Managing Editor Job Description

Salary Range

$57,300 - $106,100

Experience

Senior

Work Environment

Publications office or newsroom

What Does a Managing Editor Do?

Managing editors set the deadlines for copy, art and proofs and decide who on the staff edits, writes or designs each piece. They run the day-to-day side of magazines, newspapers and the publications offices of colleges and other organizations, including the budget for freelancers, printing and postage. Staff and schedules take up most of their day.

Also known as: Editorial and Production Manager, Staff Newspaper Managing Editor

Other Job Titles for This Work

Workers in this occupation report titles such as Acquisitions Editor, Business Editor, Editor, Features Editor, Legal Editor, News Editor, Newspaper Copy Editor, Science Editor.

Managing Editor Duties and Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of a managing editor include:

• Run the editorial calendar, setting deadlines for copy, art, proofs and final files.
• Manage editors, writers and designers, assigning work and balancing their loads across issues.
• Prepare and track the publication budget, including freelance fees, printing and postage.
• Negotiate print schedules and prices with printers; approve press proofs before each run.
• Hire and brief freelance writers, photographers and copy editors when staff are stretched.
• Set editorial policies on corrections, sourcing, style and use of reader comments.
• Coordinate web and social publishing so print and online versions go live together.
• Review final pages for errors, legal risks and consistency before they go to press.
• Report to the editor-in-chief or communications director on progress, costs and audience figures.
• Recruit and mentor junior editors, giving them regular feedback on editing and planning.

Required Skills and Qualifications

To succeed as a managing editor, you will need the following skills and qualifications:

• Project management for overlapping issue schedules
• Budgeting and vendor negotiation
• Expert copy editing to house style
• Print production knowledge
• Content management systems and web analytics
• Leading and developing an editorial team
• Sound judgment on legal and ethical questions
• Calm decision-making on deadline

Education and Training

Once you have several years as an editor or senior reporter you will usually need to show you can run a schedule and manage people before this job opens up. A bachelor's degree is standard. Experience with budgets, printers and content systems such as WordPress helps too.

Salary and Job Outlook

BLS projects employment of editors, the wider group that includes managing editors, to dip about 1 percent from 2025 to 2035, with roughly 7,900 openings a year across the whole group. Managing editor posts are a small slice of those openings. Pay for managing editors usually sits above the group's median of about $77,900 in May 2025, since the job carries budget and staff duties.

Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Editors.

Managing Editor Pay Range

Highest-Paying States for Managing Editors

The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are New York ($101,480), California ($98,030), Connecticut ($85,950), District of Columbia ($83,920), Massachusetts ($83,170). Pay is lowest in Wyoming ($46,710), Nebraska ($46,320), Texas ($45,950).

What the Work Is Like

O*NET surveys people who work as editors about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:

• 95% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
• 94% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
• 90% use email every day
• 80% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
• 77% spend more than half the workday sitting
• 67% work against deadlines every day
• 62% are on the phone every day

Education Workers Say the Job Needs

Tools and Software Managing Editors Use

Tools and equipment

• Desktop computers
• Digital still cameras
• Digital video cameras
• Laptop computers
• Multi-line telephone systems
• Personal computers
• Precision rulers
• Teleconferencing equipment
• Universal serial bus USB flash drives
• Video editing equipment

Software

• Adobe Photoshop
• Hypertext markup language HTML
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Office software
• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Word
• Adobe Acrobat
• Adobe After Effects
• Adobe Creative Cloud software
• Adobe Illustrator
• Adobe InDesign

Is This Job a Good Fit for You?

People who do well in this job tend to enjoy creative work and self-expression as well as organized work with data, records and clear procedures.

Skills O*NET rates most important: Reading Comprehension, Writing, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Time Management.

Knowledge areas used most: English Language, Communications and Media, Administration and Management, Administrative, Education and Training.

Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 4 of 5, which means considerable preparation.

Related Careers

These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:

• Publications Manager job description
• Acquisitions Editor job description
• Editor job description
• Proofreader job description
• Video Editor job description
• Reporter job description
• Copywriter job description
• Content Writer job description

Applying for a Managing Editor Job

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