Assistant Travel Editor (9-month FTC)

About us

The Independent is an online news publisher that was established in 1986 as a national newspaper independent of party political affiliations or proprietorial influence. In 2016, The Independent became a fully digital publisher, moving away from print in pursuit of sustainability, and to safeguard its values and journalism for the future.

The Independent has always thrived through innovation and change. It was the first British newspaper to add a Saturday magazine; the first to give photography the same prestige as a news copy; the first to challenge the Westminster lobby system of closed briefings; the first broadsheet to move to the more compact ‘tabloid’ format; the first to launch a concise quality compact paper; and the first – and only – major newspaper to pull off a successful transformation to fully digital publishing.

Through The Independent, Independent TV, eCommerce, indy100, subscriptions and other ‘reader revenues’, The Independent plans to continue the work of many decades, bringing much-needed independent journalism to over 100 million unique global visitors a month, make its voice ever louder and more insistent the world over.

We have an international editorial team with our main offices in London and New York.

In 2024 The Independent’s portfolio of brands increased through a new licensing partnership with BuzzFeed Inc. to operate the BuzzFeed brands in the UK – BuzzFeed UK, Tasty, Seasoned and HuffPost UK. The additional brands echo the existing business ethos and allow for increased audiences and a further strategic diversification of revenue streams.

The Role

The Independent is looking for an assistant travel editor to join its desk of travel experts. The successful candidate will work across the entire section, covering everything from travel news and in-depth features to evergreen-style roundups and video/audio content, with a strong focus on features and hotels. You must be familiar with using a CMS and have a strong digital news sense, with knowledge of best practice when it comes to SEO and writing for an online audience. You should be able to work in a fast-paced environment, able to give clear briefs and constructive edits when working with writers. A forensic eye for errors and an ability to polish an average article into something worthy of a national news publisher is important. Energy and enthusiasm are key in this fast-paced role; we’re looking for someone who’s excited to step up to the challenge and become an integral part of this small but successful team. This is a 9 month maternity cover fixed-term contract.

About you

Key responsibilities

• Commissioning and editing travel features to a high standard
• Taking charge of commissions and projects from conception to publication
• Pitching strong ideas at editorial meetings
• Sourcing and editing traffic-driving pieces – such as news, features, and guides – under tight deadlines
• Writing content for a weekly newsletter and writing tasks
• Picture sourcing when required
• Representing Independent Travel at events
• Monitoring and analysing website traffic with an eye to grow pageviews and unique users
• Featuring in The Independent’s travel video and audio series
• Assisting with the deputy travel editor’s roles when needed

Skills

• Experience as an assistant editor, commissioning editor or senior travel writer on a newspaper, magazine or similar
• Strong editorial eye to craft clickable headlines
• Ability to manage large-scale projects
• Proficient using a CMS
• Excellent writing skills and demonstrable experience of editing copy to a high standard
• Organised and unflappable
• First-rate knowledge of SEO and writing for a digital audience
• A knowledge and understanding of The Independent brand, and how the travel desk fits into the title’s vision
• Deep knowledge of the key travel trends that shape UK tourism today, and key contacts within the industry
• Previous work in a newsroom preferable

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

We champion diversity in our teams and in our reporting. As a growing and global brand, we must have a workforce that’s more representative of our readers, viewers, clients and partners, and a workplace that creates a sense of belonging for everyone.

We are committed to hiring and developing a diverse workforce regardless of background, and we support our people to thrive in their careers here.

The Independent is an equal opportunities employer, if you require any reasonable adjustments to complete your application, please do not hesitate to advise us accordingly.

Our values – you will deliver across all our values

Inclusive: We champion diversity in our teams and in our reporting. Working as a team, we put transparency and effective communication at the heart of everything we do.

Innovative: From the very beginning, The Independent has been breaking the mould. We take risks and are always looking to try new ideas in pursuit of excellence.

Independent: Nobody tells us what to think; we make up our own minds and aren’t afraid to do things differently. Like our readers, we value honesty and integrity above outside influences.