Editor II, Network Desk - Northeast Region

OVERVIEW

A thriving, mission-driven multimedia organization, NPR produces award-winning news, information, and music programming in partnership with hundreds of independent public radio stations across the nation. The NPR audience values information, creativity, curiosity, and social responsibility – and our employees do too. We are innovators and leaders in diverse fields, from journalism and digital media to IT and development. Every day, our employees and member stations touch the lives of millions worldwide.

Across our organization, we’re building a workplace where collaboration is essential, diverse voices are heard, and inclusion is the key to our success. We are committed to doing the right thing in our journalism and in every role at NPR**. This means that integrity, adherence to our ethical standards, and compliance with legal obligations are fundamental responsibilities for every employee at NPR.

Application Instructions

• Application Deadline: Monday, October 19th, at 5:00 pm ET.
• Submission Instructions: Please submit a cover letter in addition to your resume including a direct link to a story (audio or digital) that you edited and were particularly proud of. Please describe any challenges you encountered, and call out the contributions you made.

Intro to Position

The Network Desk represents NPR’s strategic commitment to deepening, broadening, and transforming how we partner with Member stations and Regional Hubs. As the Northeast Regional Editor, you will serve as the essential bridge between local station newsrooms across the Northeast and national NPR news programs and digital platforms. In this role, you will help identify, curate, and elevate distinctive local reporting to national audiences while helping stations plan and execute ambitious enterprise and breaking news coverage.

The ideal candidate brings a collaborative editorial mindset, sharp line-editing skills across audio and text, and a commitment to expanding the diversity of sources and stories emerging from the region.

NPR defines its Northeast Region as ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, and DC.

This is a union represented role covered under the terms of a collective bargaining agreement with SAG-AFTRA.

This is an NPR editorial role covered under the terms of the NPR Ethics Handbook.All editorial staff are bound by this guidance. Editorial staff are defined as staff members who play a role in shaping the journalistic or creative direction of NPR’s content, including events.

Responsibilities

• Network Editorial Coordination: Communicate and collaborate daily with journalists, news directors, and editors across Northeast regional hubs and Member stations to identify, develop, and coordinate coverage with national resonance.
• Content Editing & Quality Assurance: Edit, fact-check, and supervise the preparation of multiplatform material (audio, digital, broadcast) from station reporters and freelancers, ensuring all work meets NPR’s journalistic standards of fairness, accuracy, and technical quality.
• Breaking News Leadership: Coordinate rapid-response breaking news coverage from the region, directing station updates and dispatches for national shows, digital platforms, and hourly newscasts.
• Show & Platform Integration: Maintain ongoing communication with NPR daily news magazines (Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Here & Now), podcasts, and the digital news desk regarding story length, angles, framing, and scheduling.
• Coverage Planning & Horizon Scanning: Track evolving regional news cycles, maintain forward-looking editorial calendars, and spot emerging cultural, political, and systemic trends across the Northeast.
• Editorial Mentorship & Training: Partner with Regional Hubs to conduct workshops, coaching sessions, and feedback discussions that strengthen station reporting capabilities and familiarize partners with NPR production workflows.
• Inclusive Sourcing & Story Development: Champion story ideas that reflect the full demographic and geographical diversity of the Northeast, actively expanding regional source networks.
• Desk Administration & Contributor Management: Coordinate administrative desk workflows, including processing freelancer agreements, story commissions, and reporter filing payments in accordance with established agreements.
• Network Collaboration: Partner with fellow regional editors and Ne…