Get Involved

We are a grass-root online magazine with a keen eye for the built environment, technology, science, politics, culture, the environment and any other content that makes Urban Times the home for optimistic forward-thinkers. We attempt to promote open debate and greatly appreciate our readers’ ideas.

Urban Times is now looking for contributors to enrich the experience.

Author

Requisite: Previous writing experience and passion to explore thought-provoking issues and ability to deliver it to a wider audience. Experience of WordPress writing platform is recommended but not essential.

Job description: At Urban Times we pride ourselves on user-generated content. This means we give authors free reign to write about whatever their hearts’ desire so long as it aligns with our ethos of optimistic forward-thinking. The UT team are always up for brainstorming content ideas or assigning particular articles that they think would best suit your area of expertise. There are also possibilities of being part, or running, a feature series at UT which is a set of articles which have one common theme. If an author gains a high proficiency of editing his/her own articles it is likely that this author can become an editor.

Editor

Requisite: The ability to proficiently edit a variety of articles on the WordPress platform.

Job description: Articles will be assigned by the editor-and-chief to edit on a daily basis. The editor will gain an intimate knowledge of the WordPress platform and an understanding of the criteria that must be present for articles to be of publishable quality. You will be responsible for editing articles from a variety of sections. You may also be responsible for idea generation, to find leads, and develop series for categories assigned by the editor-and-chief which you can either assign to our author-base or complete yourself. Of course, editors will be free to write and publish articles as they please as long as the article falls under one of the categories and follows The Urban Times ethos of optimistic forward-thinking.

PR Representative

Requisite: Previous experience in PR, preferably for web-based companies with a media focus.

Job description: Our PR rep will assist in building relationships with other media companies and sustainable brands. This will include setting up meetings with business people and helping to create presentations. They will promote the magazine through various social media tools and will help develop innovative strategies for marketing and advertising. A PR intern will liaise with the editor-and-chief in order to gain access to particular events or people needed for a story.

Web Developer and Designer

Requisite: Proficiency in HTML, CSS & JavaScript, minimum Basic Skills in PHP, and MySQL, a thirst to learn more about web technology. Urban Times supports rapid development principles, therefore candidates should be able to work to the deadline, specification and standard set out by the CTO.

Job description: A web developer will work on various projects being undergone at Urban Times, including coding and design work for the main site, sister sites and also back-end products. The  role will not, however, be limited to coding duties, but also general server administration and feature design tasks to better support end users and boost website performance. Progression in this job will give the candidate expertise in developing for the WordPress platform, experience developing with an MVC framework and an intermediate understanding of server administration and cloud distribution.

Graphic Designer

Requisite: Decent to accomplished levels of proficiency with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator or other similar software

Job description: A graphic design team will be assembled in order to service the important visual foundation of the website. The aim is not only to refine the current visual aesthetic of the site as time goes by, but also to devise exciting, new design elements. This could come in the form of:

• Bolstering the infographic category of the site: i.e. creating in-house infographics (not purely sourced from across the web).
• New featured / headline images on a more regular basis.
• The designing of advertisements for clients: whether this is necessary in the short-term shall be determined.

Additionally, graphic designers are welcome to publish their previous work, given that it slots into the ethos of the site as a whole, in order to gain exposure as well as entertaining our readers.

SEO Whiz

Requisite: An in-depth understanding of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Job description: Help us improve our SEO strategy in whatever way possible.

Other Information:

• Currently, positions are unpaid.
• Ability to use WordPress is a plus (or the ability to learn quickly due to previous blogging experience).
• Another suggested requirement, although not of absolute importance is that you have an instant messenger service such as GChat, AIM or MSN Messenger so that all of the authors can be in regular, real-time contact.