Managing editor: what the role is, the three settings, seven duties, how it differs from an editor-in-chief, a deputy editor and a production editor, and a job description template

Every publication has somebody who knows, at any hour, what is late, who is on it, what it will cost and whether it will be out on time. The editor-in-chief decides what the publication is; this person makes sure it exists. The title is managing editor, and it is one of the least understood jobs in publishing, partly because it appears in newsrooms, book houses and content marketing teams with different weights, and partly because the best managing editors make the operation look as if it runs itself.

This article explains what a managing editor does, using the US O*NET occupational database, the UK National Careers Service and the Prospects graduate careers service, describes the three settings, groups the work into seven duties, separates the role from the editor-in-chief, the deputy editor and the production editor, lists the skills and routes in, and gives a job description template with objectives.

An editorial operation is a set of stages with deadlines, and the managing editor's job is to see where every piece is. See how New Dynamics workflows run your own stages, owners and deadlines with a completion view, so the state of the schedule is visible without a Monday round of emails.

What is a managing editor?

A managing editor runs the editorial operation of a publication, an imprint or a content team. Where the editor-in-chief or editor owns the direction, the voice and the big editorial calls, the managing editor owns the machinery: the schedule, the budget, the staff and freelancers, the flow of work from commission to publication, the standards and the production process.

O*NET describes editors as people who “plan, coordinate, revise, or edit written material”, and its tasks include the managing editor's core: “plan the contents of publications according to the publication's style, editorial policy, and publishing requirements”; “oversee publication production, including artwork, layout, computer typesetting, and printing, ensuring adherence to deadlines and budget requirements”; “supervise and coordinate work of reporters and other editors”; “assign topics, events and stories to individual writers or reporters for coverage”; “confer with management and editorial staff members regarding placement and emphasis of developing news stories”; and “direct the policies and departments of newspapers, magazines and other publishing establishments”.

The National Careers Service describes the editor's day as contributing to content planning meetings, commissioning features, articles and podcasts, checking that submitted work meets the company's editorial guidelines, choosing which content to publish and when, deciding page layouts, assessing work from freelance journalists, photographers and illustrators, and checking for legal issues such as libel or breach of copyright. In a publication large enough to have both, the editor-in-chief keeps the choosing and the managing editor keeps the checking, the scheduling and the freelancers.

The three settings

1. Newsrooms and magazines. The managing editor sits between the editor-in-chief and the desks: the daily or weekly schedule, the staffing rota, the freelance budget, the flow to production, the legal read and the standards. In smaller titles the managing editor and the deputy editor are one person.
2. Book and journal publishing. The managing editor runs the list's schedule through copy-editing, typesetting, proofs and print, manages the freelance editors and proofreaders, and keeps the production budget. Journals add peer-review logistics.
3. Content marketing and digital teams. The managing editor owns the editorial calendar, briefs and manages the writers, enforces the style guide and quality bar, and reports on output and performance to a head of content or marketing director. The creative producer is the nearest equivalent on the video and campaign side.

Say which setting the advert is for, because the skills weight differently: legal and news judgement in the first, production process in the second, briefing and performance in the third.

Managing editor responsibilities: seven duties

Grouped from the O*NET tasks and the National Careers Service profile, the work has seven parts.

1. The schedule. Own the editorial calendar or the list schedule: what is commissioned, in progress, in edit, in production and published, with dates for each; chase what is late; move what must move. The managing editor is the person who can say, on any day, where everything is.
2. The budget. Manage the editorial and freelance budget; commission within it; track spend on writers, photographers, illustrators, rights and production; report it.
3. The people. Supervise and coordinate the work of writers, reporters and other editors, as O*NET puts it; rota the staff; hire, brief and pay the freelancers; run the one-to-ones and the reviews; develop the junior editors.
4. The flow. Design and run the process from brief to publication: commissioning, first edit, sub-edit, fact check, legal read, layout, proofs, sign-off. Remove the bottlenecks; decide the exceptions.
5. Standards and legal. Keep the style guide and editorial guidelines current and applied; make sure submitted work meets them, in the National Careers Service's words; check for libel, copyright and other legal issues, or make sure the legal read happens; verify facts, dates and statistics, as O*NET's first task has it.
6. Production and platforms. Oversee production, including artwork, layout and printing, ensuring adherence to deadlines and budget, in O*NET's terms; in digital teams, the content management system, the publishing checklist and the technical standards.
7. The numbers. Report on output, timeliness, budget and, in digital teams, performance; feed the editor-in-chief and the business the facts they need to decide.

Managing editor vs editor-in-chief vs deputy editor vs production editor

In small publications one person holds two or three of these. Prospects describes the ladder in magazines as editorial assistant, junior writer or reporter, then features writer, sub-editor or deputy features editor, then features editor, with progression to deputy editor or editor-in-chief for those with strong leadership skills; the National Careers Service says an experienced editor can become editor-in-chief of a group of titles or a commissioning editor in book publishing. The managing editor usually comes from the sub-editing, production or desk-editing side of that ladder rather than from star writing.

