Jobs

Openings:

Chief Operating Officer

A climate-bill comic strip. A report on the politics of public transit. A live chat about food and farming … and a slideshow of Snooki’s eco-sins. Not your typical news lineup — but “typical” has never been part of the Grist playbook.

Every day, Grist chronicles the incredible ways green is reshaping the world, from community activism to national politics, from bike lanes to business deals. We inspire our monthly audience of 1,000,000 and growing to take action, and to build a more sustainable future. Now we’ve identified ambitious goals for our own future, and we need an energetic, experienced, entrepreneurial COO to help guide us.

Working closely with our CEO and Executive Editor, the COO must possess significant management experience, strategic savvy, fiscal smarts, deep comfort with technology and data, an understanding of the uniqueness of nonprofits, and unflagging good cheer. Online media experience is highly desirable, and a passion for and curiosity about environmental issues would also be superb — or at least the ability to pretend to stay focused during discussions about carbon sequestration.

Responding quickly and creatively to opportunities and challenges, the COO — based in Seattle, with occasional travel required — will work collaboratively with our 25-person staff to strengthen Grist’s role as the premier media organization telling the story of our time. You’ll expand our reach, relevance, and impact, mobilizing millions of people to save the world. Not bad for a day’s work.

Responsibilities:

  • Oversee a colorful gamut of daily operations, including finance, fundraising, sales, marketing, administration, and HR
  • Lead a cross-functional team of senior managers, reinforcing a culture of collaboration and openness across our organization
  • Partner with CEO to develop and execute Grist’s strategic plan and yearly priorities, designing and monitoring plans and benchmarks to measure progress toward objectives
  • Develop and implement strategies to expand audience, increase revenue, and raise the visibility of Grist in the media and with influencers, funders, and other key constituents
  • In partnership with CEO and Executive Editor, assess external opportunities for partnerships, growth, and business development, making recommendations, communicating activities to full team, and managing related projects
  • Ensure fulfillment of commitments to partners, funders, and others
  • Facilitate cross-department initiatives such as audience growth, community-building, membership, and social-media strategies
  • Oversee financial management, including revenue forecasts, operating budgets, and cash-flow management
  • Provide support to the CEO in leveraging the expertise of the Grist Board of Trustees and other external advisors, as well as ensuring consistent staff-board communications
  • Motivate the current Grist team, recruit new staff members, and ensure that Grist remains a ridiculously great place to work

Qualifications:

  • Deep experience managing a diverse and talented staff to develop and achieve shared goals, and seeing projects through to completion, preferably in a nonprofit environment
  • At least 5 to 7 years of operations management experience, including revenue and expense oversight
  • Proven ability to contribute to the strategic direction of an organization, and to translate plans into concrete goals and outcomes
  • Directness, decisiveness, and the savvy required to quickly understand Grist’s culture, business issues, and requirements
  • Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, juggling multiple priorities
  • Experience with technology, social media, and data analysis
  • Bachelor’s degree required (we wouldn’t say no to an MBA)
  • Journalism and online media experience greatly preferred
  • A zeal for our mission of mobilizing readers to build a more sustainable world
  • A wicked sense of humor

Salary commensurate with experience. Grist offers excellent benefits, a friendly workplace, and the opportunity to play a crucial role in an organization with a mission.

To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to COOjob@grist.org with “It’s COO Time” in the subject line. No phone calls, please. Grist is an equal-opportunity employer.

Background on Grist

Grist is an independent nonprofit media organization that shapes the country’s environmental conversations, making green second nature for our monthly audience of 1,000,000 and growing. We reach the next generation by cutting through the noise to connect big issues like climate change to daily life, and by spotlighting the people and ideas leading us to a more sustainable future. (Also by posting videos of baby animals.) Founded in 1999, Grist has been featured by media including The New York Times, The Washington Post, NBC’s Today show, and Time, and has won several prestigious awards for its pioneering media work.

News reporter-blogger

Are you a talented, news-obsessed writer looking for an opportunity to show off your chops, sharpen your voice, and work at a news shop that’s making a difference? If so, then we have the job for you.

Grist, the acclaimed green site, is looking for one or more news reporter-bloggers.

