East Coast Editor

Remote (United States)

HELP US MAKE HISTORY. Millions trust Leafly to help them find information about nearby strains and dispensaries, discover new cannabis brands and products, and to stay up-to-date on the latest cannabis news and trends. Leafly started as a spreadsheet and has since grown to become the largest cannabis information resource in the world. We are expanding rapidly and are looking for smart, forward-thinking innovators to help us achieve our goal of shaping the global cannabis landscape.

We’re driving the industry toward a fully legal, regulated, and destigmatized future, and we need some talented, passionate, creative people to help get us there. Our teams love to collaborate, problem-solve, celebrate our wins, and course-correct when needed. A career at Leafly combines the excitement of a startup, the social purpose of a non-profit, and the growth opportunities of a major corporation. Leafly salaries and benefit packages are very competitive, and we promise that you will never be bored. If you have what it takes, you will be joining a global network of innovative, passionate individuals on a revolutionary mission to change the world for the better.

Leafly is currently seeking an East Coast Senior Editor to work in our Content department.

The East Coast Senior Editor is a specialized position designed to produce content that helps Leafly’s East Coast audience understand cannabis and choose the right strains and products for them. Reporting to the Director of Content, this role will identify/report on regional product and consumption trends, cover local legalization and industry updates, manage a small pool of freelancers, and lead special content projects throughout the year.

Our ideal candidate is passionate about creating compelling, targeted content. You thrive in a fast-paced environment where you can work within a team to support shared goals but are self-sufficient enough to run with a project to its completion. You’re able to balance the quick production of stories with the slow burn of large-scale, longer features and other meaningful content projects, and you have the organizational and communication skills to stay on top of it all. You’ve been following the legalization movement for several years, and your passion for cannabis has turned you into a de facto expert on what’s hot, what’s not, and what’s to come as legal cannabis continues to spread across the eastern United States. You will have been producing cannabis journalism locally for local and regional outlets (e.g. dispensary blogs or weekly newspapers) and are ready and eager to level up to a more international profile.

Responsibilities:

Help plan and execute Leafly’s content roadmap based on a robust mix of regional trends and news, SEO-driven opportunities, and projects that align with our company goals and events throughout the year
Manage and publish articles (features, breaking news, strain lists, product recommendations, etc.) from ideation to publication
Find, onboard, and manage a small pool of local/regional freelance writers to assign stories
Update news category landing pages multiple times a week
Participate in podcast tapings, video recordings, and other digital media projects as needed
Peer edit articles and other Leafly content as needed
Story/copy edit, SEO research, and production markup content as needed
Represent Leafly in media interviews as a cannabis subject matter expert when appropriate
Collaborate with other editors, freelance writers, UX designers, CMS developers, and marketers to execute key content projects

Qualifications:

Bachelors Degree in Journalism or equivalent experience
7+ years at a newspaper, magazine, or publishing platform producing breaking and/or recurring news, especially for digital/mobile audiences
2+ years of experience as a cannabis journalist, writer, or editor
Proven “news sense” to identify a rising story or trends
Ability to travel to dispensaries, grow facilities, and other cannabis production facilities
Willingness to be exposed to a variety of cannabis products, including THC and CBD-infused products
Solid understanding of SEO best practices
Ability to operate within a defined budget
Knowledge of Microsoft Office and Google suite, and ability to work closely with tech teams via communication tools such as Slack, Trello, and the Atlassian suite
Experience with Wordpress or a similar CMS system
Strong verbal and written communication skills
Ability to multi-task and juggle various responsibilities at once
Must be an organized, enterprising self-starter who can identify a story and task themselves with reporting out the basics to inform a sharp pitch
Cannabis industry certification or equivalent experience is a plus (e.g. Oaksterdam grad, budtender, buyer, grower, etc.)
Social media experience/savviness is a plus
Photography skills/ability to take high-quality cannabis flower/product shots are a plus
Audio/video production experience (e.g. writing scripts, recording interviews) is a plus
Data journalism experience (the ability to parse data and generate/recognize cannabis data journalism story ideas) is a plus

To apply for this position, please submit your resume and cover letter plus two writing samples that demonstrate a breadth of relevant reporting/writing (e.g. one news and one strain/product piece). Applicants must be 21+.

The job description is representative of typical duties and responsibilities for the position and is not all-inclusive. Other duties and responsibilities may be assigned in accordance with business needs. Prior cannabis convictions are not an automatic disqualifier. We are an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will be considered regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability or genetics. A background check will be conducted after a conditional offer of employment is extended.