Editor in Chief

Overview

Salary range: $180,000 to $200,000 per year, plus profit sharing

The Hired Guns are seeking an Editor in Chief for a well-known lifestyle and culture brand for men—one that’s in need of a gut renovation. The bones are great. The audience is loyal. What’s needed now is a top editor who brings a clear vision for rewriting the playbook and making it essential. You’ll report to the CEO and set the tone for a smarter, sharper, more modern take on male culture.

This brand engages successful, curious men who think for themselves, yet place great value on new ideas, recommendations and perspectives — across style, travel, wellness, food and drink, sex, tech, nightlife, and more. Think deep dives and smart takes on what to try, what to buy, and what to skip. You’ll make the brand a true destination, a necessary antidote to all the generic curation and AI‑generated slop that overwhelms our socials and inboxes.

You’ll own the brand’s editorial vision, voice, and execution strategy, working in partnership with the CEO and fellow executives. You’ll lead the editorial operation through a full reboot, rebuilding strategy, staffing, coverage, and workflows—and get your team aligned on, and delivering on, your ambitious goals.

You’ll build an editorial engine that supports both fast‑turn coverage and big‑swing features, making sure the team can move quickly without becoming a content mill. You’ll develop editors, reporters, video producers, and a social media team, operating as a skip‑level editor who sharpens instincts and elevates the work. You’ll manage a sizable freelance budget. You’ll work hand-in-hand with an audience development team to juice site, social, and newsletter growth.

You’ll trust data and your gut instincts in equal measure. You’ll safeguard editorial integrity, and you’ll step out as a public‑facing ambassador for the brand whether onstage, on camera, or hosting audience members and partners at activations.

• You’re a change agent – both a builder and a fixer. You’ve launched a media property from scratch or meaningfully overhauled one—this isn’t your first turnaround. You can walk us through the “before‑and‑after” of a title you transformed: strategy, execution, and the lift in traffic, subs, and/or engagement.
• You’ve defined or redefined a brand’s editorial voice, whether for an entire property or a critical vertical or channel. You think beyond the headline. You see newsletters as habit‑builders and a direct connection with an audience, not inbox filler. And you’ve got story sense: you can move from lifestyle topic to lifestyle topic without losing the through‑line.
• You know how to run a newsroom. You’ve led 10+ people—editors, reporters, contributors—and understand what collaboration and mentorship looks like. You’ve got impeccable editorial judgement, a constant flow of ideas and boundless energy. You lead by example, thinking big and rolling up your sleeves when needed. You’re a true skip‑level manager who improves the work of everyone around you.
• You can scale speed without burnout. You know the difference between “faster metabolism” and “content mill.”
• You actually understand men. You know how to connect with aspirational, curious, successful readers who appreciate honesty, access and expertise.
• You’re growth oriented. Relative to Aud Dev, you’ve moved metrics—traffic, engagement, acquisition. You respect the different audiences and nuances of different platforms, and know which levers to pull on each.

This gig is for the Editor in Chief who is bored of maintaining and ready to experiment and make bold moves. If you’re a battle‑tested top editor who’s launched or overhauled properties, thought big, obsessed over voice, led teams, grown audiences, and actually knows how to talk to ambitious male readers—this is the career‑defining post you’ve been waiting for.

This job and company are represented by The Hired Guns, a digital talent agency.

The Hired Guns does not and will not discriminate in considering and referring candidates for employment, or in its treatment or advancement of its employees, and will not tolerate harassment, on the basis of race, color, religion, gender (including gender identity and expression), sexual orientation, place of origin, years on this Earth, disability, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state or local law.