Free managing editor job description templates by setting: general, digital/B2B, content agency, newsletter, in-house brand, and small team, with FLSA exempt-status help.
6 free templates by setting for digital and B2B media, content agencies, newsletters, in-house brand teams, and small editorial teams, with the FLSA exempt-status analysis the generic templates skip. Download as DOCX.
A managing editor job description has one classification question the generic templates get wrong: exempt status is not automatic from the title. A managing editor is usually exempt, but through the administrative exemption (editorial judgment over matters of significance) or the executive exemption (supervising two or more staff), not automatically through a creative one, which the Department of Labor decides case by case. The template farms reduce this to nothing, which is exactly where small teams get exposed.
At FirstHR, we build templates for the small publications, content agencies, B2B outlets, and in-house brand teams that hire this role without a dedicated HR department, where the founder or a marketing lead writes the posting, and we add the FLSA exempt-status analysis no competitor explains. The six below cover general, digital/B2B media, content agency, newsletter, in-house brand, and small-team versions. The guide to writing a job description covers the fundamentals.
TL;DR
A managing editor runs the day-to-day editorial operation: owning the calendar, assigning and editing work, managing writers and freelancers, and shipping on deadline. The key fact: exempt status is not automatic from the title. The role is usually exempt via the administrative or executive exemption, while the creative-professional exemption is decided case by case (federal salary threshold $684 a week). Pay runs above a staff editor, whose closest occupation has a $75,260 median. Download six versions as DOCX.
What a Managing Editor Does
A managing editor runs the day-to-day editorial operation. They own the editorial calendar, assign and edit work, manage writers and freelancers, enforce style and quality, and ship on deadline. They set editorial standards and make publication decisions, reporting to the editor-in-chief, editorial director, or founder.
The role maps to the federal occupation editors, where the Bureau of Labor Statistics describes planning, reviewing, and revising content for publication. The defining feature is operational: the managing editor is the person who keeps the calendar moving and the work shipping, sitting between the staff editors and writers below and the editor-in-chief above.
Editor vs Managing Editor vs Editor-in-Chief
Editor, managing editor, and editor-in-chief form a ladder, and the difference is how much of the operation each runs and how much authority each holds. Choosing the right rung drives both the pay band and the FLSA classification.
Factor
Editor
Managing Editor
Editor-in-Chief
Core focus
Edits and shapes content
Runs day-to-day editorial operations
Owns editorial vision and direction
Calendar and workflow
Works within it
Owns and runs it
Sets the strategy behind it
People
May guide writers
Manages writers and freelancers
Leads the whole editorial team
Publication decisions
Recommends
Makes day-to-day calls
Final authority
FLSA status
Often exempt; confirm by duties
Usually exempt; confirm by duties
Exempt
The practical takeaway for a small operation: these roles collapse. A founder or editor-in-chief may also do the managing-editor work, or a managing editor may effectively run the whole show. Write the posting around the actual scope and authority you need. The copywriter and other writing roles sit on the team the managing editor manages.
Managing Editor Duties and Responsibilities
A managing editor's duties cluster into four areas: own the calendar, edit and ship, manage people, and run the operation. The mix shifts by setting (a digital editor leans on cadence and SEO, an agency editor on multiple client calendars), but these four areas hold.
Own the calendar
Own the editorial calendar and schedule
Plan coverage and assign work
Keep the pipeline full and on track
Edit and ship
Assign, edit, and approve content
Enforce style, accuracy, and quality
Make publication decisions on deadline
Manage people
Manage writers, editors, and freelancers
Coach the team and balance workloads
Coordinate with marketing and product
Run the operation
Run the editorial workflow in the CMS
Maintain the style guide and processes
Track performance and report to leadership
The defining feature is that the managing editor both leads and ships: they own the standards and keep the work moving. For a structured way to scope the role before posting, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through the process.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by setting: general for any publication or team, digital/B2B for an online or trade outlet, content agency for multi-client production, newsletter for recurring sends, in-house brand for an owned-channel content team, and small team for a first senior editorial hire. Use this guide to choose.
General
Any publication or team
The all-purpose version: own the editorial calendar, assign and edit, manage writers, and ship on deadline. Start here for most teams.
Digital / B2B Media
Online publication, trade outlet
For an online or trade publication: high publishing cadence, SEO and analytics, and audience growth balanced with quality.
