The GGSC is Hiring a Special Projects Editor!

July 1, 2024

The Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley (GGSC) is currently looking for a full-time editor to help lead a new project on the science of love. The editor will deepen and expand the GGSC’s coverage of love and related topics like compassion, awe, kindness, connection, and bridging differences. They will also manage other aspects of the love project, including an innovative grants competition for journalists and other nonfiction media producers.

This is a three-year contract position that provides UC Berkeley benefits. To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, and three writing samples, as a single attachment, to the attention of editor Jeremy Adam Smith at ggsclove@berkeley.edu with “Application for Special Projects Editor” as the subject line. We strongly encourage you to apply by August 2, 2024. The review process for applications will begin on August 5.

About the Greater Good Science Center

The Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley (GGSC) studies the psychology, sociology, and neuroscience of well-being and teaches skills that foster a thriving, resilient, and compassionate society. Since its founding more than two decades ago, the GGSC has highlighted the importance of building social connection not only within communities but across groups, offering practical strategies for overcoming bias and prejudice, expanding one’s circle of care, and promoting diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

The GGSC’s organizational culture prioritizes independence, rigor, and the well-being of its members. Staff members enjoy autonomy and flexibility while working in a culture that encourages teamwork, connection, and collaboration. Recognizing that the science we cover has been shaped by systemic biases and inequities, we aim to address and correct for these prejudices whenever possible—a goal on which we elaborate in our Diversity Statement.

Its online magazine, Greater Good, turns scientific research into stories, tips, and tools for a happier life and a more compassionate society. Through articles, videos, quizzes, podcasts, and more, we bridge the gap between scientific journals and people’s daily lives, particularly for parents, educators, business and nonprofit leaders, and health professionals.

That application of science to real lives is core to the mission of the magazine. However, though much of our work draws on psychological and neuroscience research, its scope is wider than the individual. We also draw on sociology, economics, anthropology, and other fields in order to understand well-being in groups. We also teach strategies for well-being through online courses, workshops, conferences, and other programs described on the GGSC’s organizational website.

About This Position

The Special Projects Editor will help run the journalistic dimension of a new project that the GGSC is launching this summer on the science of love. Not limited to romantic love, the project will explore the power of love to strengthen our social fabric, bridge divides, and contribute to a good, meaningful life.

Roughly two-thirds of the editor’s time will center on producing content on love for the GGSC’s online platforms, particularly its award-winning online magazine, Greater Good. They will be responsible for developing, writing, and/or editing Greater Good articles on love and related topics each month, with a particular focus on producing content that feels relevant to and inclusive of culturally diverse audiences. With the expertise they develop on the love beat, they will also contribute ideas to new GGSC videos, podcast episodes, and other content.

The remaining one-third of the editor’s time over the three-year period (with the exact time ratio varying with deadlines) will be spent managing a program for journalists under the love project, centering on grants that the GGSC will give to journalists and other media producers to support the reporting and production of stories on love. Under the Special Project Editor’s supervision, the GGSC will solicit proposals from a wide range of nonfiction media producers. Working with a team of expert reviewers, including researchers and other journalists, the editor will run the process of selecting the top 15-20 proposals—from both individuals and media organizations—and awarding them grants to support their work. The GGSC’s goal is to support projects for diverse media and audiences, including articles for print and the web, podcasts and radio, videos, and other digital platforms.

The Special Project Editor will then work closely with that community of journalist grantees over the next 18 months, bringing them together for two in-person events (working with the GGSC’s Events Coordinator) and convening them for quarterly Zoom calls to share updates on their work, learn from experts on the science of love, and offer feedback and support to one another. The role will draw on the editor’s journalistic expertise as well as strong project management and community-building skills.

A journalist who received a grant and participated in a similar project that the GGSC ran recently said afterwards, “This has been a game-changing experience for me, and I’ve made connections that will serve me and my work for many years to come.”

