Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Radio Free Asia • Washington DC, WA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Radio Free Asia (RFA) is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with editorial and operational bureaus in Taipei, Bangkok, and Seoul. A congressionally funded grantee of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), RFA operates with full editorial independence. Our mission is to provide accurate, uncensored news and information to people living in countries where a free press does not exist. We broadcast in nine languages and dialects — Mandarin, Cantonese, Tibetan, Uyghur, Burmese, Vietnamese, Lao, Khmer, and Korean — reaching audiences across China, North Korea, Vietnam, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and beyond via radio transmissions,, satellite, and the internet. Our journalists work in some of the world’s most difficult media environments, often at considerable personal risk, filling a critical gap in access to truthful, timely news for millions of people who would otherwise have very little of it. That reality shapes everything about how we work and who we hire to lead this organization. The Chief Operating Officer (COO) provides strategic and operational leadership across RFA’s core functions, including Finance, Human Resources, IT, Facilities, and Journalist Safety and Security. The COO ensures that organizational goals are translated into effective operational plans, monitors enterprise risk, and drives performance across geographically dispersed teams. Acting as a key partner to the President/CEO, the COO oversees fiscal management, federal grant compliance, and cross-functional collaboration, while maintaining strong relationships with external stakeholders and regulatory partners. This role combines hands-on leadership with strategic oversight, ensuring operational excellence, organizational resilience, and alignment with RFA’s mission and values. The COO and Executive Editor both report directly to RFA's president and work closely together as peers across operations and editorial delivery.

Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree in business, public policy, international affairs, law, or a related discipline. Exceptional experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• Minimum of 15 years of progressive leadership experience, including significant tenure in senior management roles with direct accountability for organizational outcomes.
• Demonstrated experience leading multi-functional teams across complex, geographically dispersed organizations.
• Experience representing an organization with external stakeholders, partners, or regulatory authorities.
• Proven track record of hands-on leadership, including stepping into difficult situations, solving problems directly, and driving outcomes personally and through teams.
• Demonstrated fiscal accountability at scale, including ownership of significant operating budgets, managing to financial targets, and reporting results to a board or equivalent oversight body.
• Experience managing operations across multiple countries and jurisdictions, including navigating diverse legal systems, labor frameworks, and cultural contexts.
• Ability to operate effectively in high-pressure, politically sensitive, or rapidly changing environments, exercising sound judgment and discretion.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to engage with senior leadership, staff, external partners, and stakeholders.
• Commitment to ethical leadership, integrity, and mission-aligned decision-making.
• Alignment to the mission and culture of Radio Free Asia.
• A deep and genuine connection to RFA’s mission — an understanding of why this work matters, and the kind of personal conviction that sustains good judgment in a complex, sometimes politically charged environment.
• Commitment to mission and core values of equity, fairness, and diversity. Reflected not only in organizational policy but in how this leader builds teams, makes decisions, and shows up every day.
• Discretion and ability to handle confidential issues.
• Personal qualities of humility, capacity for self-reflection, and/or a sense of humor. The self-awareness to know what they don’t know — intellectually curious, open to feedback, and secure enough to surround themselves with people who will push back.
• Action-oriented and entrepreneurial self-starter who can work well independently while also as part of a diverse team. Someone who creates momentum rather than waiting for it, and who brings the same energy and discipline to both.
• A leader who stays close to the work. This role calls for someone who sets direction and delegates effectively, but who also knows when to step in, solve a problem directly, and set the standard by example.

Nice To Haves

• Graduate degree in business, public policy, international affairs, law, or a related discipline.
• Experience with federal grant compliance and reporting is strongly preferred; direct experience with USAGM or a comparable funding structure is a decided advantage.
• Experience in a nonprofit or mission-driven organization, with familiarity with governance, compliance, and funding structures unique to such entities.
• Functional experience in finance, human resources, or IT, with the ability to lead and evaluate cross-functional teams.
• Experience working in a technology-oriented environment, with a strong understanding of digital infrastructure and cybersecurity considerations, ideally within a news operations setting, and possessing knowledge of newsroom workflows, content management systems, journalist safety protocols, and the fast-paced demands of a newsroom environment.