Content Agency
Multiple client accounts
For a content agency: editorial production across multiple clients, brand-voice range, and a roster of freelancers.
Newsletter
Recurring sends
For one or more recurring newsletters: calendar and send schedule, a consistent voice, and growth and engagement metrics.
In-House / Brand Content
Owned-channel content team
For a brand running content like a newsroom: owned-channel calendar, brand voice, and alignment with marketing and product.
Small Team / First Hire
Player-coach, hands-on
For a small team's senior editorial hire who runs the operation and edits alongside it, with the FLSA caseload nuance flagged.
Match the Template to Your Operation
Any publication or team: General. Online or trade outlet: Digital / B2B. Multi-client production: Content Agency. Recurring sends: Newsletter. Owned-channel brand content: In-House / Brand. First senior editorial hire on a small team: Small Team. Whichever you pick, classify by duties, not the managing editor title, and post a salary range where required.
6 Free Managing Editor Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: company overview, position summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, a compliance note, and how to apply. Fill in the brackets, set the reporting line, and post.
Download All 6 Job Description Templates
General, digital/B2B, content agency, newsletter, in-house brand, and small team. All in one DOCX.
Template 1: Managing Editor (General)
The all-purpose version: own the editorial calendar, assign and edit, manage writers, and ship on deadline. Start here for most teams.
Managing Editor Job Description (General)
MANAGING EDITOR JOB DESCRIPTION (GENERAL)
Company: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: [Editor-in-Chief / Editorial Director / Founder]
Supervises: [writers, editors, and freelancers]
Employment type: Full-time
FLSA status: Exempt (confirm by duties; see compliance note)
Compensation: $______ to $______ per year
ABOUT [COMPANY NAME]
[Company Name] is a [publication / media company / content team] in
[City, State] producing [what you publish]. We are hiring a Managing Editor to
own the editorial calendar, run the workflow, and keep quality and deadlines on
track.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Managing Editor runs the day-to-day editorial operation. You own the
editorial calendar, assign and edit work, manage writers and freelancers,
enforce style and quality, and ship on deadline. You set editorial standards and
make publication decisions, reporting to the editor-in-chief or founder.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Own the editorial calendar and publishing schedule
•Assign, edit, and approve content for publication
•Manage writers, editors, and freelancers
•Enforce style, accuracy, and editorial standards
•Run the editorial workflow end to end in the CMS
•Make publication decisions and resolve editorial issues
•Track editorial performance and report to leadership
•Maintain the style guide and editorial processes
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[5 or more] years of editorial experience, with some lead responsibility
•Bachelor's in English, journalism, communications, or equivalent experience
•Strong editing, line-editing, and proofreading skills
•Editorial-calendar and CMS proficiency
•Knowledge of [AP Style / your house style] and SEO basics
COMPLIANCE NOTE (read before posting)
A managing editor's exempt status is not automatic from the title. The role is
usually exempt under the administrative exemption (discretion and independent
judgment over editorial decisions) or the executive exemption (supervising two
or more staff), and sometimes the creative-professional exemption, which is
decided case by case. Classify by actual duties and salary (federal threshold
$684 a week), not the title. This is general information, not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $______ to $______ per year
To apply, email __ with your resume and editing samples.
Template 2: Digital / B2B Media Managing Editor
For an online or trade publication: high publishing cadence, SEO and analytics, and audience growth balanced with editorial quality.
Digital / B2B Media Managing Editor Job Description
DIGITAL / B2B MEDIA MANAGING EDITOR JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: [Editor-in-Chief / Editorial Director]
Supervises: [writers, contributors, and freelancers]
Employment type: Full-time
FLSA status: Exempt (confirm by duties)
Compensation: $______ to $______ per year
ABOUT THIS ROLE
A digital or B2B media managing editor runs the editorial operation for an
online publication or trade outlet, balancing publishing cadence, SEO, and
audience growth with editorial quality.
