FiveThirtyEight is seeking an organized, process-savvy and detail-oriented Data Editor to empower some of our newsroom’s most ambitious work. This full-time role is an opportunity to apply your analytical and creative powers to all stages of a story’s evolution, from conception to publication. In particular, the Data Editor will be responsible for reviewing the methodological and statistical choices made in our stories, checking the accuracy of statistical and empirical claims made across all areas of coverage (including politics, sports and science), publishing datasets we’ve created, maintaining internal reference databases (including our one-of-a-kind database of public-opinion polling) and supervising the work of two research assistants.
The Data Editor will report to the Copy Chief and work closely with the Interactives Editor to support our polling and data infrastructure. This full-time role with benefits is a U.S.-based position, and remote work may be considered. To apply, please submit a cover letter and résumé through the Disney Careers portal. Due to the number of applications we receive, individual emails to the hiring manager cannot be answered.
Responsibilities:
- Function as the quantitative editor on daily and feature stories — i.e., vet the methodological choices underlying the data analysis by FiveThirtyEight reporters and freelancers, audit the code in that analysis, and double-check the statistical and empirical claims being made.
- Collaborate with the Copy Desk to manage daily and weekly editorial workflow, ensuring that quantitative edits are completed in a timely manner.
- Maintain our proprietary polls database with the help of two part-time research assistants, whom you will supervise, plus support from the Interactives Team.
- Publish datasets to our public-data repository and work with the Interactives Team to maintain and improve those pages.
- Collaborate with reporters and the Interactives Team on data-intensive projects — especially those involving polls — from conception to publication.
Basic Qualifications:
- Experience conducting original data analysis and/or critically evaluating others’ work.
- Demonstrated success collaborating with kindness and generosity on large, multi-stakeholder projects and completing complex work under deadline pressure.
- A deep understanding of statistics (particularly causal inference), survey methodologies, and the uses of public-opinion polling.
- Fluency in spreadsheets, conceptual understanding of relational databases, and facility with at least one programming language (ideally R) plus an enthusiasm for learning new technologies as needed.
- The ability to derive satisfaction from patiently and incrementally improving and documenting evergreen data resources.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Journalism experience or a robust understanding of the editorial process. If your experience was as a copy editor or fact-checker, that’s even better, as having meticulous attention to detail is key.
- Experience reviewing and evaluating academic papers to identify and correct methodological flaws.
- Experience supervising the work of others.
- A solid understanding of U.S. politics, particularly electoral politics.
- An enthusiasm for U.S. sports and sports statistics.
- Fluency in Ruby and experience with Ruby on Rails.
- A robust understanding of statistical models, such as those used to forecast sports or election results.
