Data Editor, China

Middle East Broadcasting Networks•Arlington, VA, VA

About The Position

China is one of the most consequential stories in the Middle East today, and the numbers behind it — trade flows, port deals, sovereign investment, currency arrangements — are where the real story often hides. We’re looking for a Data Editor to turn that data into reporting that holds up. In this role, you’ll treat China as a system embedded in global capital, energy, and infrastructure flows, and track where that system meets the Middle East and North Africa. You’ll pair technical fluency with large, messy datasets and the editorial instinct to turn findings into clear, rigorous stories — making sure every major piece is anchored in verifiable data, structured analysis, and transparent methodology.

Requirements

A bachelor’s degree or 5+ years of relevant experience.
Near-native Mandarin Chinese (required).
A journalism, policy-research, or social-science background, with the writing skills to produce clear, publication-ready analysis.
Strong quantitative and analytical skills, with R or Python for data cleaning, statistical analysis, and visualization.
Experience with panel data or large-scale datasets, and a solid grasp of the challenges of cross-national, cross-temporal analysis.
Advanced spreadsheet skills (pivot tables, complex formulas) and experience with relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, Airtable, or Microsoft Access).
The ability to translate complex results into clear graphics and written analysis.
A track record of working independently, meeting deadlines, and juggling several workstreams in a fast-moving newsroom.

Nice To Haves

Arabic proficiency is a strong plus.
Familiarity with visualization tools such as Tableau, Observable, or D3.
Experience with investigative techniques — public-records requests, document analysis, and source cultivation.
Familiarity with open-source intelligence (OSINT) methods and tools.
Knowledge of major international databases such as AidData, CARI, SIPRI, or UN Comtrade.
Experience building geopolitical or international-relations indicators, scorecards, or tracking tools.
Prior experience covering China–MENA, the MENA region, or international relations

Responsibilities

Identify, acquire, and manage the structured and unstructured datasets behind China’s economic, geopolitical, and MENA-facing activity.
Design and build quantitative projects that combine investigative journalism, big-data analytics, and geopolitical research.
Run advanced analysis — statistical modeling, regression, network analysis — to produce findings that are methodologically sound and editorially meaningful.
Clean, transform, and integrate complex, multi-source data so it’s ready for analysis.
Produce clear, compelling visualizations, interactive graphics, and analytical products for a news, policy, and multicultural audience.
Pitch and lead original data-driven stories, and back up investigations led by others on the desk.
Work closely with the Senior Editor, the Senior Investigative Correspondent, and the MENA field reporters to embed quantitative findings in the wider geopolitical story.
Build and maintain reproducible, well-documented data pipelines that support regular updates and comparison over time.
Track China–MENA structural indicators — trade flows, shipping and logistics, sovereign investment, corporate ownership — as reusable datasets for the whole newsroom.
Perform additional job-related duties and take on new responsibilities as needed based on organizational requirements and circumstances.