The Special Projects Editor will be hired as a full-time staff member, with benefits, on a three-year contract, with possibility of renewal. They will report to the Greater Good Editor. Proximity to the GGSC’s office at UC Berkeley is preferred, although remote or hybrid-remote working arrangements are possible.

Responsibilities

How the Special Projects Editor spends their time will vary week to week. However, we estimate that over the course of each year, they will spend roughly two-thirds of their time on editorial responsibilities and one-third on managing the grants to journalists and the community of grantees.

Editorial

  • Edit or write 4-6 articles per month for Greater Good
  • Research and develop ideas for articles to write or assign to other writers
  • Identify new writers—including journalists or academics—who could contribute articles to Greater Good, with a particular focus on engaging a diverse group of writers
  • Contribute ideas for other GGSC content on love, including videos, podcast episodes, and a quiz, drawing on the subject matter expertise they gain from reporting on the love beat
  • Join weekly editorial meetings to discuss new article ideas
  • Support the Editor and Managing Editor with planning the editorial calendar
  • Contribute ideas for headlines, social media posts, newsletters, and other ways to help promote the content they are producing, working in collaboration with the GGSC’s marketing team
  • Make occasional updates to the GGSC’s organizational website (ggsc.berkeley.edu), particularly with information about the new project on love

Love Journalism Project Management

  • Identify relevant contacts and channels through which to publicize the request for proposals (RFP) for the love media grants, working with the GGSC’s marketing team
  • Manage the process of reviewing, selecting, and announcing the ~20 grant winners, enlisting a team of outside reviewers (journalists and researchers)
  • Pair the grant winners with scientific experts on love who will advise their projects
  • Organize and host six quarterly Zoom calls over 18 months that bring together the grantees and scientific advisors
  • Contribute ideas to the design of two events for the grantees and advisors. The GGSC’s Events Coordinator will be responsible for the event logistics, but the editor will help shape the program and identify other stakeholders—e.g., other journalists or researchers interested in the topic—to invite to attend or speak
  • Help develop the vision and agenda for a large public event on love in the final year of the project, working with the GGSC’s Events Coordinator and Executive Director
  • Maintain regular communication with all project stakeholders–including the grantees, advisors, GGSC staff, and other external partners—and track the pieces that the grantees produce, with support from a project assistant

Required Qualification

  • Significant experience developing, assigning, and editing articles for a diverse audience
  • Exceptional reporting and writing skills, particularly for making scientific research understandable to non-academic audiences
  • Some familiarity with the field we cover: the psychology, sociology, and neuroscience of social and individual well-being
  • Strong project management skills
  • Strong interpersonal skills, particularly for navigating conflict and disagreement

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience reporting on psychological research for non-academic audiences,  particularly the field of positive psychology or related disciplines
  • Experience producing journalism that feels inclusive and respectful of people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives
  • Skill and comfort leading Zoom meetings
  • Experience designing the agendas for dynamic private and public events
  • Experience working with a content management system (eg., Expression Engine, Wordpress)
  • Interest in building and supporting a professional community of media producers
  • Familiarity with—and affinity for—the Greater Good Science Center’s mission and programs

Salary & Benefits

This is a monthly paid (exempt) position. Annual salary is commensurate with experience, within the range of $80,000 to $90,000.

This position also offers UC Berkeley’s wide array of high-quality benefit plans, including comprehensive health plans, a valuable pension plan, and optional retirement savings opportunities.

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University of California, please visit: https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/compensation-and-benefits/index.html

How To Apply

To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, and three writing samples, as a single attachment, to the attention of editor Jeremy Adam Smith at ggsclove@berkeley.edu with “Application for Special Projects Editor” as the subject line. The most important part of the application will be the writing samples.

Please submit your materials as a single attachment when applying.
We strongly encourage you to apply by August 2, 2024. The review process for applications will begin on August 5.

Equal Employment Opportunity
The University of California, Berkeley, is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.