Employment Opportunities

Data Collector

Description:

U.S. News & World Report, the leading authority in educational rankings, has an immediate opening for a full-time Data Collector in its Washington, D.C. office.

The responsibilities for this position include:

Review, correct, and verify statistical survey data submitted by colleges and universities
Assist in various tasks involving the data analysis for the Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools and other educational rankings done by U.S. News
Assist with data collection projects and the development of the Education Section of www.usnews.com

Qualifications:

Knowledge of survey research
Microsoft Office, including basic data entry and spreadsheet skills
Have the ability to meet deadlines and be extremely detail-oriented
Possess excellent communication/interpersonal skills
Basic knowledge of database structure a plus

There is no writing involved in this position.

Please send resume, references, and salary requirements to:

Diane Tolis, Data Collection Manager, U.S. News & World Report

dtolis@usnews.com

Please include Data Collector Position in the subject line of the email message.

EOE

M/F/V/D

Contributing Education Writer—Washington, D.C.

The Education section at U.S.News & World Report (www.usnews.com/education) seeks 2-3 experienced freelance education writers to expand our breadth of graduate schools content, particularly in the area of graduate business school. This content will supplement our Best Graduate Schools rankings online.

You must love higher education writing, be able to cultivate deep sources, generate story ideas, and be able to work on deadline. Our articles explore education trends, dispel myths, and contain actionable advice for readers looking to make informed choices about higher education.

Freelancer is expected to write 2-3 articles per week. U.S.News & World Report is based in Washington, D.C., but the freelancer can work remotely.

Applicants must provide a résumé, cover letter, and 3-5 clips. Please send all materials to edujobs@usnews.com and include "Contributing Education Writer" in the subject line.

EOE

M/F/V/D

Diet/Wellness Blogger

Location: Washington, District of Columbia
Job Status: Full-time
Salary: Negotiable
Website: http://health.usnews.com/bestdiets

Description:

Diet/Wellness Blogger, Washington, D.C.—usnews.com/health, the health unit of U.S. News & World Report, has an immediate opening for a prolific health journalist whose writing and editing, primarily in blog format, will anchor our diet, fitness and wellness coverage. The candidate is a self-starter who can report, write, edit, and produce their own work, can drum up interest in it and references to it from web portals, independent blogs, major news and health sites, and more.

The responsibilities of this full-time salaried position will include:

Conceptualizing and launching a new blog dedicated to providing U.S. News-brand “News You Can Use” on diet, nutrition, fitness and preventive health.
Creating a stream of blog posts, slideshows and web packages to ensure U.S. News has a significant, authoritative voice on the topics covered.
Developing, managing and editing a stable of freelance contributors to the blog.
Working with editors, web producers, and web analysts to craft stories that appeal to and reach the broadest possible online audience, including users of major portals.
Other duties as assigned.

Requirements:

At least 5 years of full-time journalism experience, preferably on a nutrition- or wellness-related beat.
A firm grasp of health/wellness topics and strong online news judgment.
Strong reporting, writing and editing skills and the ability to produce consumer-friendly content.
The ability to work on deadlines and manage several projects simultaneously.
Strong communication and organizational skills.
Awareness of how to use SEO and social media to reach a large Web audience.
Working knowledge of and interest in U.S. News’s Health rankings projects.
Familiarity with health topics and health websites/blogs preferred.

Applicants must provide 2-3 references and 3 writing clips in addition to résumé and cover letter. Please send all materials to Ben Harder at bharder@usnews.com, and include “diet blogger” in the subject line. The interview process will begin in January 2012.

Front-End Web Developer (HTML/CSS/Javascript)

U.S. News & World Report has an immediate opening for a front-end web developer with strong skills in HTML, CSS and Javascript. This position requires expert-level knowledge of W3C standards, cross-browser development, accessibility, and a solid understanding of the principles of information architecture and search engine optimization. Strong organizational and communication skills, attention to detail, and ability to meet deadlines are also required.

Duties include

working with editors, web producers, graphic artists, and programmers to create innovative online features and interactive tools.
creating web-based content from conceptual page plans in Photoshop.
crafting flexible templates for custom Python-based content management system.
integrating and troubleshooting code from third-party content and E-commerce partners.

Applicants will be required to provide code demonstrating a clear separation of content, presentation and behavior, and an unobtrusive use of Javascript.

