News search and post (40%): Perform independent news search to identify and post news content, including writing aggregated news, in coordination with Associate/Assistant Editors
· News process improvements (20%): Uncover opportunities to increase efficiency, create news video content templates, and develop metrics for news content performance.
· News lineup review (10%): Review selection and prioritization, including news performance analytics, of news across all industry media websites and give feedback to Associate/Assistant Editors.
· News editing (10%): Copy edit Associate/Assistant Editors’ aggregated news writeups, working with them to optimize posts as needed (photo, video, social embeds).
· Newsletter review and collaboration (10%): Review drafts of all email e-Newsletters e-Newsletters built by Associate/Assistant Editors; collaborate with them on subject lines; collaborate with them on A/B tests.
· Social media review and evergreen post oversight (5%): Review social media posts, work with Associate/Assistant Editors on selection/prioritization of manual evergreen content posts.
· Misc. (5%): Miscellaneous duties as assigned by the Editorial Director.
Requirements: To be considered for this role, you will have this experience:
· Strong attention to detail, as evidenced by excellent and error-free written communication, past news writing and other work samples
· Proven ability to learn, use and optimize use of news tools (content management system, social posting, e-Newsletter building)
· Evidence of journalistic curiosity to learn about and adapt to a new audience
· Advanced-to-expert level skill with MS Office products
· Comfort experimenting with new and emerging content creation tools like ChatGPT
· Proven ability to prototype and implement new content formats like news video explainers and infographics
· Experience using analytics to make data-informed decisions for ongoing news coverage and trending topics
· Application of SEO practices to news articles and other high-engagement content
· Experience using HTML, video, audio, and image editing to complete common newsroom tasks
· Degree in journalism, digital media or similar
· 3 or more years of experience in a digital media or news workplace
· 1 or more years of experience teaching, mentoring, or coaching other editorial staff
· Experience as brand or personal creator of social media content on multiple social media platforms
Preferred Experience:
· Supervising or managing junior editorial staff
· Using graphic design tools, like Canva, to create special coverage graphics, video thumbnails, and infographics
· Creating news explainer videos
· Hosting, producing or editing a podcast
· Working as a public safety reporter or editor
Target Outcomes/Target Results
· Completion of daily news tasks assigned to the News Editor, as well as ensuring urgent and timely completion of news tasks assigned to the Associate/Assistant Editors.
· Exercise excellent judgment in selecting top news items to post to the sites.
· Uncover opportunities to increase the efficiency of news discovery, creation and posting.
· Develop and regularly use a process to create video news briefs or explainers for delivery on social media channels.
· Ability to judge news that warrants ongoing coverage, expert analysis or delivery in alternative formats.
· Collaborate with the Editorial Director and Director of Audience Development to co-develop the strategies and tactics to increase metrics of news-driven subscriber growth and news-related video views.
· Provide regular, formal (weekly) and informal (daily) training and coaching to the Associate/Assistant editors to optimize the quality and timeliness of news finding, posting and promotion.
Employee Value Proposition
· The editorial team is a high-performance team focused on supporting public safety personnel with content that is accurate, actionable and relevant.
· Lexipol Media Group, home of the editorial team, is committed to staff growth and development, and looking to scale the impact of our work on the audience, as well as the company.
· The workload and commitment of our team is best suited to individuals looking for high-paced, challenging and varied assignments.
· This demanding position has predictable weekday work hours with occasional coverage of breaking news on nights, weekends and holidays.
· The News Editor will receive regular training and leadership development during weekly check-in meetings with the Editorial Director with an emphasis on process improvement, coaching Assistant/Associate editors, and turning ideas into results.
The Environment
· Report to the Editorial Director who understands the technical and business aspects of the team and is committed to building partnerships, generating ideas, making continuous improvements, providing resources, refining processes and supporting the success of each team member.
· Our team is highly productive and works with urgency every day to serve the needs of public safety professionals. Individuals who seek out additional responsibilities and have an action-oriented mindset thrive on this team.
· Though we have a daily news finding and posting routine, our work is regularly interrupted by breaking news events.
· We are news junkies and seek out the thrill of a high-performing news story, creating a viral social media post and covering a breaking news event faster and more in-depth than our competition.
· We celebrate successful collaborations, give praise publicly and frequently, want to learn from one another and are dedicated to each member of the team maximizing their potential.
Duties listed are not intended to be exhaustive or exclusive; other duties may be assigned. Management retains the discretion to add to or change the duties of the position at any time.
Compensation and Benefits
Lexipol offers a competitive base salary, monthly or annual incentive, and a comprehensive benefits package including 401(k) with company match and a flexible paid time off plan.
About Lexipol
Lexipol empowers first responders and public servants to best meet the needs of their residents safely and responsibly. We are the experts in policy, training and wellness support, committed to improving the quality of life for all community members. Our solutions include state-specific policies, online learning, behavioral health resources, grant assistance, and industry news and information offered through the websites Police1, FireRescue1, EMS1, Corrections1 and Gov1. Lexipol serves more than 2 million public safety and government professionals in over 10,000 agencies and municipalities. For additional information, visit www.lexipol.com.
Lexipol Is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE)
Lexipol, LLC provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all team members and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sex, pregnancy, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, genetic information, or any other non-job-related characteristic. Lexipol complies with applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfers, leave of absence, compensation, and training.