Employment Opportunities

Investing Intern – Washington, D.C.

Posted 10/15/2012

The Money section at U.S. News & World Report (http://money.usnews.com/) is looking for an enthusiastic intern to assist in the writing, editing, and producing of online content for the Best Funds section (http://money.usnews.com/funds), which offers advice and research tools for investors seeking information and rankings for mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. This self-starter’s primary responsibility would be creating and updating in-depth, accurate profiles of a variety of funds, and other supporting content for our site. There will also be the opportunity for light editing and of the Smarter Investor blog (http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/the-smarter-mutual-fund-investor) and contributing to our Investing Insights section (http://money.usnews.com/funds/investing-insights). Candidates must be hyper-organized with exemplary writing skills. We’re particularly looking for candidates with a background (or interest) in finance and investing topics. Previous experience reporting on or a familiarity with personal finance and business topics is also a bonus.

Requirements:

• Strong editing skills--you should be capable of being both editor and copyeditor, able to catch minor grammatical errors and spot bad numbers
• Ability to work on deadlines and handle several tasks simultaneously
• Strong communication and organizational skills
• Familiarity with content management systems
• Excellent research skills
• Experience finding story sources and conducting interviews a plus
• Degrees or training in journalism or communications a plus

Interns are expected to work a full 37.5 hours each week for a six-month period. Our internship rate is $12/hour.

Applicants must provide a cover letter, resume, and 3 writing samples. Please send all materials to Kirk Shinkle at kshinkle@usnews.com and include “Investing Intern” in the subject line.

Autos Online Editor – Washington, D.C.

Posted 10/5/2012

U.S. News & World Report is seeking a motivated, experienced, full-time Online Editor for our consumer-oriented automotive site, usnews.com/cars. This position is based in our Washington, D.C. office.

U.S. News & World Report is a multi-platform publisher of news and analysis. Focusing on Health, Money, Education, Travel, Cars and Public Service/Opinion, U.S. News & World Report has earned a reputation as the leading provider of service news and information that improves the quality of life of its readers. U.S. News Best Cars helped more than 24 million car shoppers in the past year through its rankings and reviews of new and used cars, news and analysis. Our car rankings are based on a consensus of America's top automotive experts, as well as safety and reliability data.

Our ideal teammate has two to four years of journalism or writing experience and is deadline- and detail-oriented. Top-notch research and reporting skills are a must, as is the ability to write clear, conversational reviews, blog posts and feature articles that concisely explain the choices car shoppers face and offer high-quality buying advice. Experience with writing for the web and knowledge of search engine optimization are also required. AP style and copy editing experience are a major plus, as is experience working with and writing about quantitative and qualitative data.

Enthusiasm about cars and the automotive market is a big help, but the best person for the job will be just as enamored with writing about minivans as they are with writing about sports cars. Most importantly, the best candidate for this job will be passionate about helping consumers navigate the new and used car market. This is a great opportunity for a highly motivated individual to expand their experience in online media.

Please email your cover letter, resume and 2-3 clips to eopsitnik@usnews.com with the subject line “Online Editor.”

Requirements:

• 2-4 years experience in journalism or online content production
• Proven writing/editing skills and solid portfolio, with strong editorial judgment
• Understanding of SEO and experience with writing for the web
• Proven ability to meet deadlines and handle multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent communication and organizational skills
• Attention to detail

Autos Intern – Washington, D.C.

Posted 9/28/2012

U.S. News & World Report is seeking a paid editorial intern for our consumer-oriented automotive site, usnews.com/cars. This one-year internship in our Washington, D.C. office is ideal for recent college graduates who want to build their portfolio. You’ll gain experience in writing for the web, writing consumer-focused articles and reviews, search engine optimization, research, data gathering and online publishing.

Our ideal teammate is a strong writer who is deadline- and detail-oriented. Top-notch research and reporting skills are a must, as is the ability to write clear, conversational reviews, blog posts and feature articles that concisely explain the choices car shoppers face. Copy editing skills and knowledge of AP style are major pluses, as is experience working with and writing about quantitative and qualitative data.

Enthusiasm about cars and the automotive market is a big help, but the best person for the job will be just as enamored with writing about minivans as they are with writing about sports cars. This is a great opportunity for a highly motivated individual looking to expand their experience in online media. You’ll not only improve your research and writing skills but also learn about online content production and usability. Our team routinely works with top-tier syndication and content partners, and we’re expanding our site to better serve consumers. Interns are expected to work 37.5 hours each week for a one-year period. Our internship rate is $12 an hour. Please email your cover letter, resume and 2-3 clips to eopsitnik@usnews.com with the subject line “autos internship.”

