Job Description

Editor, Creative Storytelling, Fix

Grist

Remote; Seattle, WA, or New York, NY, preferred

About Fix, Grist’s Solutions Lab

Grist is a nonprofit media organization for people who want a planet that doesn’t burn and a future that doesn’t suck. In 2019, Grist launched a new program, Fix, to change the arc of storytelling about climate change. The challenges of the climate crisis are now widely understood, and, sadly, more apparent day by day. Thankfully, and perhaps just in time, tectonic positive shifts are occurring in the worlds of energy, transportation, food, architecture, social justice and more to tackle climate change. A younger, more diverse generation is rising and has its eyes set on advancing equitable climate solutions and demanding the structural reforms necessary to remake governments into truly representative democracies. If you squint, you can see more stories emerging of how we humans took on climate change and built a more just, sustainable world.

As Grist’s solutions lab, Fix tells imaginative stories that envision ways forward. Half network-building and half storytelling, the program identifies, celebrates, and connects solutions-oriented climate and justice leaders who are at the center of the story of progress; and it introduces a whole new narrative of what’s possible to address climate change and build a better world.

The Opportunity

Grist is seeking an entrepreneurial leader to help build the storytelling wing of Fix. The Editor of Fix’s creative storytelling will lead the work of the Fix content team as it develops new ideas, strategies, and approaches to telling stories of what a better, more equitable future could be — through a Fix website, live storytelling events, social media platforms, multimedia projects, and partnerships with culture-shaping organizations. This narrative of possibility will help to elevate a diverse array of solutions-oriented leaders and their work, and accelerate climate and justice solutions. The overall focus will be on Who’s Next and What’s Next in tackling climate change, and on making palpable and real what’s possible, in entertaining, informative, heart-moving (and fun!) ways. The Editor will supervise the content team, report to the Fix program director, and work closely with Grist’s founder.

Grist is looking for a creative, results-oriented leader who has developed programs and led the implementation of storytelling strategies.

Key Responsibilities

The Editor will provide strategic and innovative leadership to grow Fix’s impact on the cultural conversations happening around climate change.

Key goals and responsibilities for this leader include:

• Work closely with the other members of the Fix team to identify climate and justice solutions, and the diverse leaders who are making them a reality.
• Develop and implement a strategic storytelling plan.
• Direct and manage a growing Fix content team, including a managing editor, a fellow, and a range of contractors, including writers, visual and multimedia journalists, video producers, animators, and illustrators.
• Coordinate the production of special projects such as deep-dive and interactive features, monthly themed content, live events, Instagram posts, and climate fiction contests.
• Play a key role in developing and implementing partnerships with other organizations that have significant reach and shape culture through storytelling (e.g., other media entities, Hollywood studios, museums).
• Work with product development and design staff and contractors to develop and refine Fix’s digital presence.
• Collaborate with Fix staff and contractors to curate talent and programming for Fix events, including dinners, public performances, retreats, Grist 50, and an annual Fix Festival.
• Collaborate with marketing staff to identify other platforms, from streaming video to live events, where broad audiences can connect with Fix content.
• Collaborate with fundraising staff to support outreach and development opportunities, draft reports and other materials related to Fix content.
• Coordinate content plans with Grist’s editorial leaders and represent Fix in organization-wide planning and project meetings.
• Ensure integration with Grist’s audience and social media team.
• Other duties may be assigned from time to time.

Candidate Profile

Key Competencies

The ideal candidate for this position is a mission-driven, strategic professional with a creative spark and a successful track record of program expansion and implementation. They will bring the following qualities to the role:

A Skilled Leader and Manager

The Editor will be a dynamic leader with a track record of success in managing distributed teams and preventing siloed work. They will bring experience building and leading high-performing teams and guiding team members’ growth and development. They will have an abiding commitment to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive team environment, one that is able to establish priorities, goals, and timelines to achieve quantifiable and qualitative outcomes.

Editorial Expertise

As the key member of a small, nimble team, the Editor will be responsible for developing and managing Fix’s storytelling strategy, setting and following through on deadlines, with an appetite for rolling up their sleeves, digging into projects, sharing story-specific feedback, pitching in on editing, and ensuring a high standard of quality across the portfolio. As such, they should bring superb written and verbal communication skills. Even as they will be driving strategy and managing a growing team, they should also be able to dive into the details alongside a team of editors, freelancers, writers, and other creatives.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Key to the success of this person will be their hunger for building something transformative and a track record of implementing ambitious projects. They should have visual storytelling experience, including video, photo and animation, and should be excited to build a vision for Fix. The ideal candidate will bring a marketing instinct and an understanding of how to create buzz, build partnerships, and build a line into cultural conversations around climate change and environmental justice.

Broad-Ranging Knowledge of Climate Change (or a Deep Curiosity to Learn)

Ideally, the Editor will bring an understanding of a breadth of topics related to climate change, from environmental justice to entrepreneurship, and the types of stories and individuals that Fix covers. If not, they will bring a deep curiosity to learn about this field and a passion for climate solutions.

How to Apply

• Contact: Koya Leadership Partners has been exclusively engaged by Grist for this engagement. Kara Teising and Libby Cornelssen are leading this search. To make recommendations or to express your interest in this role please use this link. All nominations, inquiries, and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.
• Cultivating an inclusive staff is central to Grist’s focus on advancing equity. We’re interested in hearing from people who can work with diverse colleagues of varied experience. Candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Grist is an equal-opportunity employer.
• About Koya Leadership Partners: Koya Leadership Partners, a member of the Diversified Search Group, is a leading executive search and strategic advising firm dedicated to connecting exceptionally talented people with mission-driven clients. Our founding philosophy—The Right Person in the Right Place Can Change the World—guides our work as we partner with nonprofits & NGOs, institutions of higher education, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world. For more information about Koya Leadership Partners, visit www.koyapartners.com.

Job Categories: Conservation. Job Types: Full-Time.

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