Editorial Leadership Role at Civic Tech Nonprofit in Columbus
Career & Market Insight
Compensation context: This is an unpaid volunteer position — a critical factor for any career evaluation. While WeVote is a credible Fast Forward nonprofit grantee with real civic impact, candidates should weigh this purely as a portfolio/leadership development opportunity rather than a compensation-competitive role.
Career development value: The role offers genuine senior-level responsibilities that are hard to find in paid roles without extensive prior experience:
- Editorial leadership at a mission-driven tech nonprofit builds cross-sector credentials valued in both media and civic tech.
- Managing volunteer teams sharpens remote leadership and async communication skills — highly transferable to distributed companies.
- Newsletter strategy and CMS management are in strong demand across content marketing, media, and SaaS companies.
Work-life balance: At 5–10 hours/week with flexible scheduling, this is designed to be a side commitment. It is a green flag for someone already employed who wants to build civic tech or editorial leadership credentials without burnout risk.
Red flags to consider:
- No compensation whatsoever — not even a token stipend or equity.
- Volunteer teams can be less reliable than paid staff, increasing management difficulty.
- Career progression within WeVote is limited given the all-volunteer structure.
Best fit for: Mid-career journalists, editors, or content strategists seeking nonprofit board-level credibility, civic tech exposure, or a meaningful portfolio addition while maintaining primary employment.
Headquarters: Remote
URL: http://wevote.us
⚠ Fraud and Phishing Warning
Please apply directly via our volunteering portal/ATS at https://wevote.applytojob.com/apply. Do not apply via any other job portals, aggregators, or sites, as your information may not be secure, or the role may no longer be accepting applications. Thank you.
About Us
WeVote is a nonpartisan "get-out-the-vote" nonprofit startup and a celebrated Fast Forward nonprofit technology grantee. WeVote is building a movement of excellent, passionate, part-time volunteers (starting with the founders) who build mobile technologies that will touch and mobilize millions of voters on Election Day.
We observe that many voters are busy, distracted, and impatient. Our goal is to provide a positive voting experience that helps people decide how to vote. More information is available at https://www.wevote.us.
Role Overview
We are seeking an experienced leader with a strong background in journalism or digital media to serve as our Head of Editorial Content. In this key volunteer leadership role, you will define and guide the journalistic voice, editorial standards, and publishing strategy across WeVote's blog and public newsletter channels.
You will lead a team of passionate volunteer writers, researchers, and newsletter co-leads — helping us translate complex civic information, election updates, and voter education into engaging, clear, and nonpartisan editorial pieces that inform and empower millions of voters.
What You'll Do
- Lead Editorial Strategy: Develop and execute the overarching editorial calendar for the WeVote blog and publication pipeline, ensuring timely coverage of crucial voting issues and civic participation trends.
- Manage & Mentor Team: Direct, coach, and support a volunteer team of writers, newsletter leads, and content creators to produce clean, compelling, and accurate copy.
- Apply Journalistic Rigor: Maintain strict nonpartisan journalistic standards, fact-checking procedures, and editorial integrity across all long-form posts and newsletter editions.
- Help Drive Newsletter Strategy: Oversee the publication of our regular community and voter newsletters, ensuring strong open rates, clear narrative structures, and audience engagement.
- Collaborate Cross-Functionally: Work closely with the Political Data, Communications, and Product Marketing teams to surface key data, product feature updates, and civic campaigns in editorial formats.
- Shape Voice & Style: Refine and maintain WeVote's editorial style guide, tone of voice, and guidelines to ensure consistent quality across all written outputs.
What We're Looking For
- Journalism / Editorial Background: 3+ years of experience in journalism, newsroom editing, publication management, or senior digital content roles.
- Editorial Leadership: Proven ability to manage a team of writers or content contributors, manage editorial schedules, and maintain high standards under publication deadlines.
- Strong Copyediting & Fact-Checking: Meticulous attention to detail regarding grammar, tone, factual accuracy, and nonpartisan objectivity.
- Newsletter & Digital Publishing Skills: Experience managing email newsletters and blog content management systems (CMS).
- Mission-Driven Alignment: Deep interest in voting rights, civic tech, voter education, and nonpartisan political participation.
- Self-Starter Mentality: Ability to work independently and effectively in a fully remote, asynchronous team environment.
Time Commitment & Volunteer Notice
- Hours: Approximately 5–10 hours per week (flexible scheduling).
- Location: 100% Remote (US-based applicants only).
- Note: Like all roles at WeVote (including the leadership team), this is a volunteer position.
To apply: https://weworkremotely.com/remote-jobs/wevote-head-of-editorial-content-volunteer
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Head of Editorial Content role at WeVote a paid position?
How many hours per week are required for this volunteer role?
Can I do this role from outside the United States?
What experience is required to apply for this editorial role?
How do I apply, and are there any fraud risks to be aware of?
