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
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
Typical pay: $57,300 - $106,100 per year, with a median of $77,920.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Editors.
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.