Community Editor - Atlas Obscura

Atlas Obscura — aided by our passionate community of contributors and users — is committed to building the definitive guide to the wonders of the world, fostering curiosity, and providing readers with trustworthy, on-the-ground reporting, storytelling, and experiences that enable exploration. As we expand and evolve our editorial offerings, we’re looking for a community editor who can leverage excellent content and communications to help us strengthen our relationship with our audience, deepen community engagement, and ultimately expand our membership program.

This role, which will sit on the editorial team but collaborate across departments on an as-needed basis, will be responsible for developing and managing a new members-only newsletter; serving as the primary liaison for user and member communications; managing feedback channels; and fostering a positive, responsive relationship with our audience. The ideal candidate will be a self-starter, proactive in finding creative ways to build and strengthen a digital community with shared interests, and passionate about cultivating engagement and meaningful interactions. Our contributors, who have collectively added tens of thousands of travel destinations to our database, have set Atlas Obscura apart from the very beginning; this is an exciting opportunity to serve as their first in-house advocate and voice, and to shape how we engage with and expand our membership community.

Atlas Obscura is a remote-first company, so you can live and work from anywhere in the continental United States or Canada. We believe exploration is for everyone, and we encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply. If you don’t meet every qualification listed below, don’t hesitate to reach out and tell us what you bring to the table. This is a new role, and we’re looking for problem solvers who can help us build community; if you have experience in this space, we want to hear from you. Review the job description and consider applying below. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, and we’ll begin reaching out to selected candidates immediately.

• Launch and Oversee a Members-Only Newsletter: Develop, produce, and manage a compelling, editorial-driven newsletter exclusively for members, providing a mix of behind-the-scenes insights, curated content, and interactive community-driven features; work with the editorial team to define and refine the newsletter’s tone, format, and structure based on audience feedback and engagement metrics, ensuring that it serves users while strengthening our overall editorial program.
• User Engagement and Feedback Management: Serve as the primary liaison for user and member communications, managing feedback channels and fostering a positive, responsive relationship with our audience; identify opportunities to feature user feedback in public-facing editorial content and product offerings, and in strategic discussions that shape the evolution of our editorial strategy.
• Community-Driven Content Development: Lead the creation and curation of other community-focused editorial content initiatives, (i.e. member-generated lists, trip reports, reader recommendations, and/or engagement-driven series such as reader polls or member spotlights); elevate member voices across our platforms while ensuring alignment with Atlas Obscura’s editorial standards.
• Membership Promotion: Collaborate with our product and marketing teams to review and provide feedback on membership-related CTAs, landing pages, and promotional materials across newsletters, articles, and other digital products; act as the editorial representative to ensure that messaging, design, and user experience are consistent with editorial standards; provide input on copy, design, and user engagement strategies to strengthen membership conversion and retention efforts.
• Track Membership Metrics: Monitor and analyze KPIs related to membership growth, engagement, and retention; collect and report on data such as newsletter performance, member participation in community initiatives, and overall user engagement; present regular insights and actionable recommendations to editorial and leadership teams, using data-driven analysis to refine strategies, improve membership offerings, and optimize the effectiveness of engagement programs.
• Cross-Department Collaboration: Identify opportunities to create product-driven engagement features that support and enhance editorial efforts; collaborate with other departments to implement those with the most potential to drive growth.

• A minimum of 3 years of full-time experience in fast-paced digital editorial, audience engagement, or community management roles, with a background primarily in writing, editing, communications, and/or content strategy.
• Proven experience creating, managing, and growing new editorial products that drive reader engagement and/or membership growth and advance business goals, with a strong preference for those with newsletter and distribution experience.
• Familiarity with user-generated content moderation and best practices.
• Proven success in building and nurturing online communities, developing engagement strategies, and managing user feedback and communications.
• Demonstrated success working across departments (product, marketing, operations, editorial) to align and advance strategies with broader business goals.
• Ability to manage multiple projects with overlapping deadlines in a remote-first environment; experience with project management tools (i.e. Airtable, Asana, Trello, Notion) and operating complex content management systems independently.

Compensation

The expected base salary range for this position is between $70,000 and $80,000, plus equity. Salary offers are based on a wide range of factors including but not limited to relevant skills, training, experience, and education. Benefits for full-time employees include contributions toward health, dental, and vision for both employee and family; a remote working stipend; and resources to set up a home office.

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