San Diego Magazine is looking for an Editor who can write an amazing story, take someone’s good draft and make it great, and is curious about San Diego—its people, history, culture, industries, and future.
This editor will work with the content chief to shape and execute our monthly print magazine and assist on our digital products. The magazine is a 77-year-old city icon given a new day, and in our best moments we fill it with research and art and literature and perspective and humor about the people and culture of here. We love loading stories with facts, but always choose personality and raw humanness over straight-faced reporting.
If you read The New Yorker followed by a little Onion and Funny or Die, maybe some light Didion and Foster Wallace… oh, you get it.
Our reason for existing is pretty straightforward: Be the best guide to life and culture in San Diego. Be the HBO of regional media. Help people—everyone—find places they belong.
We document and interpret the city’s evolution through stories of its people. We study, research, watch, analyze—and share what we learn with our audience in ways that make them think, chuckle, cry, or just understand San Diego on a deeper, different level.
We’re honest but never mean. We want the story of the scrappy dreamer tinkering with an idea in a garage, and we want the story of the internationally famous architect or businessperson who just completed their latest remarkable feat. We work to earn our audience’s trust every day. Our stories reach over 4 million people a month who trust us not to bullshit them or steer them wrong. That’s our sacred oath to them.
We do longform, and short form. We do some listicles, but we turn those digestible suckers into an art form. We do a lot which means this is a fast-paced environment with some serious production deadlines. We’re looking for someone who can balance incredible creativity with consistent output.
We’re also looking for a person who’s ready and willing to tell stories beyond writing and editing. How exactly? Well, that will evolve but today it means things like being on camera, recording voiceovers for videos, sharing a bit of our inside creative process with the rest of San Diego.
We’re believers and builders. We value kindness, collaboration, and professionalism. We prioritize working with people who are both talented and respectful teammates.
Location: San Diego, CA (Hybrid) | Reports to: Content Chief | Type: Full-time
Salary: $75,000 plus benefits.
What You’ll Do
As an Editor, you’ll work closely with our Content Chief and creative team to produce the monthly print magazine from idea stage to finished product.
You’ll help execute the issue vision, manage a roster of freelance writers, coordinate photography and art, and write a handful of pages of content each month yourself.
Core Responsibilities
- Produce the monthly print magazine from story lineup to final edited pages
- Assign and manage stories within budget to a roster of freelance writers, ensuring each piece hits our standards for voice, reporting, and depth
- Edit stories through completion after the Content Chief’s first major edit—tightening structure, sharpening voice, strengthening reporting, and pushing for clarity and impact
- Write a handful of pages of print content per issue (features, essays, guides, profiles, service packages, etc.)
- Secure photography, illustration, and art for each story—working with photographers, illustrators, agencies, and contributors
- Assist with our digital products including web, social media, and newsletters
- Be out in the city: attend events, explore neighborhoods, meet people, and constantly gather story material
- Bring the story brain: help the team find the smartest angles, the best formats, and the most culturally resonant ideas
- Get beyond the writing and editing by being involved in new and diverse forms of storytelling from video to voice over to BTS.
Who You Are: The City’s Most Obsessed Person (Professionally)
The job at San Diego Magazine isn’t just to cover the city. It’s to understand it and translate it. We’re looking for someone who will:
- Constantly research and analyze San Diego’s evolution through the eyes of its people
- Know what’s happening in the city before it’s trending
- Understand the local context behind national conversations
- Build relationships across the industries we cover—food, drink, arts, design, architecture, culture, home, wellness, and more
- Talk to experts and insiders, not just PR reps
We’re Looking For: Someone Comfortable in Modern Media
Print is a magical format that started SDM, but we tell stories across all formats, especially video. This role is primarily print-focused, but you should be comfortable living in the full ecosystem of SDM.
You don’t need to be a TikTok star. But you should be:
- Comfortable using social media as a reporting and cultural research tool
- Willing to appear on camera for SDM content when needed (events, quick hits, interviews, behind-the-scenes, etc.)
- Excited by the idea that great storytelling can live in print, video, podcast, social, and newsletters
San Diego Magazine is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under federal, state, or local law.
QUALIFICATIONS
- 3–7+ years experience in journalism, magazines, editorial, or narrative media
- Proven editing experience (print editing is a plus, but not required)
- Strong writing portfolio with narrative, reported, and voice-driven work
- Experience managing freelancers and story production workflows
- Comfort working on tight monthly deadlines and juggling multiple assignments
- Familiarity with photo editing, art commissioning, and production coordination is a plus
- Must be San Diego-based or willing to relocate
How to Apply
Please send:
- A resume/updated LinkedIn
- 3–5 writing samples (voice is key here) that don’t use any AI
- If you have them: editing samples or links to stories you’ve edited
- A short note telling us:
- Why SDM
- What part of San Diego you’re most obsessed with
- A story idea you’d pitch tomorrow
Email us at [email protected].
