Local Buyers Guides, Managing Editor- CONTRACT

About the role

ConsumerAffairs publishes local buyers guides that help people choose service providers in their city. We're hiring a CONTRACT Managing Editor to run the program day-to-day, overseeing the production, editing and quality of these guides from research through publication.

This is a structured, high-volume content program, but quality comes first. You'll need the discipline to manage a repeatable production process and the editorial judgment to recognize when a page needs more research, context or refinement. You'll also have the opportunity to improve how the program works and find new ways to make our guides more useful to consumers

How the work gets done

Our local guides are built using a combination of structured research, proprietary data, editorial tools and standardized content workflows. Some projects involve creating new guides from the ground up, while others focus on updating existing pages with new company information, recent review data, fact-checking and additional local context.

You'll learn both types of work and determine what each page needs to remain accurate, current and useful.

Scope of Work

Coordinate editorial production

Coordinate the production of new and updated local buyers guides

Assign articles to editors and track work through publication

Review editors' work for accuracy, completeness and adherence to editorial standards

Give clear, actionable feedback and identify recurring quality issues across the program

Keep production moving across a high volume of assignments and deadlines

Research and add local companies

Research, evaluate and add relevant local businesses to buyers guides

Verify service areas, locations, services offered and business status

Fact-check local costs, licensing requirements, permitting requirements and regulations

Evaluate source quality and ensure factual claims are appropriately supported

Own quality

Catch unsupported claims, inconsistencies, outdated information and factual errors

Run final QA on links, formatting, company details and local accuracy

Identify issues with source data, research processes or production workflows

Document problems clearly so they can be corrected and prevented in future work

Make the pages better

Identify opportunities to add value beyond standardized elements, including stronger local insights, better use of consumer review data and useful new sections

Look for content gaps and areas where additional research would make a guide more helpful

Help refine documentation, processes and editorial standards as the program grows

Maintain a strong focus on whether each page genuinely helps consumers make a more informed decision

Improve the system (as you ramp up)

Help troubleshoot and refine the tools and workflows that support content production

Identify opportunities to improve accuracy, consistency and efficiency

Work with Content, SEO, data and engineering teams when improvements require broader support

Recommend process changes based on patterns you see across the program

What successful delivery looks like

Success in this engagement means consistently delivering accurate, publication-ready local buyers guides while keeping work moving efficiently through the editorial process. The contractor will be expected to:

Maintain a consistent flow of completed assignments

Identify and resolve quality issues before publication

Deliver thorough, well-sourced research

Maintain established editorial and QA standards

Clearly document recurring issues and recommended solutions

Identify opportunities to improve the efficiency, accuracy and usefulness of the program

Requirements

What we're looking for

2+ years of experience in editorial, content operations or a related field, including experience editing or managing writers or editors

Exceptional attention to detail and an ability to recognize patterns across large volumes of content

Strong organization and project management skills across multiple assignments, people and deadlines

Rigorous research, sourcing and fact-checking skills

Strong editorial judgment and the ability to distinguish reliable information from weak or unsupported claims

Fluency with spreadsheets and structured data

Comfort learning and working with modern content, research and automation tools

The ability to follow a detailed process while also recognizing when that process needs to change

Clear written communication, particularly when giving editorial feedback

Curiosity about how structured content can be made more useful to consumers

Bonus if you have

Programmatic SEO or local SEO experience

A background in service journalism or consumer guides

Experience building or troubleshooting editorial workflows using tools such as AirOps, Airtable or similar platforms

Experience researching local businesses, licensing or government regulations

Experience working with company review data or large datasets

Familiarity with Ahrefs or Google Search Console

Basic experience with automation, APIs, no-code tools or scripting

Benefits

This is a contract position and, as such, is not eligible for company-sponsored benefits.

Posting text as published by ConsumerAffairs.

The evidence behind this listing

Workplace

Remote Employer field

Seniority

Not established

Employment type

Not established

Location as listed

United States

Pay and work authorization

Stated pay

Not stated

Visa sponsorship

Not stated

Security clearance

Not established

Citizenship

Not established