The Guardian is a global news organization that delivers fearless, independent journalism. From breaking news and award-winning investigations, to in-depth coverage of technology, sports, film, culture and lifestyle, the Guardian offers a global view that deepens our audiences' understanding of America and the world.

Headquartered in New York City, Guardian US is an entirely digital operation that seeks to engage US readers by combining the Guardian's international coverage with US voices and expertise. Core coverage areas include the climate emergency, economic and racial inequality, digital privacy and much more. Guardian US launched in 2011 and today has bureaus in New York, Washington DC, New Orleans and Los Angeles. The Guardian is an independently owned, mission-driven organization, funded by readers around the globe.

It’s the talent, energy and commitment our people bring to The Guardian that make us who we are. Across our business we have some of the most creative thinkers in media and beyond: award winning journalists, cutting edge commercial teams, digital talent and more.

The Guardian US seeks an experienced SEO editor to grow and deepen engagement with our US audience. This editor will help shape the Guardian’s US search strategy by optimizing daily content and identifying opportunities for new stories. They will also work on longer term strategy for key coverage areas and tentpole news events.

SEO editor, US

Department: Editorial

Reports to: Head of Audience Development

Location: New York, NY

Terms and conditions: Full time, permanent. News Media Guild position. Some early, late and weekend work may be required.

Salary range: $90,000 - $100,000

The ideal candidate has a firm grasp of the Guardian’s brand and editorial identity and possesses a strong understanding of the US news media landscape to find opportunities to experiment and grow.

They need to be able to act decisively when news breaks and step in to help steer our live coverage. In those moments, they should offer strong real-time optimization for our live blogs, identify opportunities for secondary explainers and make sure our coverage is reaching the intended audience — and adjust when it isn’t.

Additionally, the ideal candidate should be able to zoom out and think strategically beyond the current news cycle, and consider what opportunities there might be for evergreen content from our lifestyle, features and culture desks.

They must have a solid understanding of journalism ethics, exceptional writing and editing skills and strong communications skills. They should also have a deep understanding of audience analytics and be able to clearly communicate best practices to newsroom colleagues.

The SEO editor will also support the Guardian’s wider audience goals, which include increasing engagement and loyalty of our US audience, and diversifying our audiences culturally and geographically to build a readership that is representative of America.

Key responsibilities

• Work closely with newsroom colleagues to find search-driven story opportunities to grow the Guardian’s US readership
• Pitch story ideas and coverage areas based on audience trends
• Optimize daily content, working with editors to create compelling headlines across platforms
• Train editors and reporters on optimization best practices
• Provide competitive analysis on search performance to newsroom colleagues
• Work with assignment editors to identify and create explainers and FAQs that serve US readers
• Plan ahead for longer-term tent pole events and work with editors to build coverage plans
• Analyze the performance of our stories on search and provide feedback to the newsroom
• Work with audience colleagues in the US, the UK and Australia to constantly refine best practice and build the widest, most relevant global audience for all of the Guardian’s journalism

Key skills & experience

• At least five years’ experience working closely in or with a news team in an audience or SEO-related role
• Deep understanding of audience analytics and SEO tools such as Semrush
• Up-to-date knowledge of the US news media competitive landscape
• Strong writing skills and editorial judgement
• Excellent communication skills and a collaborative approach
• Experience making data-informed editorial decisions

How to Apply

We know there are great candidates who might not check all these boxes or who possess important skills we haven’t thought of. If that’s you, we encourage you to apply and tell us about yourself.

All candidates interested in applying should upload a resume and cover letter as one document.

Guardian News & Media is an equal employment opportunity employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, national origin or citizenship.

We value and respect all differences (seen and unseen) in all people at the Guardian. We aspire to have inclusive working experiences and an environment that reflects the audience we serve, where our people have equal access to career development opportunities, their voices are heard and can contribute to our future.