Investigative Project on Race and Equity

• Location: Hybrid (Chicago-based with two in-office days weekly)

• Reports to: Executive Director

• Employment Type: Part-time Staff (27 hours per week)

• Compensation: Up to $50 per hour, commensurate with experience

THE OPPORTUNITY PROFILE: MANAGING EDITOR

The Investigative Project on Race and Equity is seeking a Managing Editor to oversee the newsroom and lead in-depth reporting projects on critical issues at the intersection of public policy and racial equity. This is a part-time position with potential for expansion based on organizational needs and fit.

This part-time position requires up to 27 hours per week, with a path to 30 hours. Candidates must reside in the Chicagoland area and be able to work in-person from our downtown office twice weekly, and should have strong familiarity with Chicago's neighborhoods and the issues affecting its communities. Candidates will be expected to represent the Investigative Project at occasional community events in the city.

Job Overview: We seek a dedicated, experienced, and collaborative Managing Editor to lead our editorial team in producing impactful, data-driven journalism with a racial equity framework.

The Managing Editor will play a crucial role in shaping content strategy, creating and managing editorial processes, while ensuring the quality and integrity of our reporting. This role requires a strong journalistic background, exceptional leadership skills, experience editing complex stories and a passion for our mission.

The Managing Editor reports to the Executive Director.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Story editing and project management:

• Lead editorial planning, ideas development and story execution for current reporting projects, prioritizing key investigative topics.

• Manage a team of three to five reporters, apprentices, and other editorial contributors

• Coordinate editorial workflows, deadlines, and assignments to produce efficient, timely content

Quality control:

• Review and edit articles for accuracy, clarity, and adherence to journalistic standards

• Collaborate with media partners on story selection, reporting, editing, and data interpretation

• Oversee fact-checking, verify data and reporting sources, and ensure legal compliance

Collaboration:

• Collaborate with the Executive Director to support the strategic needs of IPRE.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Proven experience in editorial leadership, preferably in a newsroom or journalism environment, including strong editorial judgment and ethical principles

• Bachelor's degree and/or significant experience in journalism, including five years as an editor or investigative reporter

• Excellent writing and editing skills

• Experience with data-driven journalistic investigations, investigative techniques and computer-assisted reporting

• Familiarity with digital publishing tools and content management systems

• Exceptional communication, teamwork, and project management skills

• Experience training and mentoring early-career journalists and apprentices

• Commitment to editing, writing, and reporting on issues of systemic racism and equity

• Comfort with modern newsroom tools and workflows, including data analysis tools, collaborative communication platforms (e.g., Slack), and basic statistical/data tools (e.g., R, Excel) as needed to guide data-driven reporting.

BENEFITS AND PERKS

• Pro-rated vacation and paid leave packages as required by Chicago ordinance.

• Access to organization retirement savings plan options.

• Flexible scheduling requiring two in-office days per week.

• Paid year-end office closure.

• Registration stipend for one US-based journalism conference.

Ready to apply? Submit resume, cover letter, clip portfolio and related materials to job at raceandequityproject dot org.

Submission deadline: Aug. 31, 2026