Senior Director, Editorial

Senior Director, Editorial

Communications

The Communications department supports leaders at all levels of the institution to promote project and campaign efforts, inform key audiences, and protect and advance Pew’s reputation. The department provides a comprehensive range of communications services for all programmatic and administrative units and Trusts-operated projects. Our in-house expertise includes strategy and message development; editorial; design and creative services; media event planning; digital and video production; and social media strategy and production. The department oversees all communications policies, guidelines, and processes to ensure production of the highest quality work and effectively steward Pew's resources. Within the Communications department, the creative team is an essential partner helping to shape Pew’s brand and articulate its mission. Through comprehensive visual storytelling, the team amplifies Pew’s message and crafts tailored materials that resonate with and engage our audiences.

Position Overview

The Senior Director, Editorial leads Pew’s editorial team and ensures that all written content meets the highest standards of clarity, accuracy, and institutional voice. This role is responsible for overseeing the editorial process across reports, op-eds, analysis pieces, public statements, and other print and digital materials. The senior director will work closely with Pew’s management team, program communications, and the digital, creative, and multimedia teams to ensure that editorial content is integrated into Pew’s broader storytelling strategy and aligned with the organization’s messaging and communication goals.

Reporting to the Vice President, Creative, Editorial, Digital and Multimedia, the Senior Director, Editorial supervises a team of writers and editors, providing strategic direction and guidance. This position requires a strong understanding of editorial workflows, content strategy, and cross-platform storytelling. The role will focus on leading a team that produces high-quality, engaging content while refining internal processes to improve efficiency and collaboration, act as a key liaison between editorial and other departments, ensuring cross-functional collaboration.

This position, based in Pew’s Washington, DC office, will participate in Pew’s core in-office days on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and will have flexibility to work from home the remainder of the week. 

Responsibilities

• Lead Pew’s editorial strategy, ensuring alignment with institutional goals and a proactive production approach to content development.
• Oversee a division responsible for writing projects and editing of all written public facing materials.
• Manage and mentor a team of editors and writers in collaboration with their managers to maintain high standards of editorial quality across all written content. Ensure professional development opportunities for editorial team and provide performance management feedback and support.
• Oversee the production of Trust and Trend magazines, ensuring consistent quality and editorial integrity.
• Develop, maintain, and regularly update editorial guidelines and best practices that foster clarity, accuracy, and consistency across Pew’s written materials.
• Collaborate closely with program communications and the digital, creative, and multimedia teams to integrate editorial efforts into Pew’s overall content strategy.
• Guide the editorial team in shaping complex research and policy findings into accessible, compelling narratives for public and policymaker audiences.
• Oversee and establish training programs that enhance writing skills across the institution, including programs tailored for researchers, program staff, and communications professionals. Create and maintain up-to-date resources and reference materials that reinforce best practices and support continued learning.
• Work with program teams to ensure their content aligns with Pew’s broader storytelling objectives and institutional messaging.
• Identify opportunities to streamline editorial workflows, improving efficiency while maintaining high editorial standards.
• Lead efforts to modernize editorial workflows, integrating digital tools and technologies that enhance efficiency and quality.  Support the creation of templates and structured content formats that allow for consistency and faster production timelines.
• Partner with the digital strategy team to ensure editorial content is optimized for online engagement and distribution while keeping the primary focus on content quality and storytelling.
• Provide strategic counsel to leadership on editorial matters, helping shape thought leadership content and high-profile written materials.
• Explore and implement new editorial formats such as interact