What you’ll be responsible for:
The Staff Writer is a key storyteller for Jewish Chicago: The JUF Magazine, reporting and writing wide-ranging, compelling stories with curiosity, creativity, and insight. You will bring the magazine to life with original, eloquent narratives that engage readers, spotlight community news, and share the transformative work of JUF. This role thrives on a sophisticated understanding of Jewish life in all its nuances and sensitivities, paired with the ability to craft content that resonates deeply with the community. The Staff Writer should be detail-oriented, committed to producing work that is clear, accurate, and engaging.
What you’ll be doing:
- Pitch and develop original story ideas and news topics, staying attuned to the pulse of both local and global Jewish communities.
- Conduct interviews, research, and reporting with professionalism, accuracy, and creativity.
- Write feature stories, profiles, and news coverage with a versatile, engaging editorial voice.
- Meet deadlines and work effectively under pressure while maintaining high quality.
- Collaborate with editors, designers, and other team members within the Marketing and Communications department and across JUF departments to create content that integrates seamlessly with the magazine and related media.
- Participate in monthly content aggregation for regular sections such as calendar listings.
- Build and maintain vibrant community connections to inform your reporting and deepen editorial perspective.
- Create and manage a centralized Jewish Chicago magazine content repository.
- Represent Jewish Chicago professionally in interactions with colleagues, lay leadership, and members of the community.
- Assist the Executive and Managing Editors with copy editing.
- Support JUF Campaign and mandatory campaign-related activities on an ongoing basis.
What you need to succeed:
- Bachelor’s degree in journalism, English, communications, or another relevant field.
- 4-7 years of professional writing experience, ideally in journalism, marketing, public relations, or related fields.
- Exceptional storytelling ability and a fresh, engaging editorial voice.
- Strong editorial judgment and the ability to handle sensitive or nuanced topics with discretion.
- Deep knowledge of Chicago’s Jewish community, culture, heritage, traditions, and Jewish communal organizations.
- Outstanding interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills.
- Excellent organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to pivot and multitask regularly.
- Self-motivated, deadline-driven, and able to work independently while also thriving in a collaborative team environment.
What you’ll love about us:
At JUF, you can be part of one of the largest non-profit social welfare institutions in Illinois. We provide food, refuge, healthcare, education, emergency assistance, and essential services to 500,000 Chicagoans of all faiths and millions of Jews around the world. We take pride in our mission and in having a work culture that fosters a sense of belonging and feels rewarding, supportive, and inclusive. We offer generous benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) match, professional training, tuition reimbursement, paid family leave, up to 22 days of paid time off (starting with 15), up to 11 sick days (starting with 7), and up to 21 paid holidays. We have a flexible schedule with core hours and the ability to work from home / remote a few days per week (for most positions) on a hybrid basis.
The salary range for this role is $55,000-$65,000. Please provide a writing sample along with your application to be considered for the role.
