STAFF WRITER: MONGABAY-INDIA

Notice: At this time, we’re no longer accepting applications for this position.

Founded in 1999, Mongabay is a leading conservation news web site. The site today draws more than 2 million visitors per month, making it among the most visited eco-focused destinations on the Internet. Mongabay.org, the non-profit arm of Mongabay, was formed in 2012 to facilitate the development of new education and journalism initiatives and leverage its existing network, traffic, and reputation. Mongabay.org aims to raise awareness about social and environmental issues relating to forests and other ecosystems.

Mongabay is planning to establish a news bureau in India to do original reporting on conservation and environmental issues in the country. Content will be distributed via Mongabay, its social media channels, and third party outlets, including local newspapers and online media. Initially Mongabay will produce articles in English, but in time we expect to expand to other languages spoken widely in India.

WHAT DOES THE WRITER DO?

The full-time staff writer will have knowledge and familiarity with conservation and environmental issues to produce content for Mongabay-India covering high-priority regions/topics. Together with the Managing Editor, the staff writer will be responsible for developing and curating the content that appears on Mongabay-India’s website. The Writer must have strong analytical skills and the ability to discern what stories are important and of interest to readers. This person must be a native English-speaker (or have exceptional fluency) based in India and excel at working remotely.

KEY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

WRITING, REPORTING, PUBLISHING (90% of time)

  • Working with Mongabay’s editors to produce reports and features
  • Effectively search and come up with story ideas to pitch to editors
  • Writing, editing and posting stories via Mongabay’s content management system (WordPress)
  • Conducting interviews, phone calls and/or meetings to gather information for stories
  • Translating/adapting articles into English from Mongabay-India
  • Occasional aggregation of news from third-party sources
  • Cultivating sources, in the mold of a beat reporter

STRATEGIC PLANNING & ADMINISTRATION (10% of time)

  • Reporting to Mongabay’s CEO and Managing Editor on progress toward meeting objectives
  • Working with Managing Editor to demonstrate the wider impacts of our reporting and the continued need for funding of these important topics
  • Coordinating analysis of impact data for use in grant reports
  • Providing other support as needed to ensure content meets Mongabay’s high standards of professionalism, consistency, authenticity, and reliability

SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

At the heart of Mongabay is a spirit of innovation. We’re open to trying new ideas, adapting existing models, and phasing out underperforming projects in our quest to deliver the best products and services possible given our resources. Due to our culture and global at-home staff, the most successful employees at Mongabay are amazing at working independently, and produce consistent high quality work by taking initiative and thinking creatively about solutions to problems.

  • Sound judgment and decision making ability
  • Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
  • Leadership and project management skills
  • Effective organizational skills and systems
  • Extremely self-directed and motivated
  • Professionalism and reliability
  • Ability to adjust approaches according to feedback
  • Contributes to the team effort by following through on tasks and delivering results
  • Problem solving/analysis
  • Strategic thinking
  • Supervisory responsibility
  • Ability to maintain confidentiality

DESIRED EXPERIENCE & REQUIREMENTS

  • Two or more years experience and demonstrated talent in journalism/writing is required
  • An understanding of best practice of content use on the Internet (e.g. respecting copyright, responding to “take down” requests)
  • Knowledge and familiarity with environmental issues and wildlife conservation in India are preferred
  • Ability to work independently and produce high quality work with tight deadlines
  • Must be responsive to Mongabay headquarters via email
  • Exceptional fluency in both writing and speaking English
  • Access to the Internet is required
  • Microsoft Office, WordPress (or similar), Google Drive, Social Media (Twitter and Facebook)
  • Location – applicant must be based in India

TO APPLY

Apply online here. Applications accepted on a rolling basis. On the application, you will be asked to fill out basic contact information, pay rate expectations, reference information (2), and to upload the following documents:

  1. Cover letter – please provide specific examples of your experience related to this position, as well as specific examples of your ability to work effectively from home and meet deadlines (1-2 pages)
  2. Resume – (1-2 pages)
  3. Two references

Applications must be submitted in English. Please note that you do not need to provide letters of recommendation and we will not reach out to references before getting your permission to do so.