Index on Censorship seeks new Editor

Are you our new editor?

Index is on the hunt for a new editor to work at the heart of our editorial team. Reporting directly to the CEO, you will be expected to lead agenda-setting essays, columns, features and investigations. This is an excellent opportunity to help curate an outstanding and award-winning quarterly magazine both in print and online. As such, the right candidate will have ample experience and exceptional journalistic judgement. You will be confident working with some of the biggest names in journalism and the arts, as well as committed to finding and commissioning underrepresented voices and stories. A non-tribal outlook is essential: Index is non-partisan and its only “cause” is that of promoting free expression, which we do across the political spectrum.

The right candidate will combine impressive range and curiosity with excellent attention to detail. You will oversee the editorial process from conception through to publication. In so doing you will manage a team of internal editors and writers and a larger network of freelance contributors around the world, alongside sub-editors, illustrators and designers.

The new editor must be equally at home working on print and digital-only journalism. The role demands someone who is just as comfortable writing a grabbing web headline as they are editing a 2,000-word essay. Writing opportunities are also available.

About Index:

Index on Censorship is Britain’s leading organisation that campaigns for, reports on and defends free expression worldwide. We publish work by censored writers and artists, promote debate and monitor threats to free speech. Our work is varied and always rewarding. On any given we will be publishing letters written by Belarus political prisoners and defending a cartoonist who might have caused offense – all to make the case that freedom of expression is vital for democracy and for a vibrant and creative society.

At the organisation’s heart and in circulation since 1972 is an award-winning quarterly magazine that has featured some of the world’s best-known writers. In addition to the magazine is a website, a weekly newsletter, a policy arm and an events programme. Together they make Index what it is today – the go-to for information on the global free speech landscape.

Core responsibilities:

• Plan and develop the content strategy for the magazine, which is produced quarterly
• Commission authors and edit copy, adhering to house style
• Work with a team of internal and external colleagues to ensure the magazine is delivered timely and to the highest quality
• Keep abreast of freedom of expression policy, research and news issues across political, scientific and cultural areas at an international level
• Manage the editorial team, providing clear strategic leadership
• Commission articles for the website and maintaining oversight
• Represent Index in the broadcast and print media and at Index-run events
• Ensure that the editorial output attracts attention from external media and/or politicians/governing bodies
• Write for the Index website and where relevant for the magazine, including editorials
• Contribute to Index’s overarching strategic development and strategy implementation in collaboration with other senior managers and the CEO

Essential expertise:

• At least five years’ experience in an editing role, ideally at a mid to senior level
• Demonstrated ability to produce high-level, engaging content
• Ability to turn copy around quickly
• Experience managing a team of internal, external and part-time staff
• A sophisticated understanding of world news and/or the free speech landscape
• Knowledge of media law
• A passion for freedom of expression as a value

Bonus expertise:

• Expertise in a foreign language and/or a global area
• Contacts at a high-level in the arts and/or media and/or political spheres

Hours: Full-time, contract.

Salary: £47,000-52,000 dependent on experience

Location: Remote but with regular travel to London

Index is a small and ambitious organisation that values diversity. We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome all applicants regardless of ethnic origin, national origin, gender, gender identity, race, colour, religious beliefs, disability, sexual orientation, age or marital status.

To apply please send a cover letter with your CV by Friday 31^st October 2025 to [email protected]