Footnote Senior Writer – $42 – $50 an hour
Footnote is looking for a talented, experienced writer and editor to collaborate with leading scholars and thinkers to share their research and ideas with new audiences. We’re seeking an editorial leader and expert writer who can strategically collaborate with our new AI platform to produce research-driven content for a variety of media outlets.
About Footnote
At Footnote, we partner with universities and academics to increase the impact and influence of their work translating complex ideas and research into engaging stories. Our team creates original content and showcases it in owned, shared and earned media, including such outlets as The Washington Post, Wired, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The Hill, Fast Company, and Harvard Business Review. Our writers and editors work with scholars from such institutions as Arizona State University, Brown, Duke, Univ. of Pennsylvania, and Univ. of Southern California to showcase innovative research and ideas in disciplines ranging from business and technology to public health and education.
We recently launched Folio, an AI-enabled platform that combines technology with human editorial expertise to generate content more efficiently and effectively. One paramount aspect of Folio that distinguishes it from other AI tools is the team of talented human writers and editors involved at every step of the process, helping guide, curate, and refine the content.
The Position
You will work with academics and experts to create content communicating their work to mainstream audiences. You will leverage AI for some aspects of these projects, but also need expert editorial skills to conceptualize, write, and edit content on your own, without the use of technology. We believe human writers and editors are essential for helping institutions and their researchers surface what’s most interesting and impactful in their work, then translate it into accessible, engaging stories. We are also looking for a skilled writer with a journalistic mindset capable of capturing increasingly competitive earned media opportunities in mainstream media.
Specific responsibilities include:
- Work with academic partners to craft the vision for research communication campaigns and individual pieces of content. Identify what ideas and research to showcase, design effective messaging, and develop story angles and news hooks.
- Write content for select projects, creating op-eds, articles, and pitches for publication in external media outlets. Content will be showcasing original research from academic partners.
- Edit human and AI-generated content with an eye for detail and strong editorial judgement.
- Support the Footnote team in the translation of research into strategic communication campaigns with owned, earned and shared content.
Who We’re Looking For
The person who thrives in this role will not look like a typical editorial candidate. We are seeking someone with three complementary skills sets:
- Strong writing and journalism experience. You should have a talent for developing compelling story angles and news hooks; writing succinct, clear, engaging prose; structuring a sharp, interesting narrative and logical flow; and editing and polishing work to make it shine.
- Familiarity with academic research. You should be able to understand and synthesize research and complex ideas from a range of disciplines, talk intelligently with leading experts about their work, and identify the most compelling and important insights at the heart of a piece of research.
- Curiosity about AI. You should be excited about using AI thoughtfully and finding the right balance of AI and human input for a project. You have experience using AI tools and, ideally, an interest in how to craft the most effective prompts and input to get results..
You should excel at working independently and remotely; managing projects and tasks in a timely, organized manner; and communicating well with a virtual team and with clients. Our ideal candidate is curious and self-motivated. They can see the big picture communication strategy for a client while executing the detailed work needed to implement it.
The Position & Organization
This is an hourly, fully remote role with the potential to grow over time.
We are looking for someone who can commit to between 10 and 20 hours a week. Hours are flexible and can be completed on your own schedule, though you should be available to schedule virtual meetings during U.S. working hours. The position pays in the range of $42 – $50 an hour, depending on experience level and skill set.
We are a small company with team members across the country and leadership based in Boston. The Senior Editor will be an essential member of our editorial team, collaborating with other Footnote editors on projects and interfacing directly with academics and clients. We care about the mission behind what we do and about building a sustainable, successful organization with a positive work culture.
How to Apply
If you are interested in the position, please send a short email introduction (3-6 paragraphs), a resume, and 3-5 writing samples to connect @ footnote.co with the subject line “Application for Senior Editor position.”
The most helpful writing samples are 500-1,000 word articles designed for a general audience, particularly any pieces that have been published in mainstream media outlets. Your samples should showcase your ability to translate complex ideas and research into compelling, engaging stories. We’d like to see pieces you’ve edited or collaborated with others on, if you have them, in addition to ones you’ve written on your own. If AI was involved in the creation of any of your writing samples, please explain how it was used, what worked well, and what didn’t.
In your email introduction, here are some things we’d like to know:
- What excites you about this position? What drives your passion for communicating complex ideas and research to the public?
- Do you have experience working as an editor or collaborator, in addition to writing your own pieces? How do you feel these roles differ?
- How have you been using AI in your work or personal life? What excites you about AI tools and what do you think their limitations are?
- Do you have experience working in an academic setting or collaborating with researchers?