Arts & Culture Editor

Our company

Time Out Australia is an award-winning lifestyle publisher focused on helping our audience make the most of their diverse and vibrant cities. In order to effectively communicate the diversity of things to do in our cities we are looking for staff and contributors from a variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds, gender identities, and with a variety of abilities.

About the role

We’re looking for an experienced and tenacious new editor to lead Time Out’s arts and culture coverage in Melbourne, with a particular focus on theatre, visual arts, museums, exhibitions and live comedy and a secondary focus on film and live music. The position is full time and based at Time Out Melbourne’s CBD office, pending public health orders. 

The editor should already have their finger on the pulse of the Melbourne arts scene and be ready to hit the ground running with original feature ideas that connect our audience with the most exciting arts events in their city. They’ll already have a network of contacts in the arts scene and will be confident writing alongside and editing the work of some of Australia’s finest arts journalists and critics. Over time they will be assigned duties requiring more independent initiative as they gain more experience in the role. The arts and culture editor will perform their journalistic duties under supervision from the Time Out Melbourne editor.

The editor must also have an understanding of how to inspire audiences in the digital space and make even the most esoteric and challenging artworks seem accessible and essential. And of course, they’ll be a team player who loves sharing their knowledge with the wider team and is willing to collaborate closely with editorial staff on content that engages an entire city.

The editor will be required to maintain Time Out’s extensive event listings and guides to Melbourne’s culture. From time to time, the editor will also lend their expertise to commercial briefs and assist the commercial team to take advantage of business leads in the arts space, as well as writing occasional sponsored content. At the same time, they’ll know how to maintain the editorial integrity that has made Time Out a leader in the arts space for more than 50 years, and ensure the independence of its critical coverage.

Our ideal candidate will have

• Minimum three years journalism or writing experience, ideally in arts media
• A thorough understanding of the arts ecosystem in Melbourne
• Attention to detail and sub-editing skills
• A desire to seek out and promote new voices while supporting one of Australia’s finest teams of freelance theatre critics and arts journalists
• An understanding of defamation and intellectual property laws in Australia and their relevance to arts criticism and journalism
• The ability to learn new applications and software quickly
• Experience in using social media and SEO to grow new audiences and inspire existing audiences to engage more deeply with a range of content
• Strong relationship building skills, relating to both internal and external stakeholders

About our culture

At Time Out Group we believe in diversity and equal opportunity for all people. We do not discriminate against external or internal candidates on the basis of age; disability; gender, gender reassignment; race; religion or belief; sexual orientation; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity. We believe that diversity develops creativity and enables personal and professional growth where we all learn from each other. We believe in an open culture where ideas are shared candidly and where there is no fear of failure, but rather an understanding that we must experiment and have the freedom to succeed. We believe that everyone has the right to express themselves as they are as this enriches us all. We believe in an open world, social justice, and the pursuit of happiness, after all, we are in the happiness business.

About Time Out Group plc

Time Out Group is a global media and hospitality business that inspires connection and joy by capturing the soul of the world’s greatest cities through its two divisions – Time Out Media and Time Out Market.

Time Out launched in London in 1968 with a magazine to help people discover the exciting new urban cultures that had started up all over the city. Today, across the Group’s digital and physical platforms, Time Out’s professional journalists curate the best things to do, see and eat in 331 cities in 59 countries.

Time Out Market is the world’s first editorially curated food and cultural market, bringing a city’s best chefs, restaurateurs and unique cultural experiences together under one roof. From cooking classes with top chefs to installations from local artists and live entertainment, Time Out Market captures the soul of the city.

The first Time Out Market opened in 2014 in a historic market hall in Lisbon, quickly turning into the most popular destination in the city with 4.1m locals and tourists visiting in 2019. The success of Lisbon brought further expansion in North America, with Time Out Market opening in five major cities in 2019: Miami, New York, Boston, Chicago and Montreal. In 2021, Time Out Market expanded into the Middle East with Time Out Market Dubai, and more Time Out Market locations are in the pipeline including Porto, Abu Dhabi, Prague, London and more.

Time Out Group was named International Brand of the Year 2021 in the Campaign Publishing Awards – awarding bravery, editorial innovation and forward thinking. While Time Out Market won the Most Innovative Food & Beverage Concept Award at the Global RLI (Retail & Leisure International) Awards 2021.

To apply for this role, please email a CV, cover letter, five examples of work and three pitches for arts and culture stories that you would like to write for Time Out Melbourne to: [email removed - click apply for more details]

Only successful applicants will be contacted. Do NOT just hit “Apply” on Seek or LinkedIn, you must send an email to be considered.

This position is open to all Australian residents with work rights. We especially encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with a disability and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to apply.