Position Summary

The Atlanta Falcons Lead Editor / Staff Writer will serve as the primary editor and a key contributor for the Falcons editorial team. This person will assist with establishing the Falcons editorial tone, ensuring consistency and accuracy across all published editorial content. They will serve as a key point of contact with the communications team, aligning on important news items, and assigning stories as needed across the rest of the Falcons writers. In addition to being the lead editor, this person will also serve as a host for Falcons podcasts, conduct occasional on-air interviews and work closely with the production team.

The Lead Editor / Staff writer must have a high football acumen. Previous football experience and coverage of an NFL or collegiate football team is essential in order to effectively communicate, report on and analyze football schemes and personnel. This position will report to the Falcons Senior Reporter, who oversees the editorial team. The Lead Editor / Staff Writer will also oversee the Team Reporter and serve as a key member of the Falcons Digital management team.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary editor for the Falcons editorial team, copy editing and proofreading to a high standard to ensure content is error-free, grammatically correct, and in line with the editorial team’s style and tone
• Fact check to ensure consistency and accuracy
• See editorial content through every phase of the creative process, from preliminary layout to final proof
• Work closely with the Falcons communication department on key news items, aligning on timing, accuracy and publishing cadence
• Assign stories after games, key tentpole events and as needed throughout the week/month
• Work closely with the Senior Reporter on longer-term editorial calendar
• Serve as a host for Falcons podcasts, contributing analysis and insights for fans (editing podcasts is a plus)
• Conduct on-air interviews, working in conjunction with the production team on key segments and series
• Cover Falcons games and other key events, overseeing all in-game and postgame quick-turn edits
• Lead postgame podcast coverage, also working with our studio team on the weekly/monthly podcast programming schedule
• Lead key recurring article series – fan mailbag, columns, power rankings, etc.
• Work closely with Falcons Digital Manager to ensure SEO across editorial content
• Publish editorial content via CMS
• Serve on Falcons Digital managers meetings
• This role will often be required to write and publish new content on nights, weekends and holidays
   

Skills and Basic Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in editing, writing, reporting or similar journalistic role
• Bachelor's Degree in Journalism, Communications, or similar field
• Extensive football acumen
• Passionate about telling great stories with a high attention to detail and accuracy
• High grammatical proficiency and expert knowledge of AP style
• Availability to work irregular hours, including weekends and holidays as needed
• Though this position won’t travel to all away games, candidate must have availability to travel when needed
• Ability to multitask and manage various projects and the goals of multiple departments
• Ability to meet deadlines
• Comfortable working in a matrixed organization across media, marketing, community, sponsorship, PR, and football operations
• Team player who thrives in projects that involve multiple stakeholders
• Experience using content management systems (Pocket, Contentful, Webflow preferred)
   

Preferred Qualifications

• Organized, efficient and flexible copy-editing skills across different mediums and tones
• Ability to make thoughtful copy edits under deadline
• Thorough grasp of proper grammar, spelling and expression
• Experience managing the needs of a large organization that requires digital to meet the collective needs of cross-functional departments
• Experience within a large media or sports property (NFL or collegiate organizations preferred)
• Understanding of what content generates engagement and excitement on digital platforms

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