The Water Education Foundation has a full-time opening for an experienced, energetic and motivated editor who can elevate our online and print publications with sharp editing, innovative storytelling and a passion for clearly explaining the complexities and nuances of water resource issues in the West.

The Foundation is an impartial nonprofit in Sacramento that has been a trusted source of water news and programming in California and across the West for 45 years. We are looking for a veteran journalist who is a strong and experienced editor with fluency in digital media (including website management and social media). This position oversees our staff writer and is responsible for producing articles examining water issues in California and the Colorado River Basin, managing our weekday water news feed and posting the occasional breaking news on our website and social media channels.

This position also serves as editor to our Layperson’s Guides series on key water issues and our online water encyclopedia, as well as our annual report and any grant-related projects involving writing, editing and our website. In addition, this position assists with crafting our news announcements about upcoming programs and recently published guides and news articles. This position reports to the Executive Director and works on a hybrid schedule with Tuesdays through Thursdays in our Sacramento office and Mondays and Fridays from home.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

Editing

• Serves as editor of our Western Water online newsroom, which features six to eight articles annually that examine key water topics, and posts the articles online with photos, maps and other graphic elements.
• Oversees the Aquafornia water news roundup each weekday morning that is put together by a freelancer. Occasionally updates with outside articles when major breaking news occurs.
• Supervises a staff writer and a freelancer who cobbles together our weekday water newsfeed known as Aquafornia.
• Edits updates to our Layperson’s Guides on key water topics.
• Edits new and updated entries on Aquapedia, the Foundation’s online water encyclopedia.
• Edits other special projects such as printed water maps and online projects.
• Works with a freelance graphic artist and printer when needed.

Other Duties

• Keeps up-to-date on current water issues across the West and develops contacts.
• Works with the Development Director and Executive Director on proposals for new projects.
• Works with Operations Manager to manage online store and respond to customer queries.
• Tracks and analyzes website traffic and email campaigns.
• Attends Board of Directors meetings as needed and serves as a staff liaison to the Board of Directors’ Programs and Publications Committee.
• Attends occasional conferences and at least one multi-day water tour per year to assist Programs Director and develop new story ideas.
• Ability and willingness to travel.
• Takes photographs of our events for annual report and other purposes.
• Occasionally moderates panels at conferences.

Skills:

• Ability to plan and manage a variety of projects – short-term and long-term – simultaneously and meet deadlines.
• Social media experience, specifically with LinkedIn and X. Facebook and Instagram helpful.
• Experience shooting newsworthy photographs and developing maps, simple graphics and data charts to enhance storytelling.
• Willingness to work as part of a team, be flexible and maintain a can-do attitude.
• Knowledge of AP style.
• Experience with Microsoft Word (including using track changes), Outlook, Excel, Google docs.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism preferred; will consider other related fields.
• Strong knowledge of water, politics and environmental issues in the the Colorado River Basin and across California.
• Minimum 10 years’ experience, with at least five years as an editor, at a major newspaper, news website or magazine.

Salary/Benefits:

$85,000 – $90,000 annually for this salaried position, depending on experience, plus excellent benefits – 100 percent medical, dental, vision; paid vacation, sick time and holidays; 403(b) retirement plan with generous employer contributions starting at 7 percent of salary.

To Apply:

Email resume, clips and letter of interest to Jenn Bowles, the Foundation’s Executive Director, at jbowles@watereducation.org. This position will remain open until filled.

The Water Education Foundation is an impartial, nonprofit 501(c)3 whose mission is to inspire understanding of water and catalyze critical conversations to build bridges and inform collaborative decision-making. Learn more at www.watereducation.org