Requirements:

• Solid writing background and portfolio
• Strong editing skills: You should be able to catch grammatical errors, typos and make sure a story flows well and has a clear consumer takeaway
• Ability to work on deadlines and handle several tasks simultaneously
• Strong communication and organizational skills
• Familiarity with content management systems
• Excellent research skills

Healthcare Researcher/Web Producer – Washington, D.C.

Posted 9/14/2012

The Health Rankings team of U.S. News & World Report is seeking a web producer and researcher to support our suite of data-driven rankings products. He/she will support the production, launch, and maintenance of projects like Best Hospitals and Best Nursing Homes with a focus on growing traffic and improving both quality and usability. The ideal candidate would be exceptionally detail-oriented and would have a solid grasp of HTML, SEO, and user experience. The position will involve some writing for the web.

Requirements:

• Keen interest in using data to evaluate healthcare institutions such as hospitals and nursing homes.
• Strong knowledge of HTML and web production. Familiarity with content management systems.
• Solid understanding of SEO and analytics tools including Omniture and Google Analytics.
• Proven ability to meet deadlines, multi-task, and problem-solve under pressure.
• Solid communication and organizational skills.
• Knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and Java is a plus.
• Experience or interest in using social media for promotion is a plus.

Send resume, cover letter and a writing sample or published article to bharder@usnews.com and include “Researcher/Web Producer” in the subject line.

Assistant Editor—Washington, D.C.

Posted 8/16/2012

The Education section at U.S. News & World Report seeks a motivated, full-time assistant editor based in our Washington, D.C., office. The primary duty of the assistant editor is to plan, assign, and edit online content for the Education channel of usnews.com, including consumer-focused stories, blog posts, and multimedia content. This is not a writing position and does not involve breaking news coverage.

The assistant editor will work closely with the editor, reporters, and Web producers and will also manage relationships with freelance bloggers and writers. In addition to daily editing, this person will help edit content for online launches of U.S. News’s hallmark rankings, including Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools, Best High Schools, and Top Online Education Programs.

Requirements:

• Proven editing skills, ideally in an online journalism environment, with three or more years of experience
• Strong editorial judgment
• Excellent communication and organizational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to multitask and work on deadlines in a fast-paced, journalistic environment
• Keen interest in education, particularly U.S. higher education
• Working knowledge of and interest in U.S. News's Education rankings projects
• Strong understanding of SEO and experience with online analytics reporting
• Willingness to contribute as needed as a member of a small team
• Experience with developing and maintaining relationships with freelancers is a plus
• Familiarity with content management systems, HTML, and Web production is a plus
• College degree or equivalent

Applicants must provide three references in addition to a résumé and cover letter. Please send all materials to edujobs@usnews.com and include “Assistant Editor” in the subject line. No phone calls, please.

EOE

M/F/V/D

Software Developer (Python/JavaScript)—Washington, D.C.

Posted 4/20/2012

U.S. News & World Report has an immediate opening for a software developer with strong dynamic language skills. This position requires excellent software engineering craftsmanship, two to three years of programming experience, and an interest in content management. The winning candidate will join our team creating web applications that reach millions of visitors monthly, refining his/her craft while working alongside our passionate and friendly team.

Duties include

• working with editors, product managers, graphic designers, and programmers to build sophisticated interactive web applications using JavaScript and Python.
• working with the technical leadership team and key business stakeholders at U.S. News to develop next-generation content management solutions.
• working with developers and system administrators to diagnose and fix application performance problems.

Who you are:

• You are an experienced programmer (2 years minimum) with demonstrated understanding of JavaScript (at least one library and ability to write library-free code) and at least one other dynamic language (preferably Python, but if you're great at Ruby or a lisp, apply).
• You have a commitment to developing high-quality code, demonstrated by familiarity with and use of best practices in areas of testing and documentation.
• You are a developer with experience using and developing least one content management system.
• You have demonstrated an understanding of XML, including the ability to manipulate XML documents programmatically.
• You have a working knowledge of SQL and at least one ORM.
• You have experience working in a Unix/Linux environment, managing code with Subversion, Git, or Hg.
• You have strong written and verbal communication skills, preferably demonstrated by a four-year college degree (additional professional experience AND demonstrated proficiency in writing may be substituted for a degree).

