Chief Business Editor

Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Full-time
$190,000-215,000
Posted Nov 13, 2026

Job description

OVERVIEW

A thriving, mission-driven multimedia organization, NPR produces award-winning news, information, and music programming in partnership with hundreds of independent public radio stations across the nation. The NPR audience values information, creativity, curiosity, and social responsibility – and our employees do too. We are innovators and leaders in diverse fields, from journalism and digital media to IT and development. Every day, our employees and member stations touch the lives of millions worldwide. 

Across our organization, we’re building a workplace where collaboration is essential, diverse voices are heard, and inclusion is the key to our success. We are committed to doing the right thing in our journalism and in every role at NPR .  This means that integrity, adherence to our ethical standards, and compliance with legal obligations are fundamental responsibilities for every employee at NPR.

Application deadline and instructions :

•Please complete and submit your application by 11:59 pm EST on Monday, December 7th, 2026

•Please submit your resume and cover letter. In your cover letter please share your philosophy for leading a Business desk and what you envision the top focus areas should be for the desk in 2027.

Intro to Position

NPR’s Chief Business Editor has overall operational and editorial responsibility for business and economics coverage on all platforms. This editor supervises assignments and provides editorial guidance to a team of business reporters, correspondents and editors across the country. The position also advises NPR shows, including Morning Edition and All Things Considered, and coordinates editorial content closely with the Planet Money podcast team. This includes preparation of material on all platforms, overseeing the editorial integrity and quality of content, monitoring and evaluating staff performance, recommending new hires and providing editorial support to the Executive Editor.  This position will be responsible for a team and report to the Executive Editor.

This is an NPR editorial role covered under the terms of the NPR Ethics Handbook . All editorial staff are bound by this guidance. Editorial staff is defined as staff members who play a role in shaping the journalistic or creative direction of NPR's content, including events.    

Responsibilities

•Leads NPR’s business coverage through a combination of distinctive stories, daily news, enterprise and scoops

•Identifies and sharpen areas of coverage across broadcast and digital platforms

•Supervises assignments and provide editorial guidance to staff, station and freelance reporters, and production staff

•Works across the newsroom to determine the best approaches to stories, subjects to be discussed and treated, and individuals to be interviewed 

•Tracks station, freelance and staff submissions and assignments. 

•Ensures that speculative submissions from stations and freelancers are auditioned to determine suitability for airing. 

•Regularly has critical discussions about pieces with reporters and editors, and with the Executive Editor, as appropriate.   

•Makes hiring and salary recommendations for staff members under his or her supervision, in consultation with the Executive Editor. 

•Responsible for preparing performance reviews for assigned staff members. 

•Assists in planning and monitoring the business unit’s annual budgets and in monitoring current spending. 

•Coordinates business unit staff schedules, submits and approves time sheets and maintains other personnel records as needed. 

•Responsible for tracking overtime and travel expenditures.

•Ensures that all material aired and published meets the highest journalistic standards and practices, including standards of accuracy, fairness and probity. 

The above duties and responsibilities are not an exhaustive list of required responsibilities, duties and skills. Other duties may be assigned, and this job description can be modified at any time.

Minimum Qualifications 

•A minimum of 15 years’ experience as a news reporter or editor, including demonstrated experience covering business and economics

•Demonstrated experience overseeing editorial output for social media and digital platforms

•Demonstrated collaborative approach to newsgathering and story presentation across platforms

•Considerable skill in both news and feature editing

Preferred Qualifications

•Broadcast and specifically radio news experience

•Familiarity with the NPR member station network

Required Skills/Competencies

•Previous managerial experience

Education Requirements

•Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and work experience 

Work Location & Requirements

•Hybrid Permitted : This is a hybrid permitted role. Some aspects of this role require duties better performed at an NPR facility. The employee will be required to be in the office at the Washington, D.C., New York City, or Culver City location at least 3 days a week.

Job Type

•This is a full-time, exempt position.

Compensation

Salary Range : The U.S.-based anticipated salary range for this opportunity is $190,000-215,000 plus benefits. The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum salaries NPR expects to provide for new hires for the position across all US locations.

NPR Benefits : NPR provides comprehensive benefits for employees and dependents. Regular, full-time employees scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week are eligible to enroll in NPR’s benefits options. Benefits include access to health and wellness, paid time off, and financial well-being. Plan options include medical, dental, vision, life/ accidental death and dismemberment, long-term disability, short-term disability, and voluntary retirement savings to all eligible NPR employees. 

Does this sound like you? If so, we want to hear from you.

#LI-HYBRID

The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum salaries NPR expects to provide for new hires for the position across all US locations.

NPR Pay Range

$190,000 — $215,000 USD

NPR is an Equal Opportunity Employer . NPR is committed to being an inclusive workplace that welcomes diverse and unique perspectives, all working toward the same goal – to create a more informed public. Qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, religious belief, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, lactation, and reproductive health decisions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, transgender status, gender non-conforming status, intersex status, sexual stereotypes, nationality, citizenship status, personal appearance, marital status, family status, family responsibilities, military status, veteran status, mental and physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, genetic characteristics of yourself or a family member, political views and affiliation, unemployment status, protective order status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, or any other basis prohibited under applicable law.

If you are a person with a disability needing assistance with the application process, please reach out to employeerelations@npr.org .

You may read NPR’s  privacy policy  to learn about how NPR may handle information you submit with any application.

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