Department: Communications
Location: Washington, DC
Schedule: Flexible hybrid, minimum 2 days in-office per week
Job Status: Full-time
Experience: 6-8 years of professional editing experience, ideally in journalism
Salary: $90,000- $110,000, plus a generous benefits package
Reports to: Vice President of Communications
The Niskanen Center
Named “the most interesting think tank in American politics” by Time magazine in March 2023, the Niskanen Center promotes policies that advance prosperity, opportunity, and human flourishing, guided by the belief that a free market and an effective government are mutually dependent.
We are forging a new vision of American governance that draws on ideas from across the ideological spectrum, an approach made possible by our independence from rigid political coalitions. Our fiercely independent thought gives us credibility to work with a broad range of actors, meeting them on their own terms and helping them converge on policies they might support for different reasons.
The Position
The Niskanen Center is seeking an experienced editor to manage our growing content pipeline. This role requires a keen editorial eye, strong political instincts, and the ability to translate complex and technical policy insights into clear, compelling content for non-expert audiences, including legislative staffers, civil servants, and journalists.
We are looking for an editor familiar with and highly committed to our core policy vision, which includes a strong defense of liberal democracy, support for a well-functioning government, a dynamic private sector that challenges entrenched interests, and robust risk insurance policies such as cash benefits for families and unemployment insurance. The editor should also be willing and able to toggle between high-level feedback and line edits. Ideally, this individual could also hold writing seminars and coach new staff, interns, and others who wish to improve their writing.
Key Responsibilities:
- Editorial Oversight: Edit a range of materials, including white papers, policy briefs, regulatory comments, legislative testimony, and website content.
- Structural Editing: Provide high-level feedback on drafts, ensuring clarity of argument, logical flow, audience targeting, and alignment with the organization’s policy vision.
- Line Editing & Copy Editing: Refine sentence structure, maintain a balance between authorial voice and organizational tone, and ensure grammatical accuracy, proper citations, and consistency in formatting.
- Collaboration & Coaching: Work closely with policy analysts and other authors to provide constructive feedback that strengthens both their work and their writing skills.
- Communications & Branding Support: Partner with the communications team to manage workflow, discuss content strategy, track emerging trends, and refine the organization’s messaging.
- Style & Quality Control: Maintain and update the Niskanen Center’s style guide, ensuring editorial consistency across all publications.
- Project & Workflow Management: Use online project management tools to track editing tasks, communicate with colleagues, and meet deadlines efficiently.
Minimum skills and experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in English, Journalism, Communications, or related field.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and Google Suite.
- Strong attention to detail and a commitment to producing error-free work
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Ability to work independently as well as part of a team
Preferred skills and experience:
- Deep familiarity with and commitment to the Niskanen Center’s worldview. This includes a strong defense of liberal democracy, support for a well-functioning government, a dynamic private sector that challenges entrenched interests, and robust risk insurance policies such as cash benefits for families and unemployment insurance.
- At least five years of professional writing experience, ideally in journalism, with a minimum of three years of editing experience.
- A strong understanding of American politics and public policy with the ability to quickly grasp new policy areas.
- A sharp editorial instinct—capable of identifying sensitive or provocative claims that require careful framing.
- Agility and efficiency, with the ability to handle multiple projects, meet tight deadlines, and provide high-quality, short-turnaround edits when needed.
- Excellent verbal communication skills, with the ability to provide empathetic and constructive editorial feedback.
- Comfort integrating new technologies, including AI-powered editing tools, into the workflow.
Benefits and Diversity Commitment
Unlimited paid time off; office is closed on all federal holidays plus the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day; paid parental leave; 100% health, dental, and vision insurance for the employee; 403(b) plan with 4% organization contribution, no vesting period; commuter benefits for D.C. based employees.
The Niskanen Center is an equal-opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without discrimination of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status. We also seek to expand our professional networks and workplace composition to better reflect our dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
How to Apply
We only review applications after the deadline: applications must be submitted by 11:59 pm ET on May 30, 2025. Please include a cover letter, resume, and, if available, writing samples and/or tracked editing samples. Be prepared to present additional materials during the interview process.
Use the link below to apply. No phone calls, please.