Sanctuary Editor & Writer

Location: Kanab, Utah (relocation assistance may be available)
Hiring Range: This position's hiring range is anticipated to be $55,000 to $60,000 annually, depending on experience, plus great benefits!
Interviews will occur weekly until the position is filled.
Summary: The Sanctuary writer/editor researches and writes creative and compelling content to raise awareness of Best Friends' mission and vision and to position the organization as a leader in animal welfare and advocacy. Working as part of the editorial team, this position works closely with animal care staff to identify and write stories that reflect Best Friends' work at the Sanctuary. This position assists with editing stories written by volunteers and staff contributors for publication. The Sanctuary writer/editor contributes content for the Best Friends website and magazine, and other publications as requested.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Treat people around you with Kindness and Compassion, build trust by demonstrating authenticity and following through on your commitments, prioritize your well-being like you do our mission, and work to build strong relationships with your colleagues by participating in communication loops to share and receive honest feedback. You are responsible and accountable for the culture you add to your team dynamic.
• Pitch, research, and write original short form and in-depth articles for the website, magazine, and other publications as requested.
• Write creative content that reflects the work at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, honoring our unique personality and leadership in the industry while maintaining organizational voice and brand character throughout.
• Maintain contacts with Sanctuary subject matter experts to inform story pitches.
• Ensure content is expertly written, researched and fact-checked; manage revisions per feedback from editor and internal topic experts.
• Assist with editing and providing feedback on stories written by other contributors.
• Ensure brand standards and style, AP style, and voice and tone rules apply to all written work.
• Project-manage each piece from idea to publication. Work with cross-departmental team to develop accompanying assets (photos, links videos, and other interactive formats); proofread and fact check articles with appropriate sources so pieces are ready to publish upon submission to editor.
• Own the Sanctuary section of Best Friends Magazine including collaborating with photo team, pitching and writing the section.

Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in communications, journalism, English, other related field, or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
• Experience in writing, editing, and proofreading, primarily for the web.
• Write with heart, soul, and spark in addition to skill. You color within the lines but do it beautifully, finding new ways to spark feeling in readers instead of relying on dry facts.
• You love and know how to use an internal style guide and Associated Press style.
• You are an animal lover and care deeply about Best Friends' goal for all shelters to reach no-kill.
• A strong work ethic, very fast typing hands, and the ability to juggle multiple projects at the same time, on deadline, without dropping or smashing anything.
• Black belt or equivalent experience in organizing your work attention to detail. People can count on you to cross all the t's and dot all the i's in your projects every time.
• Expertise in vetting and fact-checking your own work.
• Comfortable in taking initiative and working independently in a fast-paced, creative environment with multiple and conflicting priorities.
• Ability to get up to speed quickly on complex and ever-evolving issues and to communicate organizational messages clearly to the public (i.e. translate jargon into plain language)
• Confident with in-person communications, talking to new people, building relationships, and hunting for story ideas.
• Willingness to become a key part of animal care areas at the Sanctuary.
• You are confident and comfortable interviewing people to get to the true heart of a story. People, individual animals and programs that support them fascinate you, and you can pick out what makes a story special in relation to Best Friends and our work.
• A genuinely cheerful spirit of collaboration in general, but especially when receiving feedback from an editor or stakeholder reviewer.
• You are a useful contributor; you are self-motivated to work with minimal supervision and use internal resources to find answers and solutions.
• Entrepreneurial, preferring to come up with original ideas rather than awaiting assignments.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Teams, Word, and SharePoint.
• Ability to quickly pick up new technology and software.

Physical Requirements:

• Must be able to sit, type, look, and work at a computer screen for extended periods of time with repetitive typing, arm, and hand motion.
• Ability to visit all animal care areas of the Sanctuary in person.

Thank you for your interest in pursuing a career at Best Friends Animal Society. Best Friends Animal Society is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, or domestic partner status.
Applicants for employment in the US must have valid work authorization that does not now and/or will not in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the US by Best Friends Animal Society.
Culture Statement and Responsibility
We value attitude over aptitude, and we treat Kindness as a discipline because it is paramount in our culture along with our other Guiding Principles. Culture is how we talk to and treat ourselves and one another, it's how we generate and respond to change, it's how we plan and make decisions, it's how we do what we do.

Thank you for your interest in pursuing a career at Best Friends Animal Society. Best Friends Animal Society is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, or domestic partner status.

Applicants for employment in the US must have valid work authorization that does not now and/or will not in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the US by Best Friends Animal Society.