Executive Editor - Fredericksburg Lance Star and Culpeper Star-Exponent

Executive Editor – Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star & Culpeper Star-Exponent

Lee Enterprises is seeking an executive editor to lead the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star and Culpeper Star-Exponent. This role is charged with setting coverage priorities and driving audience and subscriber growth. It is an in‑person leadership position based in Fredericksburg with regular engagement in both communities.

• Set the editorial vision for both markets, prioritizing enterprise reporting, accountability journalism, and meaningful community storytelling.
• Drive digital transformation in both newsrooms with strong digital‑first instincts.
• Use analytics platforms to guide coverage decisions, assess performance, and grow subscriber engagement.
• Partner with Local News Division leadership to meet audience and retention goals.
• Maintain high standards for accuracy, timeliness, and presentation across all platforms.
• Foster a collaborative newsroom culture and mentor, coach, and grow a team of reporters, photographers, and editors.
• Build strong relationships with readers, civic leaders, and community organizations.

• Proven experience as a newsroom leader, managing teams and driving impactful journalism.
• Demonstrated success growing digital audiences through innovative storytelling and data‑driven decision‑making.
• Strong command of digital publishing tools, analytics platforms, SEO, newsletters, and CMS workflows.
• Excellent communication skills and a proactive, solutions‑oriented leadership style.
• Comfortable engaging publicly and serving as the newsroom’s ambassador in the community.
• Ability to work onsite regularly in Fredericksburg; occasional travel to Culpeper required.

Located along the Interstate 95 corridor between Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Fredericksburg and Culpeper blend historic downtowns with rapidly growing suburban and rural communities. The region offers an exceptional quality of life, with the Blue Ridge Mountains just an hour to the west and Virginia’s beaches about three hours to the east. These communities are home to engaged readers, active civic life, and a deep well of stories spanning growth, government, culture, and business.

Lee Enterprises is a leading provider of local news, information, and advertising, with daily newspapers, digital products, marketing services, and nearly 350 publications across 72 markets in 25 states. We are committed to high‑quality journalism grounded in ethics, accuracy, and a reader‑first mission.