POSITION SUMMARY
[Company Name] is hiring a Managing Editor for our digital publication. You will
own the editorial calendar, run a high-cadence publishing workflow, manage
writers and freelancers, and balance SEO and audience goals with editorial
quality and accuracy.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Own the editorial calendar and publishing cadence
•Assign, edit, and publish content in the CMS
•Manage writers, contributors, and freelancers
•Balance SEO, analytics, and audience goals with quality
•Enforce style, accuracy, and editorial standards
•Coordinate with marketing and product on content
•Track traffic and engagement, and report on performance
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[4 or more] years of digital editorial experience
•Bachelor's in journalism, communications, English, or equivalent experience
•Strong editing plus CMS, SEO, and analytics fluency
•Experience managing a publishing calendar at cadence
•Familiarity with [AP Style / your house style]
COMPLIANCE NOTE
Exempt status follows duties, not the title. A digital managing editor who sets
editorial standards and makes publishing decisions usually qualifies under the
administrative exemption; supervising two or more staff can add the executive
exemption. Federal salary threshold is $684 a week. This is general information,
not legal advice.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $______ to $______ per year
To apply, email __ with your resume and editing samples.
Still Using Spreadsheets for Onboarding?
Automate documents, training assignments, task management, and track onboarding progress in real time.
This is where the template farms fall short and small teams get exposed: the managing editor's exempt status is genuinely layered, the creative exemption is case by case, the salary threshold still applies, and pay-transparency rules now reach small employers. Four compliance points belong in the hiring decision.
FLSA: the title does not settle exempt status
This is the piece every competitor template skips, and it is the one that matters most for a managing editor. Unlike many roles where exempt status is obvious, the managing editor requires a layered look, because the title alone never determines it. Three exemptions can apply. The administrative exemption usually fits best: it covers an employee whose primary duty is office work directly related to management or general business operations and who exercises discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of significance, which describes a managing editor who sets editorial standards, runs the workflow, and makes publication calls. The executive exemption applies when the editor supervises two or more full-time staff and has hiring authority or input given particular weight. The creative professional exemption can apply, but is decided case by case. Classify by the actual duties and salary, never by the label. This is general information, not legal advice.
The creative-professional exemption is decided case by case
Employers often assume editorial work is automatically creative-exempt. It is not. The creative professional exemption applies only to work that requires invention, imagination, originality, or talent in a recognized artistic or creative field. The Department of Labor is explicit that journalists and editors who merely collect, organize, and record information that is routine or already public are not exempt creative professionals, so the determination turns on the actual nature of the work rather than the title or the publication. For a managing editor, the safer and more common basis for exemption is the administrative exemption, with the creative-professional analysis as a secondary, fact-specific question. Do not rely on the creative label alone. This is general information, not legal advice.
The salary threshold is $684 a week
Any exemption also requires meeting the salary tests. The federal salary threshold for the executive, administrative, and professional exemptions is $684 a week, or $35,568 a year, after a 2024 Department of Labor rule that would have raised it was vacated by the courts and the 2019 level was restored. The highly compensated employee threshold returned to $107,432 a year. A full-time managing editor usually sits above $684 a week, but salary is only one of the tests: an editor paid above the threshold is still non-exempt if the duties do not meet an exemption, and a part-time or junior editorial lead may not clear the salary basis at all. Several states set higher thresholds that apply on top of the federal one. This is general information, not legal advice.
Post a salary range where your state requires it
A growing number of states and cities require employers to post a good-faith salary range in job advertisements, and many of the thresholds reach small employers: Vermont applies at five or more employees, New Jersey at ten, California and Illinois at fifteen, and others phase in at higher counts, with some states requiring a range on request. For an exempt salaried managing editor, a covered employer must still post a real range; open-ended phrasing like a figure followed by and up generally does not comply. Check the rule for each state where you hire or advertise, and include a concrete range in the posting. This is general information, not legal advice.
The costly mistake is calling a managing editor exempt because the title sounds senior, or assuming editorial work is automatically creative-exempt. The role is usually exempt, but through the administrative or executive exemption, and the creative-professional exemption is decided case by case. Run the duties test, confirm the salary basis ($684 a week), and give a part-time or hands-on editor a careful look. This is general information, not legal advice.
Requirements and Qualifications
The role rewards editorial experience and judgment over formal credentials. Match the requirements to the setting, and weight editing skill and calendar ownership over degree pedigree.
