How to hire a managing editor

How to hire a managing editor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step managing editor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a managing editor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new managing editor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a managing editor do?

Post a managing editor job for free, promote it for a fee

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your managing editor job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a managing editor for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect managing editor also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of managing editor salaries for various roles:

   Type of Managing Editor	Description	Hourly rate
   Managing Editor	Editors plan, review, and revise content for publication.	$28-63
   Technical Writer	Technical Writers specialize in producing easy-to-understand instructional or informational written materials, such as media and journal articles, assessments and guidelines, and legal forms of documentation. For Technical Writers to develop well-versed content, one must conduct thorough research on the topic or idea to ensure factual legitimacy and communicate with those whose expertise aligns with the subject... Show more	$23-41
   Proposal Writer	Proposal Writers help clients win contracts, grants from the government, or even permission to perform a consulting service. They must ensure that all important information is included in the paperwork and documents.	$23-46

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Web Content
   • Editorial Content
   • SEO
   • Editorial Calendar
   • Digital Content
   • Editor-In-Chief
   • Facebook
   • Twitter
   • Story Development
   • News Stories
   • Content Strategy
   • Google Analytics
   • Content Creation
   • Adobe Indesign

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage programs such as schedule overhaul, YouTube channel creation, and new blog site.
   • Manage editorial process: assigning stories to line-editing to HTML publishing/page placement.
   • Manage editorial departments: ensure timely receipt of copy and photos, including coordinating and overseeing all freelance and in-house submissions.
   • Edit and proofread submissions for weekly publication.
   • Proofread and edit articles for several UN publications.
   • Launch and create the first digital edition online and via iPad.

   More managing editor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your managing editor job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A managing editor salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a managing editor in Missouri may be lower than in Connecticut, and an entry-level managing editor usually earns less than a senior-level managing editor. Additionally, a managing editor with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average managing editor salary

   $89,060yearly

   $42.82 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level managing editor salary

   $59,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average managing editor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$120,582	$58
   2	New Jersey	$106,475	$51
   3	New York	$104,886	$50
   4	Massachusetts	$102,216	$49
   5	California	$101,369	$49
   6	Illinois	$93,762	$45
   7	Virginia	$92,361	$44
   8	Maryland	$90,688	$44
   9	Georgia	$81,607	$39
   10	Pennsylvania	$81,418	$39
   11	North Carolina	$81,021	$39
   12	Michigan	$80,338	$39
   13	Washington	$79,797	$38
   14	Minnesota	$78,026	$38
   15	Florida	$73,453	$35
   16	Colorado	$73,238	$35
   17	Ohio	$72,291	$35
   18	Texas	$70,195	$34
   19	Oregon	$69,786	$34
   20	Puerto Rico	$57,826	$28

   Average managing editor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Federal Reserve Bank	$137,055	$65.89	3
   2	Earthjustice	$134,835	$64.82
   3	Federal Reserve	$128,782	$61.91
   4	Yahoo	$122,904	$59.09
   5	Penske Media	$121,691	$58.51	8
   6	The Walt Disney Company	$121,486	$58.41	36
   7	Cleveland Clinic	$121,316	$58.33	3
   8	WebMD	$118,793	$57.11	13
   9	Cengage Learning	$117,302	$56.40
   10	American Physical Society	$117,096	$56.30
   11	The Washington Post	$115,071	$55.32	1
   12	American Chemical Society	$114,576	$55.08
   13	Meyer Sound	$114,421	$55.01
   14	ViacomCBS	$112,032	$53.86
   15	AXIOS HR	$111,780	$53.74	3
   16	SAGE Publishing	$111,614	$53.66
   17	Access Intelligence	$111,524	$53.62
   18	Oxford University Press	$110,221	$52.99
   19	Informa Plc	$108,070	$51.96	1
   20	Momentive	$105,756	$50.84

4. Writing a managing editor job description

   A managing editor job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a managing editor job description:

   Managing editor job description example

   The Eagle, located in Bryan, TX, a Lee Enterprises company, is seeking a Managing Editor to lead its news staff as it provides excellent coverage of the Brazos Valley on digital and print platforms.
   
   This managing editor must be forward-thinking and innovative, with a focus on growing our audience through a variety of storytelling methods.
   
   The managing editor will assign and edit content; oversee reporters and editors, and ensure that all content meets our rigorous standards. A candidate must embrace urgency and a web-first strategy, including breaking news and video. This editor should use data to drive newsroom decisions regarding content and staffing. Overall, our managing editor should focus on news that informs, engages, educates, enlightens and attracts new audiences.
   
   The successful candidate must be a professional journalist with at least five years of daily newspaper experience and a bachelor's degree, or equivalent experience.
   Why Join Us?
   
   Lee Enterprises offers competitive wages in a dynamic, interesting work environment with career growth opportunities. We offer an extensive benefit program that can be personalized to your needs. Our benefit program includes medical, dental, vision, short and long-term disability, company provided life insurance and supplemental life insurance. In addition, we offer a 401K retirement plan with company match. We also offer generous paid time off to allow the flexibility to balance personal life and work. This includes paid parental leave for new parents.
   
   Lee Enterprises is a leading provider of high-quality local news, with 77 daily newspapers in 26 states that have print, digital and e-replica versions. Lee's newspapers have a combined circulation of more than 1.2 million daily. Our digital sites attract more than 44 million unique visits monthly. We also have a rapidly growing roster of digital products for consumers, and are committed to aggressive digital growth.
   
   Lee Enterprises is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to attracting and retaining a workforce whose diversity reflects the communities we serve. Lee embraces change, and we recognize that we must create and maintain a culture of fervent inclusion. For more information about Lee, check us out at www.lee.net.
   
   We are focused on building a diverse and inclusive workforce. If you are excited about this role but do not meet 100% of the qualifications above, we encourage you to apply.
   
   Other details
   
   * Job Family News
   * Pay Type Salary
   
   Apply Now
   
   * Bryan, TX, USA

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find managing editors for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   To find managing editor candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as problogger, media bistro, journalismjobs.com, content writing jobs.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with managing editor candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new managing editor

   Once you've selected the best managing editor candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new managing editor first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a managing editor?