Requirements:

  • You have an irrepressible interest in news in general as well as in the topics we cover (climate and energy, sustainability, cities, food)
  • You’re excited about exploring innovative ways to use new media to tell stories in a fast-moving environment
  • You possess a strong voice and have no qualms about using it
  • Irreverent humor comes easily to you
  • You know how to pursue a story online and offline, in social and traditional media
  • Breaking news thrills you, but you don’t think aggregation is a dirty word
  • You understand the way blogs work and how one story can unfold across multiple posts
  • You’re happy working independently, also as part of a team

Qualifications:

  • At least 3 years of writing experience, preferably online
  • Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, juggling multiple priorities
  • Experience and comfort with technology, social media, and digital tools for journalism
  • Environmental experience not required, but a zeal for our mission of mobilizing readers to build a more sustainable world is
  • A wicked sense of humor

Salary commensurate with experience. Grist offers excellent benefits, a friendly workplace, and the opportunity to play a crucial role in an organization with a mission.

To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to newsblog@grist.org. No phone calls, please. Grist is an equal-opportunity employer.

Background on Grist
Grist is an independent nonprofit media organization that shapes the country’s environmental conversations, making green second nature for our monthly audience of 1,000,000 and growing. We reach the next generation by cutting through the noise to connect big issues like climate change to daily life, and by spotlighting the people and ideas leading us to a more sustainable future. (Also by posting videos of baby animals.) Founded in 1999, Grist has been featured by media including The New York Times, The Washington Post, NBC’s Today show, and Time, and has won several prestigious awards for its pioneering media work.

Front-End Web Developer

Grist seeks a front-end developer to take our online products and content to a new level.

What we do

Developers at Grist get to work on a wide variety of features and products in both our content and platform. Here’s some of what you might do as a developer at Grist on any given day:

- solve a usability issue on grist.org or design new UX with another developer/designer. Then write some code to implement your vision.
- work directly with a journalist on a feature, and see your work deployed the next day.
- design and implement new ways for our community to interact with each other on Grist and beyond.

You’ll be joining a small, experienced, agile team of developers, designers and journalists who are interested in media, content and the web.  Your work will have an immediate impact on our readers and community on the web and in the real world.

Who we’re looking for

If you have experience with some or all of the following, you might be a great fit for this position:

- HTML CSS, JavaScript, and great UX chops. You’re current with HTML5 and CSS3. You’ve used a framework like jQuery.  You tend to obsess over usability, readability and community on the web and the CSS and JS that makes all of this happen.

- media and content sites, especially those powered by WordPress. Do you know PHP and have written WP theme or plugin before? Great!

- Tools for news apps and data manipulation. This might include experience with a framework like Django, experience with Twitter, Facebook or other APIs, or work with data analysis tools.

Interested?

If you think you might be right for this, or you know someone who is, we want to talk to you! Email a resume and a note about why you’re interested to frontend@grist.org.

About Grist

Grist is a nonprofit online media company with a clear mission: to make ideas like “green” and “sustainable” second-nature to a new generation of change makers. Some fun facts:

- We have a rapidly growing community of nearly 1 million monthly readers!

- We have a staff community of 26, with most but not all of us in Seattle, Washington.

- Grist was founded way back in 1999 by Chip Giller. Our executive editor is Scott Rosenberg (co-founder of Salon.com.)

- Gristers are active in a variety of technical communities, like WordPress Seattle, PHP Seattle and Hacks/Hackers Seattle. We like to keep our skills sharp by community involvement, continuing education and training, and most of all, lots of practice.

Details

This is a full time salaried position with good benefits.  Our current team is located in downtown Seattle, and we prefer local candidates who can work with us in person.  However, if you are from elsewhere and think that you may be an exceptionally good match for this position, please contact us!

Marketing Intern

At Grist, our online marketing strategy is “muy importante” to all of our goals and we’ve created a wicked strategy to help us get there. And we need a wired individual, who lives and breathes all things Twitter and Facebook to come help us execute on these plans. Our Online Marketing Intern will provide direct support to the Senior Marketing Manager and the Social Media Producer as well as be directly involved with all our communities, email campaigns, and social media strategy. Plus, you get to work for a nonprofit that is out to change the world.

Details:

  • Hours and location: 16 hours a week at the Grist headquarters in Seattle
  • Duration: A six month commitment is preferred
  • Start date: As soon as possible
  • This position has a weekly stipend.

