The mission of The New York Times is to seek the truth and help people understand the world. That means independent journalism is at the heart of all we do as a company. It’s why we have a newsroom that’s 1,700 strong and sends journalists to report on the ground from nearly 160 countries. It’s why we focus deeply on how our readers will experience our journalism, from print to audio to a world-class digital and app destination. And it’s why our business strategy centers on making journalism so good that it’s worth paying for. 

Note for US based roles: Any offer of employment is contingent on providing proof of Covid-19 vaccination prior to your start date, subject to approved medical and/or religious exemptions, in accordance with applicable law.

Job Description

About the position

Wirecutter is seeking a staff writer to join the team that covers mattresses and sleep gear. 

As a staff writer, your core responsibility will be maintaining and growing our extensive catalogue of mattress reviews. You will also test and review other products related to sleep and health, such as weighted blankets, white noise machines, sleep-tracking apps, and alarm clocks. You will pitch and write service-oriented articles about sleep and other health topics. 

You do not need to have previous experience reviewing mattresses or writing about sleep, but you should be interested in sleep and health and dedicated to helping our readers navigate purchases and improve their lives through better sleep. 

Our work is research-driven and evidence-based. You will interview medical and industry experts, develop testing plans, and sort through marketing claims. You will stay on top of health and science news related to sleep, industry and product developments, trends, and evolving reader interests. 

You will work closely with our operations team to plan and execute testing in Wirecutter’s Long Island City office, and you must be able to test mattresses and other sleep gear in your home. 

You will report to the supervising editor and collaborate with the other staff writer on the sleep team. This role is based out of our office in Long Island City, New York.

Responsibilities

• Research, report, and write long-form guides and short-form posts about mattresses and sleep; think creatively about sources, identify experts, and plan and conduct meaningful short- and long-term tests

• Request product samples and process their return

• Call experts and review academic journal articles and other scientific data; methodically scan user reviews and forums to find what truly matters to readers

• Collaborate with editors to conceive new content and formats and move ideas from pitch to publish     

• Collaborate with photo, video, and illustration departments to produce visuals to support guides and blog posts

• Work with our community team to respond to reader feedback and questions; work with our affiliate team to resolve stock issues on recommendations; work with our operations team on product orders and testing plans 

• May be required to attend trade shows and product news events as needed to build contacts and expertise in relevant topic areas

• Perform related work as assigned

Qualifications

• Minimum 2 years of professional writing experience, preferably including reporting on health topics or reviewing health or personal care products

• Excellent communication and task management skills in a remote work environment; patience to work through multiple rounds of edits and balance multiple reporting projects and deadlines simultaneously

• Impeccable research, fact-checking, and interview skills; ability to understand scientific studies, medical research, and testing data, and to use them to make recommendations and give advice to readers

• Strong organization skills and comfort working with large amounts of data

• Experience creating and administering tests for product reviews is a plus

Please include your résumé/CV and a cover letter with your application. You can only upload one file in the “Résumé/CV” box, so combine and upload your résumé and cover letter as one file.

This is a union position as classified by the News Guild of New York.

Locations

Even with our office in New York City, Wirecutter remains a highly remote-friendly culture and is proud to employ incredible people across the country. Right now, we are eligible to hire in the following states: CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, ME, MA, MI, MN, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OR, PA, TX, UT, VA, WA.

About Wirecutter

Wirecutter strives to be the most trusted product recommendation service on the internet. We obsessively test and report on thousands of items each year to recommend the best of everything. Our goal is to save you time and eliminate the stress of shopping, whether you’re looking for everyday gear or gifts for loved ones. We work with total editorial independence. That means nothing appears on the site as a recommendation unless our writers and editors have deemed it the best through our rigorous reporting and testing. Wirecutter was founded in September 2011 and acquired by The New York Times Company in October 2016. Wirecutter is mission-driven and reader-supported; learn more about us here.

Overview of Benefits at Wirecutter and The New York Times Company

Though Wirecutter has a physical office in New York City, the company promotes and encourages a remote workforce, so that our employees can work in flexible and comfortable ways. We are committed to career development, supported by a formal mentoring program as well as tuition reimbursement. We believe diversity fuels innovation and creativity, and we have a variety of affinity and employee resource groups and task forces across The New York Times Company and Wirecutter dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace.

The New York Times Company and Wirecutter provide employees and their families access to a comprehensive suite of benefits that includes not only medical, dental, and vision coverage, but also programs that help support their wellness goals. We offer a full suite of work/life assistance benefits including a generous parental leave policy, which was recently expanded in response to employee feedback. Employees giving birth now receive 20 weeks of paid leave. Non-birth, including adoptive parents, spouses, and parents also receive 20 weeks of paid leave. In addition, we also offer 401k matching.

#L1-AM1

The New York Times is committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce, one that reflects the varied global community we serve. Our journalism and the products we build in the service of that journalism greatly benefit from a range of perspectives, which can only come from diversity of all types, across our ranks, at all levels of the organization. Achieving true diversity and inclusion is the right thing to do. It is also the smart thing for our business. So we strongly encourage women, veterans, people with disabilities, people of color and gender nonconforming candidates to apply.

The New York Times Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of an individual's sex, age, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage, religion, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation or affectional preference, gender identity and expression, disability, genetic trait or predisposition, carrier status, citizenship, veteran or military status and other personal characteristics protected by law. All applications will receive consideration for employment without regard to legally protected characteristics. The New York Times Company will consider qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local "Fair Chance" laws.