Requirement
What to know
Experience
Several years of editorial experience, with lead or senior responsibility
Education
Bachelor's in English, journalism, or communications typical; experience can substitute
Editing
Strong line-editing, proofreading, and style enforcement
Systems
Editorial-calendar and CMS proficiency, plus SEO and analytics for digital
People
Managing writers and freelancers, and coordinating across teams
Classification
Usually exempt; confirm by duties, not title
Keep the posting neutral and inclusive, since the EEOC prohibits job advertisements that show a preference based on protected characteristics, and the SHRM guide covers the standard sections of a job description.
How to Write a Managing Editor Job Description
A strong managing editor posting names the setting, lists the real responsibilities, classifies by duties rather than the title, and posts a salary range where required. Here is the process the templates are built around.
1
Pick the setting
General, digital/B2B media, content agency, newsletter, in-house brand, or small team. Pick the matching template and describe the operation plainly.
2
List the real responsibilities
Own the calendar, edit and ship, manage people, and run the operation, calibrated to your publication or content team.
3
Classify by duties, not title
A managing editor is usually exempt via the administrative or executive exemption, not automatically the creative one. Run the duties test; the threshold is $684 a week.
4
Set the pay and post a range
Benchmark the salary to your setting, region, and industry, and post a good-faith range where your state or city requires pay transparency.
5
Add requirements and apply steps
Name experience, editing skill, and CMS/SEO/style fluency, include an EEO statement and apply instructions, then bridge into onboarding.
For the editorial-judgment standard that usually settles the classification, the DOL administrative exemption fact sheet explains the discretion-and-independent-judgment test.
Managing Editor Pay
Managing editor pay is salaried and sits above a staff editor, varying widely by employer type, region, and industry.
A Staff-Editor Median of $75,260 (BLS, May 2024)
The closest federal occupation, editors, had a median annual wage of $75,260 in May 2024, with the lowest 10 percent under $36,200 and the highest 10 percent over $140,840 (BLS). A managing editor typically earns above the staff-editor median.
Managing-editor-specific market data from compensation aggregators generally runs higher than the staff-editor median, commonly in the low-to-mid eighties on a base-pay basis, and higher in major metros like New York and Washington and in high-paying verticals such as pharma, IT, and finance, while smaller regional employers, digital outlets, and B2B shops often pay below that. Some aggregators report total-pay figures over $100,000 that include variable compensation and overstate base. For a posting, benchmark to your setting, region, and industry rather than a single national number, and include a good-faith range where your state or city requires pay transparency.
Hiring a Managing Editor
The managing editor hire turns on three things the template farms get wrong: writing for a small content team rather than a traditional newsroom, classifying by duties rather than the title, and naming the role for the actual work rather than the label in your head. Here is what actually matters.
Generic templates are written for newsrooms, not your content team
Most published managing editor templates assume a traditional publishing newsroom: reporting to an editor-in-chief or editorial director, managing copy editors and beat editors, with a layered masthead above and below. A small publication, a content-marketing agency, a B2B or trade outlet, a niche newsletter, or a SaaS brand running a newsroom-style content team has none of that structure. The founder or a marketing lead writes the posting, and the managing editor is often a senior hire who owns the calendar and edits alongside a handful of writers and freelancers. The templates on this page are written for that reality, with digital and B2B, content agency, newsletter, in-house brand, and small-team versions, so you can pick the one that matches your operation instead of adapting a large publisher's job description down to your size.
The classification is genuinely nuanced, and the title is a trap
A managing editor is the rare role where exempt status is not obvious from the title, which is exactly why relying on the label is a mistake. The role is usually exempt, but through the administrative exemption (discretion and independent judgment over editorial matters of significance) or the executive exemption (supervising two or more staff with hiring input), not automatically through a creative one. The Department of Labor treats the creative professional exemption case by case and says editors who merely collect and record routine or already-public information are not creative-exempt. So the safe approach is to run the duties test rather than assume the managing editor title makes the role exempt, and to give a part-time or hands-on editorial lead a careful primary-duty look. No competitor template raises this; ours does. This is general information, not legal advice.
At a small company the role may really be a content manager
Title inflation and deflation both happen in editorial roles. At a small company, the person who owns the content calendar and edits the work is often called a content manager rather than a managing editor, and the reverse happens when a brand wants a newsroom feel. The practical point is to write the posting around the actual duties and seniority you need, not the title in your head, because the duties drive both the candidate pool and the FLSA classification. If you run content like a publication, the managing editor framing and the in-house brand template fit; if the role is closer to a single-owner content function, name it accordingly. Either way, the calendar ownership, editing, people management, and publication decisions are what define the work.
