Staff Writer (Satire), the Exploit

Job description

**This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, which manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Staff Writer (Satire), the Exploit based in France.** We are looking for a creative and genuinely funny writer with hands-on experience in cybersecurity, technology, or software engineering to bring a fresh satirical perspective to the industry. This role combines sharp editorial writing with short-form video creation, turning real-world industry frustrations into entertaining, fictional news stories. You will produce content that humorously explores cybersecurity trends, vendor announcements, AI developments, compliance challenges, and workplace culture. Working with a small, collaborative team, you will have significant creative freedom to pitch ideas, experiment with formats, and develop recurring characters and concepts. This is a flexible, fully remote contractor opportunity designed for someone who wants to turn their industry experience into original comedy while keeping their existing professional career. ### Accountabilities: - Pitch, research, and write approximately five original satirical articles per month, typically between 400 and 700 words, using a convincing newsroom style and a distinctive deadpan sense of humor. - Develop creative headlines and story concepts covering cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, software, technology vendors, compliance, and workplace culture. - Transform selected articles into short-form social media videos, generally between 30 and 90 seconds, and develop original video-first concepts. - Write engaging video scripts and, ideally, independently handle filming and editing to produce polished short-form content. - Experiment with new creative formats, recurring characters, sketches, and satirical approaches rather than relying on repetitive concepts. - Draw inspiration from real professional experiences and industry observations while protecting confidential information and changing identifying details. - Collaborate with the editorial team to refine ideas, maintain high content standards, and identify opportunities to improve audience engagement. - Deliver five articles and five videos every month independently and consistently, taking ownership of content quality and deadlines. - Participate in public-facing content creation, including appearing under your own name and having your image, voice, and likeness featured in published and promoted videos. ## Requirements: - Proven professional experience in cybersecurity, such as Security Operations (SOC), incident response, penetration testing, red teaming, governance, risk and compliance (GRC), security engineering, application security, product security, or cloud security. Software engineering experience is also relevant. - Strong creative writing skills, with the ability to produce concise, engaging, humorous, and original content. - A genuinely developed sense of humor, particularly in satire, with the ability to deliver entertaining stories both in writing and on camera. - A strong understanding of the cybersecurity and technology industries, including their terminology, professional culture, common challenges, and everyday frustrations. - Excellent editorial judgement, knowing how to develop a compelling story, structure a narrative, and remove unnecessary content. - The ability to balance humor with respect, creating satire that challenges industry practices without targeting or belittling individuals facing difficult professional situations. - Reliability, independence, and strong time-management skills, with the ability to consistently deliver the agreed monthly content volume without close supervision. - Comfort with public visibility, including publishing articles under your real name and appearing in videos using your own image and voice, including content used in paid advertising. - Availability to contribute remotely and flexibly, ideally alongside an existing professional role. - Marketing or traditional content-production experience is not essential; authentic industry knowledge and strong creative ability are the priorities. **Nice to have:** - Experience filming and editing short-form videos independently. - Previous experience writing satire, comedy sketches, stand-up material, or a successful cybersecurity newsletter. - An existing presence on social media platforms such as X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or LinkedIn. - Strong storytelling and performance skills, with the ability to deliver entertaining news-style videos. ## Benefits: - **Monthly base compensation:** $600 USD for five articles and five videos. - **Additional compensation:** Any content or videos requested beyond the agreed monthly scope will be compensated separately on a project-by-project basis. - **Performance-based earnings:** When published content generates strong organic engagement and is promoted through paid advertising, you receive an additional 3% of the advertising spend for as long as the campaign runs. - **Creative upside:** For example, a $5,000 advertising investment generates an additional $150 in compensation. - **Fully remote:** Work from anywhere, with a flexible schedule. - **Work alongside your existing career:** The position is designed to accommodate contributors who want to maintain their current professional roles. - **Creative freedom:** Pitch original stories, develop recurring formats, and experiment with new ideas. - **Small, collaborative team:** Work closely with a lean team and benefit from direct feedback and meaningful creative input. - **Industry-focused creativity:** Turn your real-world professional experiences and observations into entertaining satirical content. - **Contractor arrangement:** This is an independent contractor position with the partner company, rather than an employment position with the publication itself.