Travel Weekly, Features & Supplements Editor / Features Writer

Travel Weekly is seeking exceptional journalists for two exciting roles on its features desk; Features & Supplements Editor and Features Writer. The right candidates will have the chance to produce a weekly destination-led features section, a range of specialist supplements, creative commercial content in print and online, and contribute to the successful growth of the UK’s biggest B2B travel magazine.

About the company:

Travel Weekly is the market-leading title for the UK travel trade, with unrivalled reach in print, online, on social media and through its agenda-setting events portfolio.

During a challenging period for the industry, while other travel publications scaled back, Travel Weekly substantially increased support for its trade audience with twice-daily email newsletters, daily webcast interviews, significant growth in social media and a redesign of its website, in addition to continuing its flagship weekly publication in print and online.

Parent company Jacobs Media Group – Europe’s largest B2B multimedia company for the travel and hospitality industries, with brands including The Caterer, Travolution and Connections – has also continued to innovate over the past year, launching a successful new brand and office in the Middle East and leading the way for the global events industry with new virtual platforms and higher-than-ever audience engagement.

Features & Supplements Editor

This is a rare opportunity to lead the editorial direction for destination features, supplements and commercial content at Travel Weekly.

We are looking for an experienced senior editor who can hit the ground running in a demanding but incredibly rewarding role, overseeing all destination content for the UK’s highest-circulation travel trade magazine.

You need to understand the needs of both our audience and our advertisers, producing creative and compelling editorial content while being on the lookout for new opportunities to expand our reach and bring imaginative and commercially successful products to market. You should be adept at balancing editorial and commercial priorities, willing to work closely with the sales and business development teams on identifying opportunities for growth, and appreciate what our travel agent and trade readers are looking to learn from our destination content.

Responsibilities:

• Commission, write, edit and image-source weekly Destinations (features) section, taking responsibility for final sign-off of all pages
• Manage portfolio of specialist travel supplements including Cruise, Touring & Adventure, Mature Travel and events-related content
• Manage team of writers and network of freelance journalists
• Oversee sponsored content in print, online, video and social media, and liaise with advertisers to create successful commercial campaigns
• Work closely with Travel Weekly sales, digital, events and marketing teams to drive audience engagement and identify opportunities for growth
• Present webinars and webcasts, and speak at events or conferences to grow the profile of Travel Weekly’s destination coverage
• Forward-plan editorial content, flatplan supplements, manage freelance budgets
• Represent Travel Weekly and sister brands at events, including outside work hours
• Some international travel required

The person we need:

Essential:

• Minimum five years’ experience on the features desk of a national magazine or newspaper, preferably at a travel and/or trade publication
• Proven track record in writing, editing and commissioning engaging features content to a high standard
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to manage a demanding workload in a deadline-driven environment
• Strong eye for detail and impeccable editorial judgement; able to proofread pages with speed and accuracy
• Articulate and enthusiastic, with a flexible, can-do approach and proven problem-solving ability
• Strong understanding of travel publishing, commercial priorities and the challenges facing the UK travel industry

Desirable:

• Managerial experience
• Knowledge of SEO and social media
• Network of contacts with travel trade, travel PRs and freelance journalists
• Track record of planning commercial content campaigns and working with advertisers
• Experience of presenting or speaking at in-person and/or virtual events

Features Writer

This is an exciting opportunity to establish yourself as an integral part of the features and supplements team at Travel Weekly.

We are looking for a dynamic, hard-working journalist who can produce outstanding features content, work across a range of creative projects, and step up to fill in for the Features & Supplements Editor when required.

You should be willing to grasp what our trade readers are looking for from Travel Weekly’s editorial content and understand how that differs from travel features in consumer publications. In addition, you will be happy to take a multi-platform approach to destination features and be brimming with ideas for how to maximise editorial content online, in video and on social media.

Responsibilities:

• Write features and source images for weekly Destinations (features) section
• Pitch fresh features ideas and produce well-written, accurate copy to tight deadlines
• Contribute to portfolio of specialist travel supplements including Cruise, Touring & Adventure, Mature Travel and events-related content
• Contribute to sponsored content in print, online, video and social media
• Present webinars and webcasts as directed by the Features & Supplements Editor
• Represent Travel Weekly and sister brands at events, including outside work hours
• Deputise for the Features & Supplements Editor as needed, and contribute occasional news stories as directed by the News Editor
• Coordinate digital output including uploading features using CMS, writing social media posts and ensuring online content meets required standards
• Some international travel required

The person we need:

Essential:

• Minimum two years’ experience on the features desk of a national magazine, national newspaper or regional newspaper, preferably with some travel and/or trade experience
• Proven track record in pitching and writing creative features
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to manage a demanding workload in a deadline-driven environment
• Strong eye for detail and impeccable editorial standards
• Articulate and enthusiastic, with a flexible, can-do approach and proven problem-solving ability
• Strong understanding of travel publishing and the challenges facing the UK travel industry

Desirable:

• Knowledge of SEO and social media
• Network of contacts with travel trade, travel PRs and freelance journalists
• Experience of speaking at in-person events or presenting virtual sessions
• Video editing experience

To apply for either role, please submit your CV, covering letter (including salary expectations and notice period), and three samples of your features writing.