Responsibilities

• Manage operational teams, including Finance, Human Resources, Journalist Security, Facilities, Strategy, and IT, to identify priorities and ensure each function meets its goals.
• Consistently communicate operational plans and implementation progress to the President/CEO, Board of Directors, and Senior Management team.
• Provide ongoing feedback and resolve cross-functional operational matters.
• Develop, maintain, adjust, and refine standard operating procedures for all operational departments.
• Monitor enterprise risk management activities and identify opportunities to improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness.
• Continually seek methods to enhance quality, efficiency, and productivity, reduce costs, and strengthen operational controls.
• Partner with General Counsel to implement legal guidance and evaluate the risks associated with various operational activities.
• Represent the organization with external stakeholders, partners, and agencies as needed.
• Lead and manage the Chief Technology Officer to oversee IT strategy across the organization.
• Ensure that systems, security protocols, and policies support the organization’s mission and goals.
• Lead the development and implementation of new technology strategies to improve operational effectiveness.
• Ensure RFA’s cybersecurity posture reflects the threat environment facing a media organization operating in or adjacent to authoritarian states.
• Protect source confidentiality, journalist communications, and organizational systems from state-level threats.
• Oversee and maintain strong relationships with landlords and property management companies, ensuring effective communication, lease compliance, and alignment with organizational operational needs.
• Lead and manage the Senior Director, Finance to support development, implementation, and management of finance and budgeting functions.
• Hold full executive responsibility for RFA’s operating budget, including organization-wide spending authority and accountability for financial performance across all departments and locations.
• Oversee procurement policies and vendor contracting through the Finance department, ensuring expenditures reflect responsible stewardship of federal grant funds.
• Monitor and evaluate industry best practices, policies, and procedures, advising the President regarding opportunities for continuous improvement of RFA’s fiscal performance.
• Lead and manage the Senior Director, Human Resources to ensure global compliance with labor laws across all locations.
• Oversee recruitment, employee development, retention strategies, and support for all stages of the employee lifecycle.
• Develop and implement strategies to attract and retain talent globally, supporting RFA’s mission and organizational growth.
• Lead and manage the Director of Journalist Safety and Security to ensure employee security in all locations and during assignments or travel.
• Respond to IG reports and attend Department of State meetings regarding operational security concerns.
• Lead organizational crisis response for security incidents, including government pressures, targeted threats against journalists, and IT intrusions.
• Coordinate with legal counsel, USAGM, and the U.S. Department of State as appropriate.
• Ensure that physical and digital security protocols are current, context-appropriate, and actively practiced, with particular attention to high-risk environments such as China, North Korea, Vietnam, Burma, Cambodia, and other restricted-media countries.
• Serve as the primary liaison to USAGM on operational matters.
• Ensure timely and accurate completion of all mandatory quarterly and annual reporting obligations, aligning submissions with grant requirements.
• Maintain a strong, transparent working relationship with USAGM and monitor developments in federal funding policy and the broader regulatory environment affecting RFA’s operations, compliance, and strategic planning.
• Oversee the Strategy Coordinator in the development of the annual program plan submitted to USAGM.
• Manage quarterly updates and partner with Editorial and Technology Operations teams to generate annual performance reports for USAGM, senior management, and the Board of Directors.

Benefits

• RFA is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse workforce and encourages all qualified individuals to apply.
• Employment is contingent upon the candidate’s ability to provide proof of authorization to work in the United States as an employee of RFA.
• RFA reserves the right to reconsider or withdraw any offer of employment if the candidate’s authorization to work in the United States, or any extension thereof, would require RFA to file or support a petition or related documentation.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive