Current Job openings at The Conversation U.S.

In this important role, you will commission and edit local news stories for Pittsburgh, with an emphasis on health and well-being, and develop meaningful relationships with local media in the city and state. This is a new grant-funded position, and you’ll help us evaluate our strengths and weaknesses and be flexible if priorities shift over time. It is part of our local news initiative.

Salary Range: $64,000 to $70,000 

Experience: 3-7 years

Educational qualifications: Bachelor's degree 

Reporting manager: Pennsylvania Editor

Benefits: 401(k) matching, PTO, sick days, health insurance, dental insurance, life insurance,  parental leave, vision insurance, paid holidays 

Works closely with: Director of Local News + Collaborations, freelance local editors, outreach team 

Location: Pittsburgh, PA or surrounding area

• Generate ideas, chase stories and engage diplomatically with scholars and our team to commission and edit at least 40 articles about Pittsburgh from academics over a year’s time. These stories will focus on health and well-being.
• Work to develop meaningful communication with local news outlets in Pittsburgh with the goal of understanding how The Conversation can support their reporting, help them fill coverage gaps and increase the number of quality republications.
• Identify and edit one collaborative project – like a short co-branded series – with a local news outlet in the first year.
• Liaise with communication professionals at local member schools – Carnegie Mellon and the University of Pittsburgh.
• Help the local team reach its goal of producing 6 stories a week by assisting other editors on the team to move their stories when needed.
• Choose appropriate and arresting photos, graphs and other visual elements to accompany stories, including by commissioning original photography when appropriate and making original graphics in Datawrapper.
• Support our diversity initiative by commissioning and working with scholars from a variety of backgrounds.

Skills/Knowledge:

• Excellent news judgment 
• Deep understanding of the Pittsburgh media landscape
• Experience reporting and editing on health topics
• Calm and nimble under pressure
• Sharp attention to fact-checking
• Detailed and organized 
• Willing to ask for/offer help 
• Good at working on a team

Every editorial team member is expected to:

• Understand and embrace our mission of democratizing scholarly knowledge for the public good
• Attend planning and staff meetings as requested
• Embrace a spirit of collaboration across the newsroom
• Learn and apply our house style
• Be part of The Conversation’s public outreach: running training sessions for scholars and participating in conference panels

Tasks/time over next year

• 70% chasing, commissioning and editing pieces to produce at least 40 stories in 12 months
• 20% outreach to local media, talking to and coaching scholars, coordinating coverage
• 10%  attending internal and external meetings

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree
• Experience: 3-7 years as a working journalist/editor
• Highly organized, articulate, meticulous and insightful editor with the ability to plan coverage and do developmental edits
• Skilled at developing compelling story ideas of interest to the public
• Able to manage multiple tasks and work as part of a diverse, talented, collaborative team with high editorial and ethical standards
• Ability to be highly productive while working independently and remotely
• Experience in online media
• A commitment to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and justice

The Conversation U.S. is an independent, nonprofit media organization that publishes daily news analysis and commentary written by academics, edited by journalists and aimed at the general public. Our editorial team works with scholars across the U.S. to help the general public make sense of important news and research. We take our work seriously, but we also offer a fun and flexible work culture with lots of opportunity to shine and make a difference.

The Conversation is deeply committed to inclusion and diversity. 

Send your resume and cover letter to us-jobreplies@theconversation.com by October 10, 2025. Please include “Associate Editor Pittsburgh” in the email subject line and tell us why you’re interested in this role.