Skills employers look for

The National Careers Service lists knowledge of the English language and of media production, attention to detail, excellent written and verbal communication, the ability to work well with others, flexibility, organisation of time and workload, and confidence with the main software packages. For the managing editor specifically, add:

• Organisation at scale. Dozens of pieces at different stages, each with a deadline and a person.
• Calm authority. Chasing a senior writer for the third time without losing the relationship.
• Editorial judgement without the byline. Enough to know when a piece is not ready, and to say so.
• Numbers. The budget, the freelance rates, the output and, in digital, the performance data.
• Process sense. Seeing where the flow breaks and fixing the process, not the person.
• Legal awareness. Libel, copyright and privacy well enough to know when to call the lawyer.

Routes in and qualifications

The National Careers Service lists degrees in English, journalism, media studies or publishing, postgraduate qualifications in publishing or journalism, and training with a professional body, with specialist publications wanting a relevant subject degree. O*NET places editors in Job Zone four, usually a bachelor's degree. Most managing editors are promoted from senior sub-editor, chief sub-editor, production editor, desk editor or senior content editor roles, and hired on a record of running a schedule and a team rather than on a portfolio of writing.

Managing editor job description template

Job title: Managing Editor (state the setting: Magazine, Newsroom, Books, Journals, Content)

Reports to: Editor-in-Chief, Editorial Director, Publisher or Head of Content

Scope: State the titles or list, the frequency, the size of the editorial team and freelance roster, the budget, the production model and the platforms.

Purpose: Run the editorial operation so that the publication comes out on time, within budget and to the house standards: the schedule, the budget, the people, the process, the standards and production.

Responsibilities:

• Own the editorial calendar or list schedule; track every piece from commission to publication; resolve delays.
• Manage the editorial and freelance budget; commission within it; report spend.
• Supervise and coordinate writers, editors and freelancers; rota the team; run one-to-ones and reviews; develop junior editors.
• Design and run the flow from brief to publication; remove bottlenecks; decide exceptions.
• Keep the style guide and editorial guidelines current and applied; ensure fact checking and the legal read.
• Oversee production and platforms: artwork, layout, proofs, print or publish, and the content system.
• Report on output, timeliness, budget and performance to the editor-in-chief and the business.

Skills and experience:

• A record of running an editorial schedule and team in a comparable setting, from a senior sub-editing, production or desk-editing role.
• Organisation across many pieces and people; calm authority; editorial judgement.
• Budget management; confident with the production tools and content systems in use.
• Knowledge of libel, copyright and privacy law as it affects publishing; attention to detail.

Working pattern: State the hours, the press or publishing days, and any evening or weekend cover the schedule requires.

Progression: Deputy editor, editor-in-chief, editorial director or head of content.

Objectives for the appraisal

The managing editor is measured on the operation:

1. Timeliness. Issues, editions or calendar items published on schedule, with the reasons for any slip recorded.
2. Budget. Editorial and freelance spend within budget; rates and rights managed.
3. Standards. Corrections, legal issues and post-publication fixes as a proportion of output, moving the right way.
4. The team. Staff and freelancers retained, junior editors developed, the flow measurably faster or smoother than a year ago.

Frequently asked questions

What does a managing editor do?

Runs the editorial operation of a publication or content team: the schedule, the budget, the staff and freelancers, the flow of work from commission to publication, the standards and legal checks, and the production process. The US occupational database lists overseeing publication production while ensuring adherence to deadlines and budget, supervising and coordinating reporters and other editors, and planning contents according to editorial policy among editors' tasks.

What is the difference between a managing editor and an editor-in-chief?

The editor-in-chief sets the direction, the voice and the big editorial calls and owns the relationship with the publisher; the managing editor makes sure the publication comes out on time, within budget and to standard by running the schedule, the people, the process and production. In small publications one person does both.

What is the difference between a managing editor and a deputy editor?

The deputy editor stands in for the editor and usually edits the most important pieces; the managing editor runs the operation. Some titles combine them; larger ones keep them separate, with the deputy on the editorial side and the managing editor on the operational side.

What qualifications does a managing editor need?

Usually a degree, often in English, journalism, media or publishing, with a postgraduate publishing or journalism qualification common, in the National Careers Service's list; the US occupational database places editors in Job Zone four. The decisive evidence is a record of running an editorial schedule and a team, typically from a senior sub-editing, production or desk-editing role.

Is a managing editor a manager?

Yes. The managing editor supervises writers, editors and freelancers, runs their one-to-ones and reviews, manages a budget and owns a process. It is the most managerial of the editorial jobs below editor-in-chief, and the advert should say so.

Your next step: name the setting and the operation

1. Say which setting the role sits in and who the managing editor reports to.
2. Describe the operation: titles, frequency, team, freelancers, budget and platforms.
3. Draw the line between the managing editor and the editor-in-chief, deputy and production editor.
4. Set objectives on timeliness, budget, standards and the team, and review them each quarter.

For the conversations a managing editor has with every writer and editor, read and download our manager one-to-one guide. The guide is free to read, and the PDF uses our short download form.

Want the editorial stages, deadlines and owners visible in one place, with reviews and one-to-ones beside them? Book a New Dynamics demo and bring your current schedule. You can also email contact@new-dynamics.com.