Senior editor, Lookout media

Meet the Lookout

The Lookout is a 3.5-year-old publication with a simple mission: In the face of AI, clickbait content, and social media, we believe people want and need local news, centred on their neighbourhoods, to understand and live their best lives in their community. 

With over 100,000 email subscribers and more than 3,000 paying members, we’ve created a sustainable model of journalism that we believe can function in cities across Canada. This is not a high-volume, clickbait publication. Instead, we focus on story quality, as we build trust through in-depth local journalism, centring both our journalism and journalists as a foundational part of their city

We currently operate in Vancouver and Ottawa, with more cities planned in the future. 

What we’re looking for

This is a dream role for an editor looking for a leadership position at a quickly growing publication, to shape editorial direction, mentor journalists, and manage the ins and outs of running editorial for a modern publication. 

This is not a role for someone without editing experience. You must have experience writing, assigning, editing and shaping story coverage. You’ve worked with journalists to not only fix stories, but shape their creation from start to finish. But this is more than editing, it’s an opportunity to take on a bigger leadership role with a quickly growing team, as well as contritbuting to story development. 

You live and breathe journalism and have a keen sense of what audiences want. The ideal candidate takes ideas and runs with them, works within a fast-paced but well-structured organization, chips in to different roles when needed, and embraces both a team environment and independence. 

Key Responsibilities

  • Lead weekly editorial planning within different cities in which the Lookout operates, including pitching and assigning stories.

  • Manage a team of journalists.

  • Review and edit different city stories, ensuring high quality, factual accuracy and timely delivery. We have non-negotiable weekly deadlines and deliverables. 

  • Develop editorial strategies for each city by working with reporters to identify story angles and opportunities.

  • Be the final set of eyes on our newsletter products.

  • Act in a leadership capacity within the team, helping guide, mentor and support each journalist team member, including ongoing education and training.

  • Report to the founder and managing editor, helping lead nation-wide editorial strategy, yearly and quarterly editorial goals.

  • Fill in on an ad-hoc basis by producing the newsletter and writing stories when team members are not available.

  • Write additional newsletter content throughout the week, including stories and content within our flagship newsletter product.

  • Work with the leadership team to identify new editorial products and newsletter opportunities within our existing cities.

  • Help shape expansion into different neighbourhoods.

Who you are

  • You have led or helped lead a newsroom and are looking for the next big opportunity.

  • You are independent and have a growth mindset. You can take a job role, run with it and shape it as your own.

  • You want to work in an exciting, quickly growing newsroom publication. The idea of shaping news coverage in Canadian cities excites you.

  • You are quick learner and can adopt processes quickly, as well as identify things to improve.

  • You have strong editing skills and can take a story from good to great

  • You have experience in city journalism.

  • You are looking for your next challenge.

Requirements

  • Must live in either Vancouver or Ottawa, have experience in those cities or be willing to move there.

  • Minimum five years of experience and have acted as an editor before.

  • Ideally have experience writing for or using email, though this is not a requirement for the right candidate.

What we offer

  • Competitive salary, with opportunities to quickly increase it, depending on the right candidate

  • Remote work and flexible schedule. While work needs to be done, we do not monitor anyone's hours.

  • Leadership and opportunity to shape the direction of a fast-growing news outlet.

  • Vacation and sick pay, as well as unpaid leave.

  • Health insurance, including vision and dental.

  • Yearly bonuses.

  • Salary increases as each city grows.

How to apply

Please email geoff [at] lookoutmediaco.com. Include your resume, a short cover letter, and three samples of your work, at least one that you’ve written and one that you’ve edited. We thank everyone for applying, but only those under consideration will be contacted.