Managing Editor

Kitces.com is hiring a Managing Editor to be accountable for the entire Nerd’s Eye View blog and its Editorial team, including day-to-day management of the Editorial team, the timely publication and distribution of our core Nerd’s Eye View blog content and a series of podcasts via our (WordPress) CMS system, working with our on-team and external Guest authors to create quality, nerdy, and relevant content for financial advisors that meets our high editorial standards, overseeing the development and rollout of our supporting Navigational Resources for Advicers, and tracking and reporting on relevant Editorial KPIs for content readership and distribution. 

So if you’re an experienced leader of editorial teams with a strong focus on marshalling the necessary resources to deliver highly relevant long-form content, who has grown frustrated with the media industry’s obsession with pageviews and ad impressions over meaningful content and audience engagement, has always wanted the opportunity to work in an environment that has a robust subscription-based business model not reliant on any advertising revenue to ensure it can put its Readers first, and has a desire to dig data into Analytics data to identify emerging reader topics of interest and then find and work with the very best writers to create that content… then this job is for you! 

 

Description/Responsibilities 

This entirely virtually-based staff position (work from anywhere in the United States!) is a Director-level position that reports to Managing Director Rachel Zeller, and will work directly with Editor-In-Chief Michael Kitces and the Editorial team, with the following core areas of functional responsibility and oversight: 

 

• Lead, manage, and hold Accountable the members of the Editorial team, including weekly L10s (team meetings), 1:1s, quarterly check-ins, and annual performance reviews, with a particular focus on the training and development of team members as a part of our ‘Get Your Nerd On’ Core Value. Also responsible for the expansion of the Editorial team over time by mapping out (and eventually hiring and developing new team members in) future full-time and contractor seats. 

• Management of editorial calendar, including prioritization of which topics to publish when, ensuring that the pipeline of content remains full, review of prospective topic selection, and final selection of content with approval of Editor-In-Chief 

• Accountable for team execution of the Kitces publishing and podcast production process, and ensuring that all content has been properly edited and reviewed, and meets Kitces editorial standards 

• Oversight of the development, rollout, and maintenance of Kitces Navigational Resources for Advicers (e.g., our Master Conference List, CFP Scholarship List, etc.) 

• Management of external Guest Post writers, including identifying prospective writers, establishing relationships, implementing agreements, and ensuring timely production of content 

• Drive growth of readership (sessions) to our Nerd’s Eye View blog content, and listenership (downloads) of our Kitces podcasts 

• Establish and manage content syndication partnerships with industry publications, and field Permission inquiries for re-use of Kitces content 

• Hire and manage outside freelancers to support various aspects of the Kitces.com platform as needed 

• Accountable for determining, tracking, and reporting relevant data metrics regarding both content readership and distribution, our content meeting our QNR (Quality, Nerdiness, Relevance) standards, and other key business objectives 

 

Key Candidate Traits 

The ideal candidate should be self-motivated enough to work in a virtual environment with limited supervision (autonomous), have an extremely strong inclination for continuous learning (self-development), an immaculate attention to detail (organized and efficient), a service mindset (seeks to collaborate and to help and support others), and an ability to work in a changing environment (adaptability).  

Candidates will have independently managed production of an online media platform with a team of at least 4 people, having overseen every part of the process from pitch to publish.  

 Candidates are expected to have managed writers in various capacities, from full-time staff members to contracted columnists to one-off submissions, having been successful in holding each type of relationship accountable to their commitments and deadlines. It is also expected that candidates will be able to show that they were successful in improving writers’ performance through coaching and candid feedback. 

Candidates will have successful increased engagement with content through social media and SEO and will be able to demonstrate how they have used data to drive decision-making to achieve goals. 

Finally, candidates will have examples of when they have independently determined, prioritized, and executed short-term projects that roll up to company goals.  

Successful management of social media platforms and Content Management Systems is required; prior experience with WordPress in particular is preferred. 

Prior experience in the financial services industry, and/or completion of the CFP education requirement, is preferred but not required.  

Candidates must be legally authorized and available to work primarily within the United States.   

Kitces.com does not sponsor visas at this time. 

Candidates must be able to work at a computer for up to 8 hours a day and travel to attend two in-person retreats per year.  

