Managing Editor

The Tulsa Flyer seeks an experienced, innovative newsroom leader to oversee and lead our nonprofit newsroom. The broad purpose of the Tulsa Flyer and The Oklahoma Eagle is to provide information, news and connectedness to audiences in Tulsa that makes their lives and Tulsa better. The managing editor of the Tulsa Flyer has to be the leader of that effort and will play a crucial role in working with the executive editor to guide the newsroom in reaching its goals, including realizing a vision for audience-first journalism.

They will play a pivotal role in weaving together strong accountability journalism with service reporting, arts and culture, and community engagement for a well-rounded daily news offering in service of Tulsa residents.

This position requires a dynamic leader who can balance strategic thinking with operational execution, who is detail oriented and willing, able, and eager to roll up their sleeves and guide the team to produce impactful, audience driven, high standards journalism in a fast-paced newsroom. Within that, the managing editor must be a leader in audience-first journalism: embedding the audiences’ needs, interests, and problems to be solved across the newsroom.

This person must be able to lead even from a position of their own limited understanding and experience to lead the effort with an eye toward social, video, and the best uses of AI.

• The managing editor will oversee a team of editors and reporters covering key topics. They will work closely with the executive editor and deputy editor to set editorial priorities, manage daily news operations, and ensure our journalism serves the Tulsa community.
• They will lead the development of Tulsa Flyer’s long term and enterprise reporting, working with senior editors to forge the vision for the Flyer’s enterprise strategies.
• They will work with the art director to establish the goals for and execution of visuals for the Tulsa Flyer including photography and video coverage.
• They will oversee the Tulsa Flyer’s newsroom budget, working with the COO to ensure that we set budgetary goals and adhere to them.
• They will work with the membership and audience director and the executive editor to ensure that the editorial strategy is aligned with audience growth.
• They will oversee the shared services that support both The Oklahoma Eagle and Tulsa Flyer, including all related work flows, working in partnership with the Eagle Managing Editor
• They will work with The Flyer’s newsroom partners in creating and producing the quarterly joint publication Snapshot.
• They may also work with the Executive Editor to spearhead other collaborative projects with partners.
• They will support other editors in making our newsroom one in which people can learn and grow professionally.

The ideal candidate is an experienced editorial leader with a track record of producing excellent journalism, strong leadership skills, and a passion for reimagining local news to be more responsive and accessible to diverse audiences across multiple platforms. They are actively preparing to step into executive-level leadership, acting as a strategic partner and designated backup for the executive editor, with opportunity for advancement within the organization for the right candidate.

In the first year, we expect the managing editor to allocate their time in these buckets:

• Executing high-impact, data-informed editorial strategy that directly responds to the evolving needs of our community while advancing our organizational goals.
• Analyze audience metrics provided by the audience team and community feedback to refine coverage, ensuring our journalism remains deeply relevant, trustworthy, and impactful.

• Alongside the Executive Editor, build a collaborative, mission-driven culture across both of our newsrooms and foster strong, collaborative relationships with our external media and community partners.
• Set a high standard for internal communication and cross-functional teamwork, to foster an inclusive and unified newsroom.

• Drive all phases of enterprise, investigative,…