After You Hire: Onboarding
The job description is step one, and because the managing editor quickly becomes the anchor of your editorial operation, a structured onboarding for a senior hire pays off across the team. Start with the employment basics: get the offer signed with the exempt status and salary stated, complete Form I-9 within the first days along with the rest of the new hire paperwork, gather tax forms, and handle state new-hire reporting.
Then hand over the editorial playbook this role runs on: the style guide, the editorial calendar, CMS and tool access, and the standards the editor will own and enforce, the kind of structured start the employee onboarding guide describes. Orient them to the team, the writers and freelancers they will manage, the publishing cadence, and the metrics they own, and make clear what they decide versus what escalates to the founder or editor-in-chief.
A repeatable onboarding matters here because the managing editor also manages and onboards writers, so getting them set up fast and consistently pays off across the team. FirstHR supports it directly: an AI onboarding wizard and task workflows so each step is tracked, e-signature for the offer (the offer letter template handles the next step) and policy acknowledgments, document management for signed forms, training modules, and a simple HRIS with an org chart for the editorial team. Because pricing is flat rather than per employee, a small team pays one rate. FirstHR does not run payroll or administer benefits, so pair it with a payroll provider. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Key Takeaways
A managing editor runs the day-to-day editorial operation: owning the calendar, assigning and editing work, managing writers and freelancers, and shipping on deadline.
Use the template that matches the operation: general, digital/B2B, content agency, newsletter, in-house brand, or small team.
Exempt status is not automatic from the title; the role is usually exempt via the administrative or executive exemption, and the creative one is case by case.
The federal exempt salary threshold is $684 a week ($35,568 a year); classify by actual duties and salary, and review part-time or hands-on roles carefully.
Post a good-faith salary range where your state or city requires it; thresholds now reach small employers (Vermont at 5, New Jersey at 10, others higher).
Pay sits above a staff editor, whose closest federal occupation reports a $75,260 median; managing-editor base often runs into the eighties and higher in major metros.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a managing editor do?
A managing editor runs the day-to-day editorial operation. The duties cluster into four areas: owning the calendar (the editorial calendar and publishing schedule, planning coverage, assigning work, and keeping the pipeline full), editing and shipping (assigning, editing, and approving content, enforcing style and accuracy, and making publication decisions on deadline), managing people (writers, editors, and freelancers, plus coordinating with marketing and product), and running the operation (the editorial workflow in the CMS, the style guide, and performance reporting). The managing editor sits between the staff editors and writers below and the editor-in-chief or editorial director above, and is the person who keeps the operation moving and shipping on time. At a small company the role often edits and even writes alongside leading. This page includes general, digital/B2B, content agency, newsletter, in-house brand, and small-team templates so you can pick the one that matches your operation.
What is the difference between an editor, a managing editor, and an editor-in-chief?
They form an editorial ladder. An editor edits and shapes content and works within the calendar and standards set above them. A managing editor runs the day-to-day operation: they own the editorial calendar and workflow, manage writers and freelancers, make day-to-day publication decisions, and keep everything shipping on deadline. An editor-in-chief (or editorial director) sits at the top, owning the editorial vision and direction, setting strategy, leading the whole team, and holding final authority over what publishes. In a small operation these roles collapse: a founder or editor-in-chief may also do the managing-editor work, or a managing editor may effectively run the whole show. Match the title to the actual scope and authority of the role you are hiring for, since it drives both the pay band and the FLSA classification. This is general information, not legal advice.
Is a managing editor exempt or non-exempt under the FLSA?
A managing editor is usually exempt, but the classification is genuinely nuanced and the title alone does not settle it. The role most often qualifies under the administrative exemption, because the primary duty is office work directly related to business operations performed with discretion and independent judgment over matters of significance, which describes setting editorial standards, running the workflow, and making publication decisions. It can also qualify under the executive exemption when the editor supervises two or more full-time employees and has hiring authority or input given particular weight. The creative professional exemption can apply but is decided case by case, and the Department of Labor is explicit that editors who merely collect and record routine or already-public information are not creative-exempt. Any exemption also requires meeting the salary tests (the federal threshold is $684 a week). The safe approach is to run the duties test rather than rely on the managing editor label, and to give a part-time or hands-on editorial lead a careful primary-duty review. This is general information, not legal advice.
