Are you up for a new journalistic challenge with an exciting new start-up?

We’re looking for a full-time editor, preferably working from Johannesburg, South Africa. This is a permanent position. 

explain.co.za offers progressive working and compensation packages, including unlimited leave, flexible working hours, performance bonuses and a hand in shaping the company’s culture and future. 

As the name hints, at explain.co.za we’re passionate about helping people understand the news. We create solutions-focused journalism, which inspires hope and action. Our agency division works with NGOs and corporates, particularly pan-African, to create purpose-driven digital communication strategies and campaigns.

explain.co.za launched in 2020 to acclaim, winning accolades early on. We then focused our energy on shoring up our business model via our agency division, to ensure we can keep funding journalism that matters, without the threat of retrenchments or closure looming over our newsroom. We were, quite frankly, tired of being burnt out amid shrinking resources while trying to do the work we love. Journalism is a fundamental pillar of any democracy, and journalists deserve better than they’ve had in an industry gutted by shrinking advertising revenue. 

Fast Forward to 2022, and our organisation is stronger than ever. Our staff has grown, our cash flow is healthy, and our agency work is growing in leaps and bounds, funding the journalism we love doing. We have landed several journalism grants in our short lifespan and are set for sustained growth over the next few years. We’re ready to re-launch our newsroom and journalism with the right editor at the helm.

We’re looking for someone who is passionate about making news accessible and understandable, who enjoys mentoring reporters and who is up for a challenge. You will have much free rein and a growing set of resources at your disposal. 

You will also grow and learn tremendously: explain.co.za is privileged to be part of networks like the South African Journalism Innovation Programme and The Global Solutions Journalism Network, among others, where there is constant learning, innovation and support from our peers in the journalism community and leading newsrooms in South Africa, and beyond. 

We are a group of driven, passionate and supportive people. We care about each other, this country and our world. We are creating a transformed newsroom, in a country where race and identity matters, and have a winning graduate programme in place with incredible young people. We want to empower our audience and staff. Join us!

Skills and experience:

Tertiary Education: A degree or diploma in Journalism or a related field. We will make an exception for the right candidate. 

Experience and qualities: 

  • Five to seven years of reporting experience within a newsroom. Subediting can also count, but some boots-on-the-ground reporting experience would be good. 
  • Additional management experience within a newsroom, managing other journalists, freelancers, or a section. We will, however, offer formal training and ongoing mentorship in this area. 
  • Some subbing or copy-editing experience, particularly crafting good headlines and social media posts to punt the news we produce. 
  • Being comfortable in the digital medium. However, our primary priority for the right candidate is a first-rate handle on reporting and writing, along with journalism ethics. We can train for the digital and multimedia skills needed. 
  • A passion for growing an audience-centred news product to reach as many people as possible with helpful and rigorously-reported journalism. 

Duties: 

The editor is responsible for all editorial functions of explain.co.za, overseeing the projects and staff as part of that division and reporting to the MD. 

  • Managing our reporters and freelancers, and ensuring that we deliver top-quality news and content across all our platforms. 
  • Fast news: Working with the MD to develop a fast news strategy and overseeing reporters and freelancers to achieve this strategy. 
  • Slow news: Overseeing explain.co.za’s award-winning weekly wrap along with the rest of the team and working with the MD on the ongoing strategy around the wrap. 
  • Assisting with commercialisation, audience growth, and hiring and growing your department as your budget grows. 
  • Taking the lead on special editorial projects, including sponsored content/packages, special election reports, etc.

Extra stuff we like to see:

You are motivated and driven. You like taking on challenges, finding creative solutions, helping people and helping yourself. You have a sense of humour, like to have fun, and think on your feet!

Sounds like you? Apply via the link here. We look forward to hearing from you!

Closing date: 14 November 2022