Editor, The American Gardener - Alexandria, United States - American Horticultural Society

Description

Position Summary

The American Horticultural Society (AHS) seeks a passionate, creative Editor as a key member of the AHS Leadership Team responsible for publishing a bi-monthly magazine for home gardeners and horticultural professionals.

The Editor works closely with the AHS leadership team and a national Editorial Advisory Board (EAB).

The Editor manages the content and oversees design and production of AHS' award-winning, flagship publication _The American Gardener _(TAG).

The Editor plans, develops, and produces a magazine that educates and informs readers on a range of national horticultural topics and strategically reflects and promotes the Society's mission, programs, and brand.

AHS publishes _The American Gardener_ magazine six times per year as a primary membership benefit, which is highly valued by members.

The Editor reports to the President/CEO.


About The American Horticultural Society
The Society is headquartered at River Farm, a 26-acre garden property overlooking the Potomac River in Alexandria, VA.

By joining AHS' outstanding team of professionals, the Editor will support AHS' mission of inspiring a culture of gardening and horticultural practices that sustains healthy, beautiful communities and a livable planet.

Responsibilities

While there may be other job-related responsibilities and tasks, this job description is intended to identify the essential functions and requirements of the position.

• Develop and implement editorial strategies to drive audience engagement, growth, and loyalty.
• Create compelling and diverse content that can be leveraged across various social media platforms to maximize reach and impact.
• Identify and implement innovative approaches to storytelling that engage more diverse audience segments.
• Oversee planning, development, and timely production of a bimonthly, fourcolor membership magazine viewed as one of the organization's primary communication platforms with the AHS membership.
• Communicate proactively with the CEO and departmental directors to ensure strategic inclusion of AHS programs, mission, and other activities.
• Supervise two editorial staff members in development and production of magazine and other projects. Set priorities, oversee project flow, and monitor employee performance.
• In consultation with Advisory Board and editorial staff, develop article ideas, assign articles to freelance writers, negotiate pay for articles and rights purchased, and maintain contact with contributors.
• Create annual editorial calendar.
• Develop, prepare, and manage annual budgets for magazine department functions.
• Review, revise, and edit manuscripts, articles, and other materials as needed.
• Write articles or columns, as needed.
• Select and evaluate vendors.
• Coordinate search and interview process for hiring new editorial staff, including editorial interns each year.
• Ensure all journalistic content meets AHS standards of accuracy, integrity, and transparency.
• Stay abreast of emerging technologies and digital publishing trends to continually improve the magazine's online presence and engagement.
• Look for opportunities to innovate around the AHS mission.

Other Responsibilities

• Develop and coordinate overall communications style and format and ensure consistency with organizational branding.
• Assist other departments, as needed, with planning, editing, and proofreading of brochures, mailings, and other publications.
• Participate as a Leadership Team member of the AHS staff in regular meetings, planning, budgeting, and operations.
• Regularly attend major garden industry and garden communication events for networking, article idea generation, and recruiting potential contributors.
• Act as liaison to Book Awards Committee.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in journalism, English, or related field.
• Minimum of five years' experience in magazine editing or related field.
• Understanding of digital media (including SEO), social media, and emerging digital platforms. Experience with digital content creation, a plus.
• Prior horticultural coursework or practical experience with gardening practices, environmental science, or gardenrelated publications a plus.
• Experience balancing short and longterm project deadlines while remaining flexible.
• Excellent organizational, interpersonal, written, and verbal skills. High attention to detail.
• Proven ability to manage and supervise onsite, hybrid, and remote employees.
• Experience with Microsoft Office suite and Adobe Acrobat. Experience with Adobe Indesign, a plus.

Compensation
The Editor of _The American Gardener_ is a full-time salaried position. AHS offers generous vacation, holidays, individual health, dental, vision, and 403b benefits. Salary will range from $105,000 to $115,000, commensurate with years of experience. The position is typically based in Alexandria, VA, but has the possibility for a remote or hybrid option.


To Apply