What does a deputy editor do?
A deputy editor provides support to the senior editor in overseeing a publishing company's daily operations. They primarily edit and review written materials for print and online publication, supervise the writers, manage budgets and timelines, present regular reports to the senior editor, and conduct evaluations to ensure procedures adhere to standards. They also work together with fellow editors to plan story concepts and strategies, manage editorial calendars, and delegate responsibilities among writers. Moreover, there are also times when a deputy editor writes and develops articles.
Deputy editor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real deputy editor resumes:
- Manage SEO efforts through oversight of headline creation/editing and copy editing.
- Lead round-the-clock daily editorial operations for outlet with industry-leading track record for accuracy and speed.
- Oversee layout, content, copy editing, production, photography, editorial calendar, budget and advertising in the magazines.
- Upload daily stories to Wordpress.
- Authore HTML and CSS, and administer user experience (UX) initiatives.
- Oversee SEO best practices and training of editorial team in those practices across all properties.
- Develop strategies; prepare and administer social media content -Twitter and Facebook; post videos and slide shows.
- Edit articles written by assistant editor and editor-in-chief.
- Coordinate the distribution of magazines to different enterprises after printing.
- Coordinate production of monthly and bi-weekly magazines under tight deadlines.
- Assist editor-in-chief in evaluation of issues prior to presentation to publisher.
- Deliver lessons in basic black and white photography to beginning-level photography students.
- Leverage meticulous attention to detail in technical editing and proofreading all content from project inception to completion.
- Leverage previous expertise to edit projects including short form documentaries, event films, montages, and sizzle reels.
- Analyze FrameMaker source document and provide feedback to XML architects to improve accuracy of conversion.
Deputy editor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of Deputy Editors are proficient in SEO, Editorial Calendar, and Editor-In-Chief. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Detail oriented, and Good judgment.
We break down the percentage of Deputy Editors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- SEO, 12%
Utilize content management systems and SEO metadata to provide quality finished VOD products to both domestic and international customers.
- Editorial Calendar, 9%
Coordinated and developed editorial calendar for all online content.
- Editor-In-Chief, 9%
Worked with Editor-in-Chief and Founder/CEO to establish a news flow for the new media start up
- Facebook, 6%
Guided a social media effort that saw our Facebook likes rise from 18,000 at the end of 2013 to 42,000 today.
- News Stories, 6%
Lead editor on major entertainment breaking news stories including the deaths of Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Anna Nicole Smith.
- WordPress, 6%
Uploaded daily stories to Wordpress.
"seo," "editorial calendar," and "editor-in-chief" are among the most common skills that deputy editors use at work. You can find even more deputy editor responsibilities below, including:
Creativity. The most essential soft skill for a deputy editor to carry out their responsibilities is creativity. This skill is important for the role because "editors must be imaginative, curious, and knowledgeable in a broad range of topics." Additionally, a deputy editor resume shows how their duties depend on creativity: "included color correction, collaboration, graphics and creative editing. "
Detail oriented. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling deputy editor duties is detail oriented. The role rewards competence in this skill because "editors must be meticulous to ensure that material is error free and matches the style of a publication." According to a deputy editor resume, here's how deputy editors can utilize detail oriented in their job responsibilities: "coordinated editorial team schedule in conjunction with research product pipeline, exceeding projected 12-month product-oriented goals established for the research team. "
Good judgment. deputy editors are also known for good judgment, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to deputy editor responsibilities, because "editors decide whether certain stories are ethical and whether there is enough evidence to publish them." A deputy editor resume example shows how good judgment is used in the workplace: "tracked page view and newsletter statistics to gauge reader interest in content and develop more informed editorial judgment. "
Interpersonal skills. deputy editor responsibilities often require "interpersonal skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "in working with writers, editors must have tact and the ability to guide and encourage them in their work." This resume example shows what deputy editors do with interpersonal skills on a typical day: "attended to online and multimedia content, interpersonal interaction with colleagues, and managed online articles and content. "
Writing skills. A commonly-found skill in deputy editor job descriptions, "writing skills" is essential to what deputy editors do. Deputy editor responsibilities rely on this skill because "editors ensure that all written content has correct grammar, punctuation, and syntax." You can also see how deputy editor duties rely on writing skills in this resume example: "assisted in writing weekly editorials. "
The three companies that hire the most deputy editors are:
- The New York Times Company12 deputy editors jobs
- Dow Jones2 deputy editors jobs
- Npr1 deputy editors jobs
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Compare different deputy editors
Deputy editor vs. Editing internship
An editorial intern is responsible for assisting the editorial department of an organization with publishing various media and digital content. Editorial interns shadow tenured editorial staff on researching stories, validating information, writing captivating articles, interviewing target audiences, and screening submitted manuscripts. They also assist in planning promotional strategies and marketing campaigns, such as monitoring press releases, posting on social media platforms, and developing marketing materials. An editorial intern must have excellent organizational skills, most importantly, a fast-learner to understand complex tasks and perform assigned duties under minimal supervision.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a deputy editor are more likely to require skills like "seo," "editorial calendar," "facebook," and "wordpress." On the other hand, a job as an editing internship requires skills like "video footage," "adobe photoshop," "photography," and "youtube." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
On average, editing interns reach lower levels of education than deputy editors. Editing interns are 8.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Deputy editor vs. Editorial internship
An editorial intern is responsible for assisting the editorial team in publishing digital and media content, writing articles, and managing readers' reviews. Editorial interns must have excellent knowledge of the industry they work for, suggesting the latest trends and featured topics, taking notes of the tenured employees' advice and observations, and actively joining brainstorming sessions. An editorial intern must be detail-oriented and take constructive feedback as an opportunity to learn. It is also crucial to have outstanding communication and proofreading skills and keep all the materials confidential until release.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that deputy editor responsibilities requires skills like "editorial calendar," "facebook," "wordpress," and "cms." But an editorial internship might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "fact-check," "editorial intern," "instagram," and "administrative tasks."
On average, editorial interns earn a lower salary than deputy editors. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, editorial interns earn the most pay in the media industry with an average salary of $33,508. Whereas deputy editors have higher pay in the media industry, with an average salary of $71,719.In general, editorial interns achieve lower levels of education than deputy editors. They're 8.3% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for deputy editors in the next 3-5 years?
Bradley Shreve
Editor, Tribal College Journal
Deputy editor vs. Editor, freelance
An Editor, Freelance is responsible for reading content and correcting for errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. They work with writers to help their ideas and stories succeed.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, deputy editors are more likely to have skills like "editorial calendar," "editor-in-chief," "facebook," and "news stories." But a editor, freelance is more likely to have skills like "music videos," "fiction," "track changes," and "promotional videos."
Most editors, freelance achieve a similar degree level compared to deputy editors. For example, they're 1.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Deputy editor vs. Editor in chief
Types of deputy editor
Updated January 8, 2025
