Associate Editor, Content Partnerships, C&EN

Overview of C&EN:

C&EN (Chemical & Engineering News) produces authoritative, award-winning journalism from around the world of chemistry, including research, education, industry, funding, and regulatory policy. It is published by but editorially independent of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world’s largest scientific society dedicated to a single discipline.

C&EN is widely considered one of the major benefits of ACS membership. Its weekly magazine reaches more than 170,000 members of ACS, and its website receives more than 13 million page views per year.

C&EN is looking for an editor to join its content partnerships team, which creates independent journalism from and for ACS’s scientific journals. 

What you’ll do:

1. Identify newsworthy ACS journal papers and commission, edit, and post news stories online.
2. Commission, edit, and publish front-matter features for ACS Central Science.
3. Develop and maintain a network of contacts and news sources, as well as attend meetings and conferences, to generate story ideas for the above work. 
4. Recruit and retain a talented and diverse pool of freelance science writers, including managing associated contracts and budgets.
5. Work effectively with freelance writers, including developing stories of appropriate scope and length, setting deadlines, working through edits, and creating engaging headlines and social trim. Work with freelancers and C&EN’s creative team to identify appropriate art for stories.
6. See news and ACS Central Science stories through C&EN print production as needed.
7. Identify and champion opportunities to promote journal news and ACS Central Science content via C&EN’s home page, social channels, newsletters, and other means.
8. Write or edit other items for C&EN as appropriate. Cover local breaking news as appropriate.

What you’ll bring: 

1. A college degree in chemistry or other scientific field is required. Education in journalism is a plus.
2. At least 3 years of experience in science journalism. Experience editing is a plus.
3. Track record of creating clean, creative, engaging copy.
4. Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects, setting and adjusting priorities as needed to ensure deadlines are met.
5. Strong editorial judgment, attention to detail, storytelling, and communication skills.
6. Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

Travel expectations: Up to 10%

About working at C&EN:

ACS believes in the strength of diversity in all its forms, because inclusion of and respect for diverse people, experiences, and ideas lead to superior solutions to world challenges and advance chemistry as a global, multidisciplinary science. In turn, C&EN believes that to meet its mission to be the world’s go-to source of news about chemistry, our reporting and our newsroom must include diverse perspectives. Therefore, we strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, and members of other historically marginalized communities in the chemical sciences to apply.

How to apply:

Along with a résumé, applicants must submit three samples of their published work. Tell us in a cover letter what you can bring to this editing position. Send all materials to m_jacoby@acs.org after submitting your résumé below.

Job Location:  Position is based in Washington, DC.  Remote work will be considered for the right candidate.

This position will be primarily based in the Washington D.C. office. ACS employees work a hybrid work schedule, consisting of working onsite, three days per week. ACS employees are in the office on Tuesday and Wednesday with the third in-office day scheduled in consultation with the manager. While always welcome to work in the office, employees may work the other two days of the week from a location of their choice. New employees are immediately eligible for this hybrid work arrangement. ACS offers relocation assistance, if applicable.

EEO/Minority/Female/Disabled/Veteran