Pluses that will make you a stronger candidate:

• Python expertise.
• Experience with large-scale (10s to 100s of thousands of content items) content migrations between CMSes.
• Experience with a templating language, such as ZPT, Jinja, HAML, etc.
• Experience building sophisticated client side applications using a client-side framework (e.g., Backbone, Spine, Ember, etc).
• Website performance expertise.
• Technical SEO knowledge (e.g., correct tagging practices, debugging content duplication, sitemaps, etc).
• Experience working in a lean or agile software environment.

This is a full-time, permanent position. Work will be done primarily onsite at our offices in the Georgetown area of Washington, DC, using state-of-the-art Macintosh desktops with the editor of your choice.

The USNews.com tech team is a made up of very smart people who are passionate about Web development. The ideal candidate will be able to contribute immediately and will both learn from us and teach us a few new things.

Compensation based on experience.

Please apply by email, to newmedia@usnews.com. Please include 'Software Developer' in the subject line of your email. Send résumé in plaintext. No attachments please.

Front-End Web Developer (HTML/CSS/Javascript)

U.S. News & World Report has an immediate opening for a front-end web developer with strong skills in HTML, CSS and Javascript. This position requires expert-level knowledge of W3C standards, cross-browser development, accessibility, and a solid understanding of the principles of information architecture and search engine optimization. Strong organizational and communication skills, attention to detail, and ability to meet deadlines are also required.

Duties include

• working with editors, web producers, graphic artists, and programmers to create innovative online features and interactive tools.
• creating web-based content from conceptual page plans in Photoshop.
• crafting flexible templates for custom Python-based content management system.
• integrating and troubleshooting code from third-party content and E-commerce partners.

Applicants will be required to provide code demonstrating a clear separation of content, presentation and behavior, and an unobtrusive use of Javascript.

Mandatory skills (you’ll need to be strong in these areas from Day One on the job):

• Very strong understanding of HTML, including HTML5 and XHTML.
• Very strong understanding of CSS.
• Fundamentals of Javascript, including jQuery. Prototype is a plus.

Additional skills (you don’t need to know all of these in advance, but you’ll need to pick them up quickly as you’ll be using them regularly):

• Experience working in a Unix/Linux environment.
• Python, including Zope 2/3 and Pylons frameworks.
• TAL templating.
• Integration of Web applications with SQL databases.
• Integration of streaming video into Web applications.
• Version control/source control systems, especially Subversion.

This is a full-time, permanent position. Work will be done onsite at our offices in the Georgetown area of Washington, DC, using state-of-the-art Macintosh desktops with Adobe CS5 and (optionally) Coda. Occasional night and weekend work required.

The USNews.com tech team is a made up of very smart people who are passionate about Web development. The ideal candidate will be able to contribute immediately and will both learn from us and teach us a few new things.

Compensation based on experience.

Please apply by email, to newmedia@usnews.com. Please include ‘Web Developer’ in the subject line of your email. Send resume in plaintext. No attachments please.

Politics Intern—Washington, D.C.

The Politics & Policy section at U.S.News & World Report is seeking a college graduate with a diverse background in writing and Web production for a one-year internship. The duties of this full-time (37.5 hours a week), hourly paid position will include:

• Researching and writing stories for the Politics & Policy section, including the Opinion and Whispers sections
• Assisting with the production of Web packages that include stories, charts, slide shows, photo galleries, and other elements
• Writing and editing headlines and other content for the Politics & Policy and Opinion sections
• Helping to develop social media efforts for the section
• Assisting with tracking traffic, keywords, and other online trends on major portals and other sites
• Coordinating with outside writers and contributors to generate content for the sections

Requirements:

• A firm grasp of current events and strong news judgment
• Strong research and writing skills
• The ability to work on deadlines in a journalistic environment and manage several tasks and projects simultaneously
• Strong communication and organizational skills
• A demonstrated understanding of social media and ability to effectively promote U.S. News content on social media networks
• Working knowledge of HTML and Web production. Familiarity with content management systems
• Knowledge of SEO best practices and online analytics reporting via Google Analytics or Omniture is a plus
• Knowledge of image-editing software, such as Adobe Photoshop, is a plus

Applicants must provide 2-3 references and 3 writing clips in addition to résumé and cover letter. Please send all materials to tsmart@usnews.com and include the phrase “Politics intern” in the subject field.