Content & Editorial Director - Print Publication (Municipal Audience)

Content & Editorial Director — Print Publication (Municipal Audience)

Industry: GovTech / Local Government Software
Engagement Type: Contract (with potential for ongoing issues)
Timeline: Q1–Q2 2026

Overview

Everyone says newspapers are dead. Maybe for the mass market. But for a specific audience with real problems and not enough time—print still works when it’s done with care.

We’re creating a printed newspaper for town and city clerks across the U.S, a publication that feels useful, readable, and worth keeping. Not a promo piece. Not a mailer. Not a “content marketing asset.” A real editorial product: reported, written, edited, designed, and produced with intention.

This paper will serve small municipal offices the way trade publications used to: practical, grounded, and respectful of the reader’s intelligence. It should feel like it belongs on a clerk’s desk, not in the recycling bin.

You’ll lead the editorial vision and write the core content, while also coordinating with design and print production to ensure the final piece is cohesive and professionally executed.

Who We’re Looking For (This Matters More Than Your Resume)

You’re probably a fit if you:

• Think in themes, story structure, and editorial arc (not “content calendar”)
• Can generate strong story ideas grounded in the real workflows of municipal staff
• Write in a plainspoken, confident voice that doesn’t sound like marketing copy
• Know how to balance substance with readability (busy readers, real constraints)
• Can write features, columns, service pieces, and short recurring sections
• Understand how print layout changes writing (heads, decks, sidebars, pacing)
• Can collaborate well with designers and printers to ship something real and beautiful
• Care about getting the details right: accuracy, credibility, clarity

Learn more abut the role and watch this video!

Scope of Work

Editorial Development

• Create the overarching concept/theme for the inaugural issue
• Build a complete table of contents (features + departments + recurring columns)
• Establish voice/tone guidelines and editorial standards (what we do / don’t do)
• Identify interview opportunities: clerks, administrators, election staff, records, etc.
• Shape the “editorial spine” so the issue reads with momentum and cohesion

Writing & Content Creation

• Write original feature-length stories (reported or interview-based)
• Draft opinion/perspective pieces rooted in real municipal operations (not hot takes)
• Create lighter recurring elements (e.g., field notes, checklists, desk-reference tips)
• Conduct or support interviews; synthesize them into clean, compelling narratives
• Work with stakeholders to ensure accuracy without losing editorial independence/voice

Production & Print Coordination

• Partner with a designer to align story structure with layout (pagination, flow, hierarchy)
• Edit and refine copy in layout (tightening, reordering, making it scan-friendly)
• Coordinate with print vendor: specs, paper options, schedules, file delivery
• Manage proofing rounds and final sign-off prior to print
• Ensure the publication lands as a polished, readable object—something people keep

What Success Looks Like

• A clerk opens it and thinks: “This is for me.”
• The tone is credible, useful, and grounded—never salesy
• The issue has a clear editorial arc: it feels curated, not assembled
• The print execution is clean: strong readability, smart pacing, professional finish
• The publication becomes a foundation for future issues (repeatable sections + identity)

Why This Is Interesting

Small municipal offices are underserved. Clerks manage compliance, records, elections, meetings, public notices, FOIA/public requests, and legacy systems—often with limited staff, aging tools, and no margin for error.

This publication is a bet that respect + craft still wins: real reporting, real utility, and a print format that doesn’t ask busy people to open another tab.