Responsibilities:

  • Researching cutting edge techniques and best practices for social and email marketing
  • Implementing techniques on a daily basis to grow our online communities and to keep us seen as the go-to source for all environmental news
  • Managing email testing reporting
  • Tracking progress and reporting to the Senior Marketing Manager

Skills needed:

  • Basic knowledge of online communities
  • Strong communication skills
  • Ability to tailor messaging to target audiences
  • Proficiency with computers and the internet
  • Desire to take initiative and work independently

To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to jobs@grist.org with “Marketing Intern” in the subject line. We are looking for a thoughtful, personalized cover letter that demonstrates your qualifications and writing style. No phone calls, please. Grist is an equal-opportunity employer.

Electronic communications are preferred, but you may also mail or fax materials to:

Grist
710 Second Ave., Suite 860
Seattle, WA 98104
fax: 253.423.6487

No phone calls, please.

Benefits of this position include a delightful workplace, and the opportunity to play an important technical role in an organization dedicated to the issue of climate change. Grist is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on anything except how dang good you are. People of color and individuals from other underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

Grist is a nonprofit media organization that shapes the country’s environmental conversations, making green second nature for our monthly audience of 800,000. We reach the next generation by cutting through the noise to connect big issues like climate change to daily life, and by spotlighting the people and ideas that are leading us to a more sustainable future. Founded in 1999, Grist partners with major media such as Yahoo! and The Washington Post. Our work has been featured in the likes of The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and on NBC’s Today; big guns such as Time have ranked us as a top green website. Why? Because planetary problems we take seriously — ourselves, not so much.

Business Development Intern

Are you interested in a career in online advertising or media? Do environmental issues and sustainability fire you up? Do you update Facebook before you eat your Frosted Flakes? Grist needs an analytical, tech-savvy, energetic and web-obsessed intern, so if you said yes to all those questions, you oughta keep reading!

Grist is the nation’s leading green news site, and we have ambitious goals for increasing our traffic and advertising sales in 2011 and beyond. To help us get there, we are seeking an individual who wants to build strong online advertising and media sponsorship skills in a dynamic and fun environment. This internship will include hands-on, learning opportunities as a member of a small team and requires attention to detail, analytical skills, and top-notch communication and interpersonal skills. And a sense of humor doesn’t hurt!

Internship Description & Responsibilities:

The primary purpose of this role is to learn about and support the Business Development and Earned Income operations at Grist. As an Intern, you will:

  • Help execute online campaigns, promotional contests and offline events
  • Create a variety of reports for the Business Development team, such as campaign performance and delivery
  • Develop and execute lead generation and competitive analysis on an on-going basis, which includes:
  • Tracking and monitoring our competition (blogs, traditional media, etc.)
  • Performing a comprehensive assessment of “greenspace” using online research tools (Google, Comscore, Alexa)
  • Maintaining and updating records of advertising on core competitor sites
  • Help with reader outreach and research
  • Write sample copy as needed for promotions
  • Assist with cross functional projects and ad trafficking as needed

Qualifications:

  1. 3+ years college, a focus on environmental issues, marketing communications, advertising, or PR a plus
  2. Exceptional communication and creative problem-solving skills.
  3. An interest in (and preferably experience with) online media, social networking tools, and the environment.
  4. The ability to work independently and in cross-functional teams, and to juggle many different responsibilities.
  5. Expertise in MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Google Analytics and/or other analytical tools.
  6. Experience managing projects and delivering on a deadline

This is a 6-12 month part-time (3-4 days/week) internship and includes a semi-monthly stipend. Grist offers a delightful learning environment and the opportunity to be part of a unique online magazine with a mission.

To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to Letmeintern@grist.org with “Business Development Intern” in the subject line. We are looking for a thoughtful, personalized cover letter that demonstrates your qualifications and writing style. No phone calls, please. Grist is an equal-opportunity employer.

Grist is a nonprofit media organization that shapes the country’s environmental conversations, making green second nature for our monthly audience of 800,000. We reach the next generation by cutting through the noise to connect big issues like climate change to daily life, and by spotlighting the people and ideas that are leading us to a more sustainable future. Founded in 1999, Grist partners with major media such as Yahoo! and The Washington Post. Our work has been featured in the likes of The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and on NBC’s Today; big guns such as Time have ranked us as a top green website. Why? Because planetary problems we take seriously — ourselves, not so much.