Mandatory skills (you’ll need to be strong in these areas from Day One on the job):

Very strong understanding of HTML, including HTML5 and XHTML.
Very strong understanding of CSS.
Fundamentals of Javascript, including jQuery. Prototype is a plus.

Additional skills (you don’t need to know all of these in advance, but you’ll need to pick them up quickly as you’ll be using them regularly):

Experience working in a Unix/Linux environment.
Python, including Zope 2/3 and Pylons frameworks.
TAL templating.
Integration of Web applications with SQL databases.
Integration of streaming video into Web applications.
Version control/source control systems, especially Subversion.

This is a full-time, permanent position. Work will be done onsite at our offices in the Georgetown area of Washington, DC, using state-of-the-art Macintosh desktops with Adobe CS5 and (optionally) Coda. Occasional night and weekend work required.

The USNews.com tech team is a made up of very smart people who are passionate about Web development. The ideal candidate will be able to contribute immediately and will both learn from us and teach us a few new things.

Compensation based on experience.

Please apply by email, to newmedia@usnews.com. Please include ‘Web Developer’ in the subject line of your email. Send resume in plaintext. No attachments please.

Web Designer

U.S. News & World Report has an immediate opening for a Web Designer. This position requires an excellent eye for design, coupled with a keen ability to understand user needs, behaviors, and motivations. You should have strong Photoshop/Illustrator skills and be comfortable with HTML/CSS. Strong organizational and communication skills, attention to detail, and ability to meet deadlines are also required.

Duties Include

Participate in the requirements definition process with Product Management, Tech, and other key stakeholders
Work with engineering counter-parts as needed to clarify requirements and solve design challenges
Create wireframes, hi-fidelity mock-ups, usage scenarios, specifications, navigation maps, and other UI design documents
Work with sales and marketing to create banner ads, microsites and other sales collateral

Qualifications

Excellent graphic design skills (Illustrator, Photoshop)
Proficient with HTML and CSS
Comfortable working on multiple projects simultaneously
1-3 years experience
An online portfolio of your work

Why you want this job...

Your work matters. The design work you do here will have a direct impact on our bottom line and your opinions will help shape products used by thousands of people everyday.
Variety. U.S. News has dozens of products, one week you might be working on college rankings, the next design a page diet reviews and the next working on an ad campaign for a Fortune 500 company.
Exposure. We have a high traffic site and each month your work will be seen by millions of people.
Great work environment. You will have talented co-workers to learn from, keep sane hours, and have interesting projects to work on.

Work will be done on-site at our offices in the Georgetown area of Washington, DC.

The U.S. News UX/Design team plays a lead role in product development across the company. We take pride and ownership in our work and are passionate about creating solid, user-centered design. Our ideal candidate will be able to contribute immediately and will both learn from us and teach us a few new things.

Compensation based on experience.

Please send your résumé and portfolio to jmirick@usnews.com. Include 'Web Designer' in the subject line of your email.

Contributing Business Writer—Washington, D.C.

The Money section at U.S. News & World Report (www.usnews.com/money) is seeking 2-3 experienced freelance business writers. You must love business journalism, be able to cultivate deep sources, generate story ideas, cut through financial jargon, have a passion to break news and analyze trends before your competition, and you must be able to work on deadline. Our articles go beyond just reporting the news and contain analysis as well as actionable advice for readers. We publish everything from evergreen personal-finance articles to stories that break down economic trends for consumers and average investors.

Freelancer is expected to write 2-3 articles per week. Areas of expertise should include one or more of the following: personal finance, retirement, investing, careers, the economy. U.S. News & World Report is based in Washington, D.C., but the freelancer can work remotely.

Applicants must provide a résumé, cover letter, and 3-5 clips. Please send all materials to kmarquardt@usnews.com and kcastro@usnews.com and include "Contributing Business Writer" in the subject line.

Politics Intern

The Politics & Policy section at U.S.News & World Report is seeking a college graduate with a diverse background in writing and Web production for a one-year internship. The duties of this full-time (37.5 hours a week), hourly paid position will include:

Researching and writing stories for the Politics & Policy section, including the Opinion and Whispers sections
Assisting with the production of Web packages that include stories, charts, slide shows, photo galleries, and other elements
Writing and editing headlines and other content for the Politics & Policy and Opinion sections
Helping to develop social media efforts for the section
Assisting with tracking traffic, keywords, and other online trends on major portals and other sites
Coordinating with outside writers and contributors to generate content for the sections