CONTRIBUTING EDITOR – BRAZIL

Since its founding in 1999, Mongabay.com has become one of the top sources for tropical forest news, analysis, and information on the Internet. The site today draws more than three million visitors per month, making it among the most visited eco-focused destinations on the internet. In 2008, mongabay.com was honored by Time Magazine as one of the 15 best “green” sites on the Web.

Mongabay.com is now expanding its coverage of environmental and conservation news in Brazil, including original Portuguese language reporting. The new editorial position is focused on the production of in-depth investigative reporting for Mongabay.com created in collaboration with the Mongabay staff, freelance contributors and partner outlets.

WHAT DOES THE CONTRIBUTING EDITOR DO?

The Contributing Editor – Brazil will be responsible for the production of news and feature stories relevant to forests and land use, in both Portuguese and English, especially focusing on Legal Amazonia, which includes the Amazon biome and portions of the Cerrado biome; while also covering other Brazilian environmental stories. The editor will help to grow our team of Brazil-focused contributors, manage assignments, edit articles, and ensure adherence to grant guidelines and reporting expectations. This is a high-visibility, high-impact role with room for growth.

A qualified candidate for this position should have strong analytical skills and the ability to discern what stories are important and of interest to readers. Knowledge and familiarity with environmental issues and/or forest conservation are strong positives.

KEY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

WRITING, REPORTING, EDITING, PUBLISHING (90% of time)

  • Commission, edit and publish English- and Portuguese-language journalistic articles on topics related to the environment and conservation in Brazil, with a special focus on the Amazon and Cerrado biomes, but including other regions;
  • Work cooperatively with Mongabay’s Senior Contributing Editor to develop investigative story series, arrange field reporting, and produce news and features consistently of high quality;
  • Conduct interviews, phone calls and/or meetings, and perform other research as needed, to gather background for the planning of stories and article series;
  • Generate pitch requests and assess story proposals from freelance reporters living in Brazil and around the world;
  • Work closely with freelance journalists to manage assignments and edit contributor submissions;
  • Research, fact-check, and review articles prior to publication;
  • Source and/or produce visual content including charts, maps, photos, and videos, as needed, for each article produced;
  • Occasional aggregation of breaking news from third-party sources;
  • Provide other support as needed to ensure content meets Mongabay’s high standards of professionalism, consistency, authenticity, and reliability;
  • Develop and manage ongoing editorial and co-publishing partnerships between Mongabay English and Portuguese / Brazilian media outlets.

STRATEGIC PLANNING & ADMINISTRATION (10% of time)

  • Report regularly to Mongabay’s Global Program Director on progress toward meeting reporting objectives;
  • Support editorial planning to reach established goals in the set timeline;
  • Collect data on the impacts of stories including examples of republication for use in grant reports;
  • Must be able to work within tight deadlines and be responsive to Mongabay.com headquarters and to other Mongabay staffers via email, skype, phone, and text.

PROFESSIONAL QUALITIES

This position will play a critical role in the scale-up of Mongabay’s environmental reporting efforts in Brazil. Due to our company culture and global work-at-home staff, the most successful employees at Mongabay excel at working independently and producing consistent high-quality journalistic content by taking the initiative and thinking creatively about solutions to problems. In this context, a contributing editor:

  • Is required to demonstrate talent in writing/editing;
  • Functions independently and produces high-quality work with tight deadlines;
  • Makes timely decisions and demonstrates good judgment;
  • Maintains a strong sense of professionalism and reliability;
  • Contributes to the Mongabay team by communicating and working cooperatively with staff, while following through on tasks and delivering results;
  • Fosters positive relationships with journalists and co-partnership media outlets;
  • Adjusts approaches according to feedback;
  • Demonstrates personal integrity and ability to maintain confidentiality.

EXPERIENCE, QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS

  • Three or more years of experience working in journalism / editorial / writing required (investigative journalism preferred).
  • Exceptional fluency (writing and speaking) in English and Portuguese is required while Spanish language capability is viewed favorably but not necessary.
  • Knowledge and familiarity with conservation and environmental issues are essential, while awareness of agribusiness and mining impacts on deforestation, biodiversity, indigenous groups, climate change, plus related topics preferred.
  • Professional experience working with Brazilian media outlets is also preferred.
  • Exceptional written and verbal communication skills vital.
  • Demonstrated editorial ability to work with a variety of content, including formatting of feature articles, graphics, photo captions, and HTML.
  • Familiarity with Microsoft Office, WordPress (or similar), Google Drive, Social Media (Twitter / Facebook), and Asana (or similar project management system).
  • Reliable access to high-speed Internet is required.
  • Must be willing to commit to a full-time role (40 hours per week) and available during regular business hours.

COMPENSATION

Mongabay aims to offer competitive pay rates that will attract, retain, and motivate our full-time contractors. You are free to submit a pay range when applying.

TO APPLY

Apply online here. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. On the application, you will be asked to fill out basic contact information, pay rate expectations, reference information (2), and to upload the following documents:

  1. Cover letter – please provide specific examples of your experience related to this position, as well as specific examples of your ability to work effectively from home and meet deadlines (1-2 pages)
  2. Resume – (1-2 pages)
  3. Two references

Applications must be submitted in English. Please note that you do not need to provide letters of recommendation and we will not reach out to references before getting your permission to do so.