National News & Features Editor

ABOUT US
Concrete Playground is an award-winning digital media brand that publishes city guides connecting smart, young, urban people with the best news, places, events and experiences around them. Think of us as a travel guide for locals, inspiring people to become tourists in their own cities. 
 
Every day, tens of thousands of people eat, drink, see and do things because they read about them on Concrete Playground. As well as providing breaking news to millennials on matters of city, state and national interest, Concrete Playground covers the best events, experiences, places and people across the hospitality, entertainment, creative and travel industries.

OVERVIEW
Do you have a passion for and deep understanding of the way in which food & drink, the arts, travel, fashion and technology impact the cities we live in? Do you love crafting compelling digital strategies that deliver stories worth spending time with? Do you love breaking news and can write accurate, balanced and engaging news stories in a fast-paced environment?
 
Concrete Playground is currently seeking a skilled writer and editor to join its Sydney team as News & Features Editor, driving our daily agenda and contributing to the brand’s traffic growth and audience engagement.

RESPONSIBILITIES
Reporting to the Editorial Director, and working closely with the editorial team and a national contributor network, you’ll be Concrete Playground’s go-to news editor Monday to Friday. As someone who closely follows the news and inherently understands the cultural landscape of your city, you’ll come up with story ideas, edit and write articles, and publish and share timely content. 
 
You’ll know the difference between clickbait and genuinely great, clickable content. You’ll dream up new creative ideas, commission editorial and photography work, and work with the team to produce beautiful, compelling digital content every day. 
 
Your day-to-day roles will include:

• Working with the Editorial Director and editorial team to execute Concrete Playground’s editorial strategy across Australia and New Zealand.
• Juggling breaking news with multiple competing deadlines and delivering website content in a timely fashion to our readers.
• Managing the day-to-day activities of a network of freelance writers and photographers across Australia and New Zealand.
• Commissioning and producing interesting, engaging and topical digital content about food, drink, arts, culture, technology, travel, lifestyle and urban affairs.
• Developing new ideas for creative content that resonates with our readers.
• Fastidious sub-editing of our digital content, making images, text, video and links work together as a happy whole.
• Management of social media and newsletter channels to ensure our content is being promoted and repurposed efficiently.
• Tracking and evaluating analytics to drive the business’ growth in traffic, market share and engagement.
• Proactively monitoring trends across other media platforms, engaging in industry best practices and delivering insights to the team.

ABOUT YOU

• A university degree in media, arts or a related field.
• At least three years’ experience as a writer or editor in digital media.
• A creative and strategic self-starter with the ability to hold others accountable to deadlines.
• A strong engagement with the cultural scene of your city.
• A motivated team player who can work collaboratively within a team.
• You’re adaptable, proactive and enthusiastically embrace new ideas.
• A detailed understanding of the ANZ media environment and a commitment to furthering the interests and needs of our broad and diverse audience.
• A demonstrated ability to write smart, funny, popular articles, and to come up with even more ideas than you can write.
• Highly proficient sub-editing skills and ability to work with a style guide.
• Experience with social media strategy and best practices. 
• Advanced knowledge of WordPress, SEO and analytics tools.
• A good eye for images and skills with image production (preferably Photoshop).

HOW TO APPLY

Please send your application to Concrete Playground’s General Manager via jobs@concreteplayground.com.au, along with the following:

• A cover letter.
• Your CV/resume.
• Links to (or PDFs of) three samples of your work.
• A brief paragraph explaining how you would drive forward Concrete Playground’s editorial agenda in 2021.
• Three ideas for things you would do differently if hired as National News & Features Editor.