Editor

STATUS: Full Time (Exempt)

SALARY: $85,000 - $115,000

REPORTS TO: Director of Communications

DUTY STATION: Washington, DC (Preferred)

ABOUT US

The Searchlight Institute is a home for creative thinkers dedicated to disrupting today’s paradigm of purity, smallness, and fear. We generate big ideas, break down ideological barriers, and bring clarity to a data environment polluted by misinformation.

POSITION OVERVIEW

We seek an Editor to support the development of Searchlight’s narrative strategy and drive the curation of our public voice through our written products. This person will serve as connective tissue between Searchlight’s communications, policy, and analytics teams, actively working with staff and fellows to shepherd editorial ideas from concept to publication, primarily for our growing presence on Substack. The ideal candidate will have their finger on the pulse of current events and what topics are shaping major debates to identify moments for Searchlight’s team to drive discourse and advance our organizational goals.

TYPICAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Monitor the news cycle and policy landscape to identify opportunities for Searchlight editorial content, working directly with staff and fellows to conceptualize timely, topical products (primarily Substack posts, but also op-eds and other relevant publications);
• Provide structural feedback to ensure editorial products advance clear, persuasive arguments, adhere to Searchlight’s style guide, and embody a consistent organizational voice;
• Plan and manage an editorial calendar to produce a steady cadence of editorial content, ensuring products are on-track to meet deadlines and hit internal metrics for publication frequency;
• Provide feedback on non-editorial policy and analytics products, including white papers, policy frameworks, and polling analyses, to ensure they adhere to Searchlight’s publication standards and tone;
• Source guest contributors to periodically produce content for Searchlight’s editorial verticals; and
• Other duties as assigned by the communications department and organizational leadership.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Interest in advancing progress on Searchlight’s public policy issue areas, including the social safety net, artificial intelligence, immigration, energy, and government responsibility;
• Keenly aware of news cycles and events, and understands the major players who drive discourse in Searchlight’s areas of focus, especially on platforms like X and Substack;
• Understands Searchlight’s mission and theory of change, and can translate that understanding into sharp, value-add written works;
• 3+ years in high-volume content or editorial production;
• Exceptional writer with a meticulous eye for detail — someone who can cut through the noise to elevate written works from satisfactory to outstanding;
• Experience working with subject matter experts or non-professional writers to develop and sharpen their ideas on the page;
• A proven project manager who can juggle competing deadlines and hold people to account for ensuring projects are completed on time; and
• A willingness to ruffle some feathers.