
Managing Editor, Daily Desk (Remote)
The Athletic Media CompanyPosted 5/7/2025

Managing Editor, Daily Desk (Remote)
The Athletic Media Company
Job Location
Salary Range
Job Summary
The Athletic is hiring a Managing Editor for their Daily Desk, leading news coverage across various sports. The role requires mastery of news judgment, coordination, and editing skills to launch stories on a wide range of subjects in sports. The ideal candidate will have 10+ years of experience editing news stories, 4+ years of journalistic managerial experience, and strong copy editing skills. They must be able to work nights and weekends, serve on call in big moments, and collaborate with reporters and editors. The role offers a competitive salary range ($120,000-$135,000) and comprehensive benefits package. The Athletic is an equal opportunity employer and encourages people from all backgrounds and experiences to apply.
Job Description
Responsibilities
- Assist senior managing editor with leadership of the desk and all management duties, with ownership of specific areas of the desk’s functions.
- Maintain staff schedules, working to resolve needs of a large staff and to position editors to do their best work.
- Plan staffing for high impact moments and a balanced workload.
- Rigorously edit and publish stories from sportswriters of numerous types.
- Collaborate with sport editors to launch coverage around breaking news and to strategize around other stories, including coverage of key events.
- Maintain strong ties with leading vertical editors to help in wider coordination.
- Maintain strong story budgets and communicate during key meetings and handoffs.
- When vertical editors are not working, assign stories to beat and national reporters in breaking news situations.
- Coordinate with audience team to maximize story promotion and ensure stories are published in peak publishing windows.
- Coordinate with reporters in the field and editors who are contributing to coverage.
- Maintain strong understanding of style and story structure, with the ability to identify mistakes and to improve pieces as needed.
- Work to draw out the distinctive, compelling and authentic voice we bring to all coverage, particularly for nuanced and difficult stories.
- Regularly lift stories by making sure they are clear and compelling and collaboratively seeking improvements, with an eye toward continuously improving our overall work.
- Lead the improvement of workflow and best practices for the desk and its wide range of assignments and demands.
- Collaborate with design and photo teams and with other areas of the newsroom as necessary.
- Maintain a strong understanding of search optimization and how to identify coverage opportunities.
- At times, write and report spot news and trending stories with accuracy, speed and authority.
Requirements
- 10+ years of experience editing news stories of various types, including breaking news.
- 4+ years of journalistic managerial experience, preferably with direct oversight of other editors.
- Strong copy editing experience, with demonstrated consistency in lifting and strengthening stories as well as coaching colleagues on editing and reporting.
- An ability and willingness to work nights and weekends and to serve on call in big moments.
- Interest and knowledge across a range of different sports, with demonstrated experience generating story ideas and helping own a report.
- A demonstrated ability to mentor more inexperienced editors and reporters.
- Familiarity with WordPress is a bonus, but must have strong comfort working in a content management system for news.
- An ability to work in the United States or Canada.