Six Figure Work

Senior Editor

The Atlantic

Company websitetheatlantic.com (The Atlantic, opens in new tab)

Base salary $105K  to $200K

Employer-published annual base salary, USD. Advertised base range Washington DC - The Wharf

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  • LocationWashington DC - The Wharf
  • WorkplaceWorkplace not stated
  • Status at last checkSource accepting applications when checked
  • Last checked (6 min ago) · observed since

About this job

The Atlantic is hiring a senior editor to join the newsroom’s Science and Health team. This editor will oversee staff writers and work closely with the team’s other editors to produce stories that lead the national conversation about the politics of science and health. This position will be instrumental in shaping our coverage of the people and institutions that influence the direction of science in America, and the resulting effects on how we live and what we know. Topics this role may focus on include scientific misinformation, AI in science, policy and regulation battles, academic conflicts, and medical breakthroughs. 


The ideal candidate should be fluent in what’s happening inside the White House, Congress, and federal agencies, and have a deep interest in the ways those dramas reverberate across the country. This person must be adept at assigning magazine stories of the highest standard that speak to a wide audience; narrative sophistication and a passion for big ideas both are essential. This position will at times include night, early-morning, and weekend work.


Other qualifications of the ideal candidate include:

  • At least 10 years of experience, with a demonstrated ability to define the conversation around issues of national importance
  • Strong leadership abilities and experience managing reporters. This person should excel at helping reporters see a story more clearly, pursue their most ambitious instincts, and turn out compelling writing.
  • Equal comfort editing fast-breaking scoops, shaping ideas-driven pieces, and overseeing deeply reported projects. 
  • An unwavering commitment to excellence and an eagerness to work closely with others on the team.


Salary minimum: $105,000; Salary maximum: $200,000

This position is based in Washington, D.C.

About The Atlantic:

The Atlantic has, for more than 160 years, advanced ideas that matter and sparked global conversation on the most important issues of our time. We aim to bring clarity and original thinking to questions of consequence, on topics ranging from politics, the economy, and global affairs to technology, science, and culture. As the third-longest-running magazine in America, we find ourselves at a remarkable moment: one of both continuation and transformation, of upholding our legacy while continuously reinventing ourselves for the future.

_____________

The Atlantic Monthly Group LLC ("The Atlantic") is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Atlantic is committed to diversity and encourages members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, LGBTQ people, people of color, and people with disabilities. We do not discriminate against our applicants because of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable law.  

Job offers to work at The Atlantic are contingent upon the candidate’s successful completion of reference checks and compliance with The Atlantic's COVID-19 vaccination policy. The Atlantic requires all employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, including subsequent boosters, and submit proof of vaccination status. Employees who cannot receive the vaccine because of a disability/medical contraindication or sincerely-held religious belief may request an accommodation (e.g., an exemption) to this requirement.

Source: The Atlantic on Workday · View original posting (opens in new tab)

Pay in context

This role's base floor ($105,000) is above 6% of the 440 Communications & Media roles nationwide listed on this site; 10 others list the same floor. Their median floor is $138,716; the middle half runs from $120,000 to $169,400.

Only jobs on this site count, and each one publishes a base salary of $100,000 or more, so this compares six-figure jobs with each other, not with the whole market. Computed Nov 6, 2026.

This range next to 6 other live The Atlantic roles with the nearest advertised base floor
Chart as a table
This range next to 6 other live The Atlantic roles with the nearest advertised base floor
RolePublished base
Senior Editor (this listing)$105K - $200K
Senior Editor$105K - $125K
Senior Editor$105K - $125K
Senior Editor$105K - $200K
Senior Editor$105K - $200K
Senior Editor$105K - $175K
Producer, Video Podcasts$105K - $135K

Same $100K to $400K scale as every card. All The Atlantic roles · How to read the bar

Observed changes

  1. First observed on the employer's board
  2. Began meeting the published-salary criteria
Observed since
Employer-stated posting date
2026-09-25
Where this pay comes from

Location as the employer wrote it: Washington DC - The Wharf

Salary minimum: $105,000; Salary maximum: $200,000

Method
Employer text, read with fixed rules and re-verified
Checked
Rule set
us-base-v2

The pay passage appears in the employer's own job text. Fixed, deterministic rules located it, and the passage below was checked against the stored copy of the posting.

What we verified

  • The pay figures come from the employer's own listing, quoted exactly above.
  • The pay is an annual base salary in US dollars with a minimum of at least $100,000.
  • The role was publicly listed on the employer's job board when last checked.

We do not verify what the employer will actually offer, whether the employer is still recruiting for the role, or anything beyond what the employer published. Full methodology.