Associate Director of Editorial

Reports to: Vice President of Communications

Department: Marketing and Communications

Status: Full-time, Exempt

About Central Park and the Central Park Conservancy:

Central Park is one of the world's most famous and beloved public spaces. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in 1858, the 843-acre Park was the country's first purpose-built public park and is a National Historic Landmark and a New York Scenic Landmark. The Central Park Conservancy, a private, not-for-profit organization, was founded in 1980 to rescue the Park, which had fallen into serious disrepair. Since then, the Conservancy has overseen the investment of over $1.5 billion in the restoration of the Park, which now hosts over 40 million visitors a year.

The Conservancy is one of the largest and most successful public private partnerships in New York City and is considered a major civic institution given its impact on the health and vibrancy of both the Park and the City. The Conservancy’s mission is to preserve and celebrate Central Park as a sanctuary from urban life. The City of New York has formally entrusted the care of the Park to the Conservancy which is responsible for every aspect of its care, including landscape maintenance, capital improvements, and the visitor experience. The Conservancy employs roughly 400 people and has an annual operating budget of $100 million.

The Position

The Associate Director of Editorial is a key member of the content team and responsible for managing the Conservancy’s editorial process and creating new content for the website, newsletters, and relevant materials. Additionally, this position collaborates with social media, videography, and other members of the Communications teams to develop cohesive campaigns reaching a wide swath of audiences. It also oversees the editorial and approvals process for all written content produced within the organization, ensuring content cohesiveness.

The ideal candidate can both ideate, write and edit engaging and effective copy, varying tone and style based on the initiative and audience. This position will collaborate with team members across the organization to develop editorial concepts aligned with organizational priorities, while writing copy that is engaging and meets established business objectives. The role will require a high standard of writing and editing excellence, and an understanding of the role the Conservancy plays in the civic life of New York City and of the emotional connections people have with the Park.

Key Responsibilities:

• Ideate and develop an editorial calendar in partnership with the wider Communications team to ensure narratives, tone of voice, and storytelling align with institutional goals
• Manage content flow, updates, and editing on the Conservancy homepage and other key landing pages across the website
• Mentor and guide the Senior Marketing Writer and Editor, define success, manage their workflow processes, deliver performance reviews, and provide regular feedback
• Set strategic direction for the Conservancy’s long-form content, ensuring content mix is reflective of all aspects of the Conservancy’s work and addresses topics of interest to the Park’s visitors
• Assign, write, and edit content including magazine articles, guides, newsletters, event promotions, in-Park signage, and collateral pieces
• Project manage for key initiatives (e.g. Annual Report, Capital Projects updates, marketing campaigns, etc.), including research, writing, editing, and internal approvals
• Cultivate and manage, as necessary, freelance copyeditors to ensure a consistent brand voice and deadlines are met
• Review current communications materials and update copy based on the Conservancy’s narrative and tone guidelines and style guide
• Maintain house style guide

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 5-7 years of commensurate experience
• Experience writing copy for email, website, and social media
• Excellent time management skills and attention to detail
• Management experience; ability to set clear priorities
• Knowledge of SEO best practices for website copy
• Excellent proofreading and copyediting skills
• Ability to work in fast-paced, flexible setting
• Excellent follow-up and follow-through skills
• Strong interpersonal skills, ability to work with stakeholders across the organization
• Creative, strategic thinker who can translate big ideas into compelling and effective copy

Salary range: $89K - $112K (based on experience)

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION

The Central Park Conservancy’s work is guided by the belief that Central Park, and all public parks, must be managed and actively protected as an inclusive and democratic space for all.

Working closely with our New York City partners, we will always strive towards creating and sustaining a sense of belonging for all visitors and advocating for equitable and accessible public use of the Park.

In service of this belief, we are committed to fostering a workforce and organizational culture that is as diverse as Central Park itself and the dynamic city it serves.

Safety Requirements

Establishment and maintenance of a safe work environment is the shared responsibility of this organization and employees at every level. The Conservancy will make every effort to assure a safe environment and be in compliance with federal, state, and local safety regulations. Employees are expected to obey safety rules and to exercise caution in all their work activities. Accordingly, employees should be aware of any hazards, which could cause an injury or accident (e.g., spills, obstacles in walkways, etc.). If an employee discovers a potential dangerous condition, he/she should alert other employees and notify his/her supervisor immediately.

Disclaimer

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.