Managing Editor

Atlas Obscura’s editorial team — aided by our passionate community of contributors and members — is committed to building the definitive guide to the wonders of the world, fostering curiosity, and providing readers with trustworthy, on-the-ground reporting, storytelling, and experiences that enable exploration. As we work to expand and enhance our collection of remarkable sites and stories, we’re looking for a managing editor to help us grow our audience, and deepen their understanding of the places that make our planet so extraordinary — and to empower them to engage with it.

Editorial is a small, ambitious team responsible for a wide range of projects, from quick-turn stories to the development of long-term franchises and the expansion of our database. The person in this role will organize that work, streamlining processes, shaping operational procedures, and building systems to support production and distribution efforts across a variety of timelines and content types.

This is not an editing or writing position. The successful candidate will be detail oriented, proactive about identifying and solving problems, and passionate about operations; they’ll be able to take ownership of production schedules, project management tools, and cross-department collaboration. As the founding member of our new production desk, they’ll play a key role across both strategy and day-to-day execution in shaping how we work, with the support of the editorial team and a limited freelance budget for added flexibility.

Atlas Obscura is a remote-first company, so you can live and work from anywhere in the continental United States or Canada. We believe exploration is for everyone, and we encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply. If you don’t meet every qualification listed below, don’t hesitate to reach out and tell us what you bring to the table. This is a new role, and we’re looking for problem solvers who can help us build a more efficient, effective, and inclusive editorial operation. Review the full job description and consider applying below. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, and we’ll begin reaching out to selected candidates immediately.

Production Desk (Focus: Editorial Operations + Workflow)

The managing editor will build and oversee our new production desk from the ground up, establishing workflows and systems to optimize editorial operations, improve efficiency, and foster effective collaboration. Reporting to the editor-in-chief, this role will be part of a small editorial leadership group. Working together, this group guides the strategic direction of Atlas Obscura’s editorial programs, ensuring alignment with audience needs, business goals, and cross-departmental initiatives. The leadership group plays a key role in refining and regularly adapting our strategy to meet the evolving challenges and opportunities of the media landscape.

Requirements

• Lead the Production Desk: This desk ensures that our editorial operations run smoothly, with an emphasis on enhancing collaboration and data-driven decision-making, optimizing workflows, and improving the efficiency of content creation. The production desk is responsible for managing the editorial calendar, production pipeline, and effective cross-department communication; tracking performance metrics; ensuring adherence to editorial policies; and building systems that support both editorial creativity and business objectives.
• Centralize and Maintain Editorial Systems: Serve as the primary administrator for tools like Airtable, ensuring a robust, single source of truth for editorial calendars, production metrics, and project management; oversee other external resources and relationships, from our partnerships with Apple News to Alamy.
• Develop Metrics and Reporting Systems: Work with leadership to set OKRs and KPIs; build dashboards, reports, and interfaces to track performance metrics such as production output, community engagement, audience growth and feedback, and workflow efficiency, using insights to refine strategies and improve results; run edit meetings to better incorporate data into our daily decisions.
• Improve Editorial Workflows: Design and implement efficient workflows that reduce friction, expand our reach, and improve collaboration with our users and members, brand partnerships, growth marketing, podcasts, product, and other teams; maintain stack-ranked lists of ideas for future projects and program enhancements, guiding those with the most promise through to adoption; work with accounting to streamline contracts, licensing, and syndication processes.
• Enhance Documentation and Training: Create and maintain comprehensive documentation, including SOPs, style guides, and editorial policies, while providing training and ongoing oversight to drive 100% team adoption.
• Oversee Communication and Transparency: Act as a liaison between editorial and other departments to share progress, provide greater visibility into editorial efforts, facilitate distribution strategies, and ensure alignment across projects to drive growth and business goals; support special projects as needed.
• Skills Training: Manage our fellowship program through recruitment, onboarding, and mentorship, ensuring fellows gain meaningful experience that supports team goals. Lead ongoing skills training and professional development for the team, offering workshops and resources on best practices, SEO, and emerging trends.

Qualifications

• A minimum of 5 years of editorial experience, with several in an operations or project management role, preferably in a fast-paced digital media environment.
• Proven ability to design and manage complex workflows, production schedules, and project pipelines across multiple timelines and content types, with proficiency in one or more project management/collaboration tools (i.e. Airtable, Notion).
• Strong interpersonal skills with a track record of successfully collaborating across other departments to align editorial strategy with company-wide goals.
• A proactive, solutions-oriented, adaptable approach to identifying and solving problems, with strong organizational skills and attention to detail; exceptional communication skills, with the ability to clearly convey stakeholder updates.
• Comfort navigating evolving industry trends and organizational changes while maintaining focus on editorial quality and operational excellence.
• Expertise in creating and implementing comprehensive documentation (standard operating procedures, style guides, editorial policies) to standardize workflows and ensure consistent, high-quality content production across teams.

Salary Range

The expected base salary range for this position is between $70,000 and $80,000. Salary offers are based on a wide range of factors including but not limited to relevant skills, training, experience, and education.