A managing editor is a senior member of a publication's management team. The title also applies to the evening televised newscasts on ABC, CBS, NBC and the FOX News Channel. The anchors of these newscasts also work as the managing editor of their newscasts.

In the United States, a managing editor oversees and coordinates the publication's editorial activities. The position is generally the second highest in rank, after the editor-in-chief (also called the "executive editor".)

In the United Kingdom a managing editor tends to manage budget and staffing issues at a publication, and may have equivalent ranking to a deputy editor in the organisation's structure.

Responsibilities vary from publication to publication.