Does the creative professional exemption apply to a managing editor?
Sometimes, but it is not automatic, and assuming it is a common mistake. The creative professional exemption applies only to work that requires invention, imagination, originality, or talent in a recognized artistic or creative field. The Department of Labor states clearly that journalists and editors who merely collect, organize, and record information that is routine or already public are not exempt creative professionals, so it is a case-by-case, fact-specific determination based on the actual nature of the work, not the title or the type of publication. For most managing editors, the more reliable basis for exemption is the administrative exemption, which fits the editorial-judgment and operations-management nature of the role, with the creative-professional analysis as a secondary question. Do not classify the role as exempt on the creative label alone; run the duties test. This is general information, not legal advice.
What is the current FLSA salary threshold for exemption?
The current federal salary threshold for the executive, administrative, and professional exemptions is $684 a week, which is $35,568 a year. A 2024 Department of Labor rule would have raised it in steps to $1,128 a week ($58,656 a year), but federal courts vacated that rule and the Department of Labor formally restored the 2019 framework, so $684 a week is the governing federal figure, and the highly compensated employee threshold returned to $107,432 a year. Two things matter for a managing editor. First, the salary level is only one of three tests: an editor paid above $684 a week is still non-exempt if the duties do not meet an exemption, and a part-time or junior editorial lead may not clear the salary basis at all. Second, several states set higher salary thresholds than the federal one, and where a state threshold is higher it applies, so multi-state employers should check each location. This is general information, not legal advice.
Do I have to post a salary range for a managing editor role?
In a growing number of states and cities, yes. As of 2026, a number of US states plus Washington, D.C. require employers to disclose salary ranges in job advertisements, and many of the employer-size thresholds reach small businesses: Vermont applies at five or more employees, New Jersey at ten, California and Illinois at fifteen, with others phasing in at higher counts and some states requiring a range on request. For an exempt salaried managing editor, a covered employer must still post a good-faith range, and open-ended phrasing such as a figure followed by and up generally does not comply. Because the rules and thresholds differ by jurisdiction and change over time, check the requirement for each state and city where you hire or advertise, and include a concrete, good-faith salary range in the posting. This is general information, not legal advice.
How much does a managing editor make?
Managing editor pay is salaried and sits above a staff editor, varying widely by employer type, region, and industry. There is no separate federal wage code for managing editor specifically; the closest aggregate occupation is editors (SOC 27-3041), which had a median annual wage of $75,260 in May 2024, with the lowest 10 percent earning less than $36,200 and the highest 10 percent earning more than $140,840. Managing-editor-specific market data from compensation aggregators generally runs higher than the staff-editor median, commonly in the low-to-mid eighties on a base-pay basis, and higher in major metros like New York and Washington and in high-paying verticals such as pharma, IT, and finance, while smaller regional employers, digital outlets, and B2B shops often pay below that. Some aggregators report total-pay figures over $100,000 that include variable compensation and overstate base. For a posting, benchmark to your setting, region, and industry rather than a single national number, and include a good-faith range where your state or city requires pay transparency. This is general information, not legal advice.
What happens after I hire a managing editor?
Run a structured onboarding, because a managing editor quickly becomes the anchor of your editorial operation and a senior hire needs a clear ramp. Start with the employment basics: get the offer signed with the exempt status and salary stated, complete Form I-9 within the first days, gather tax forms, and handle state new-hire reporting. Then hand over the editorial playbook this role runs on: the style guide, the editorial calendar, CMS and tool access, and the standards the editor will own and enforce. Orient them to the team, the writers and freelancers they will manage, the publishing cadence, and the performance metrics they own, and make clear what they decide versus what escalates to the founder or editor-in-chief. Because the managing editor also manages and onboards writers, give them the processes they will use with the team. Store the signed offer, the I-9, and policy acknowledgments centrally. FirstHR supports this with an AI onboarding wizard and task workflows so each step is tracked, e-signature for the offer and policy acknowledgments, document management for signed forms, training modules, and a simple HRIS with an org chart for the editorial team. Because pricing is flat rather than per employee, a small team pays one rate. FirstHR does not run payroll or administer benefits, and applicant tracking is coming soon.