 

• Compensation/Benefits
  Base salary $95,000 – $130,000/year based on experience 

• Available bonus up to 12% of base salary, determined by meeting key Members Section and other business metrics 

• $3,000 budget for additional training/skills education 

• $4,000 conference budget 

• $1,000 budget for technology hardware/software or related office materials, which starts with a company provided computer for your home work space 

• Paid membership in a relevant membership association and for a relevant professional designation or certification 

• 20 days of paid time off for combined vacation + sick, plus 6 national holidays, and 2 floating holidays 

• Participation in company health plan 

• Participation in company 401(k) plan 

• “No meeting” Wednesdays 

What it’s like working at Kitces.com 

We are a team that lives by our values, our support of one another and our commitment to the community we serve. The successful candidate will share these Kitces Core Values: 

• Do the Right Thing 

• Advisors First 

• Be the Trusted Source 

• Deposit More Than We Withdraw 

• No A$$holes 

• Get Your Nerd On 

At Kitces.com we have all but eradicated internal email. All internal communication is done via Slack, or through Asana tasks.  

When on Slack calls, video is expected as we believe hearing voices and seeing faces makes for stronger communication and connections. We lean on technology tools to get things done and protect our time. An example is our use of the delayed-send on Slack messages. While anyone might have a great idea pop up at any time, we are careful to make sure messages are only sent during regular business hours to respect the work/home boundaries of our work-from-home (or work-from-anywhere) team.  

As a company we try to front load meetings to the beginning of the week so that the end of the week can be more focused on Deep Work to maximize our personal productivity. 

While, as a remote company, we tend to attract a lot of introverts, we also recognize the value in creating work relationships, so we have a social committee that creatively offers a multitude of ways for people to connect in the ways they feel most comfortable. 

To Apply:
Interested candidates for the Managing Editor should complete the initial application form. Questions can be directed to [email protected]. 

General Application

About Kitces.com

The mission of Kitces.com is to help financial advicers be better and more successful, creating a 100X multiplier effect for our work and the number of consumers we can positively impact with the power of financial planning delivered by a Kitces-supported financial advicer to their clients.

To achieve this mission, Kitces.com publishes the leading financial planning industry blog Nerd’s Eye View, producing award-winning commentary on financial planning strategies and practice management trends for financial advisors ranked as the most Influential, Objective, Relevant, and Useful content amongst any online media publication for financial advisors. In addition, our Members Section provides additional white papers, webinars, training courses to master essential skills, and the opportunity for financial planning professionals to earn Continuing Education credits, and we are invited to speak regularly at financial advisor conferences across the US and around the world to present our analysis and insights.

Unlike traditional media sites, though, Kitces.com deliberately generates no revenue from advertising or sponsored content. Instead, we remain solely focused on creating value directly for the financial advicer community, strengthening the awareness of and integrity of the Kitces brand, and being compensated directly from our readers both on our site (for those who join our Members Section, hire us to speak about financial planning topics or engage us to consult on our Kitces Research), and through our co-owned financial services solutions for consumers (who may engage with our related financial advisory firms) as well as our business solutions for financial advisors themselves (for whom we have a number of businesses providing service and technology solutions for advisory firms).

What’s it like working at Kitces.com

We are a team that lives by our values, our support of one another and our commitment to the community we serve. The successful candidate will share these Kitces Core Values:

• Do the Right Thing
• Advisors First
• Be the Trusted Source
• Deposit More Than We Withdraw
• No A$$holes
• Get Your Nerd On

At Kitces.com we have all but eradicated internal email. All internal communication is done via Slack, or through Asana tasks.

When on Slack calls, video is expected as we believe hearing voices and seeing faces makes for stronger communication and connections. We lean on technology tools to get things done and protect our time. An example is our use of the delayed-send on Slack messages. While anyone might have a great idea pop up at any time, we are careful to make sure messages are only sent during regular business hours to respect the work/home boundaries of our work-from-home (or work-from-anywhere) team.

As a company we try to front load meetings to the beginning of the week so that the end of the week can be more focused on Deep Work to maximize our personal productivity.

While, as a remote company, we tend to attract a lot of introverts, we also recognize the value in creating work relationships, so we have a social committee that creatively offers a multitude of ways for people to connect in the ways they feel most comfortable.

Other Benefits (please note, some benefits may vary based on seat):

• Quarterly bonuses that are paid out up to 3% of base salary/quarter (or 12% of base salary/year), for meeting Members Section growth targets. The average quarterly bonus over the last 3 years has been 2.4%.
• Discretionary budgets to support formal education and conference attendance.
• Computer set up is provided to every new full-time hire and is maintained and replaced regularly
• Home Office budget at $1,000/year, which can be used for creating a comfortable and productive at-home work environment.
• Paid membership in a relevant membership association and for a relevant professional designation or certification
• Generous paid time off policy
• 6 national holidays
• Participation in company health plan, which is supplemented by a company contribution of $360/month
• Participation in company 401(k) plan

To Apply:
Interested candidates should complete the application form. Questions can be directed to [email protected].