Vox is seeking an Executive Editor who will bring a clear vision, original ideas, and a deep understanding of the political and policy landscape. This leader will define what Vox’s politics and policy journalism should look like in 2026 and beyond, ensuring our work serves audiences outside the political bubble and connects meaningfully with the next generation of audiences.
You will guide and elevate Vox’s politics and policy coverage across formats (text and audio, and also collaborating with video), manage a high-performing team of reporters and editors, and oversee our flagship Today, Explained and Explain It to Me podcast teams. This role calls for someone who excels at identifying the political forces shaping people’s lives — and translating that into sharp, clear, memorable explanatory journalism.
The ideal candidate is someone who can set a vision for politics coverage that focuses on serving everyday people across the US, rather than Washington insiders — meeting them where they are, answering their questions, and covering the stories that matter to them and impact their day-to-day lives.
They should also be an innovator who is eager to experiment with new mediums. They will directly manage text and audio teams, but also collaborate closely with the video team to help ideate on video story ideas and formats that reach and serve audiences who consume their news through social platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
They should be a strong, experienced people manager who is comfortable managing editors as well as reporters. They will be a key member of the newsroom leadership team, reporting to the Editor-in-Chief & Publisher.
What You’ll Do
- Oversee three editorial teams in the newsroom: Politics, Policy, and Ideas; Today, Explained and Explain It to Me; and Even Better and Lifestyle.
- Shape vision and strategy for Vox’s political journalism in 2026 and the years ahead, centering audiences who feel overlooked or underserved by traditional political coverage.
- Direct daily, short-, and long-term editorial plans, managing the balance between bigger original pieces and shorter pieces that are responsive to news, and directing the team when it’s necessary to pivot from plans due to news.
- Develop coverage strategies that meet audience members where they are — including audiences newer to news, politically disengaged readers/listeners, and younger audiences with different expectations of how news should work.
- Ensure our journalism is accessible, relevant, and grounded in real-world questions and concerns, not just the narratives dominating political insiders’ conversations.
- Identify opportunities to grow reach and impact through new formats, collaborations, and storytelling approaches, and partner with other teams to execute on multiplatform ideas.
- Mentor team members at all levels, helping them develop ideas and angles, structure stories, and strengthen their reporting.
- Oversee editorial strategy and execution for Today, Explained and Explain It to Me, ensuring the shows meet Vox’s standards for clarity, depth, creativity, and broad accessibility.
- Strengthen collaboration between text, audio, and video teams to ensure cohesive, cross-platform political coverage.
- Work with senior leadership across teams to shape Vox’s priorities and coverage strategy around major political moments (elections, legislative cycles, global events, court decisions, etc.).
- Coordinate cross-newsroom efforts around major projects, tentpoles, investigations, and explanatory initiatives.
What You’ll Bring
- 10+ years of political journalism experience, including at least 5 years managing editorial teams.
- A track record of original, ambitious political or policy journalism that reaches and engages audiences beyond the traditional political news consumer.
- Strong vision for how political coverage needs to evolve — and concrete ideas for what Vox’s political journalism should look like in 2026 and beyond.
- Exceptional editorial judgment and the ability to cut through noise with clarity and insight.
- Demonstrated success developing talent and cultivating collaborative, inclusive teams.
- Strong understanding of how to execute high-quality explanatory work across mediums and platforms
- Experience working with or overseeing audio teams is a strong plus.
Commitment to Vox’s mission to help audiences understand what really matters.
