Wanted: Analyst/Writer

Watershed Publishing owns a network of daily trade magazine websites concentrating on various marketing industry niches. We are seeking a capable analyst and writer who can synthesize multiple sources of data created with vastly differing methodologies and intelligently – perhaps even humorously – present the findings with clarity, brevity, insight and the most appropriate charts.

This is a contracted position, rather than employment. We anticipate requiring roughly one half to two thirds of a full-time equivalent.

Responsibilities and goals

This analyst will write six items each business day, split between two of our portfolio sites: MarketingCharts.com and a forthcoming site for the retail industry. These items will be a combination of twitchy news from the past 12 hours and pieces more thoughtfully put together over days or weeks.

This person will also help guide our writers with less quantitative analysis experience to help improve their stories and ensure the greatest accuracy.

Further, this person will help the editors of the site determine what sort of data manipulation applications may be most fruitfully developed for the publications, determining both the greatest reader needs and the greatest convenience of data acquisition and manipulation.

Competencies, qualities, requirements

Experience both as a writer in daily or weekly publications (daily preferred) and as an analyst (whether internal to a given company, or as a content creator at an analyst firm).

Strong literacy with business statistics and business numbers. You know how to read and interpret sources such as SEC filings, massage numbers in complex Excel spreadsheets, then extract meaning and share highlights with others.

Good data visualization skills. You know how to use Microsoft Excel to produce charts that convey information clearly with no "chart junk." In fact you are an Excel power user all around.

Familiarity with lightweight content management systems or blog backends, such as Wordpress.

You are comfortable and productive working remotely with a team from many locations. You understand that working remotely gives you both more freedom and more responsibility. You communicate often and proactively to avoid tunnel effects. You are articulate in verbal and written communications, with proper grammar and spelling. You're easily reachable by phone and email.

You pay attention to details and have a good memory, and you hate to drop the ball. You're well-mannered, have a strong sense of ethics, and good judgment.

You know how to organize your time and priorities and are comfortable with project management. You don't rationalize that spending two hours a day checking digg.com and chatting on Twitter is somehow part of your work.

This position requires you to have a properly setup home office with broadband internet access. Ideally this is not your first home office gig.

Compensation

$2,500 to $3,500 a month contractor retainer, based on experience.

Company

Watershed Publishing is a growing, profitable online trade publisher created in 2003. We publish half a dozen daily-updated web sites and email newsletters. Our headquarters is located in Vermont but our team of about 25 people live and work all over.

We're mostly people who have been through the online bubble, bust and second boom, and want to build a real and lasting business regardless of business cycles. We try not to take ourselves too seriously, but we take what we do very seriously, starting with delivering great service to our advertisers and readers.

Why you want the job

Great opportunity to contribute. You'll work with the entrepreneurs (no politics, no glass ceiling preventing you from growing). You won't just execute, you'll also contribute to shaping what you do.

Real opportunity to see the direct results of your work, (e.g. helping grow traffic, user engagement, revenue, or the productivity of our editors).

To apply

Please send your resume to Vahe Habeshian, with a cover letter that explains why you’d like to apply, and samples of your writing and analysis abilities.

Job posted on March 12, 2008