Editor in Charge, Tibetan Desk

Radio Free Asia•Washington, DC

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Editor in Charge leads the Tibetan news desk end-to-end, encompassing editorial direction, staff leadership, news operations management, and audience accountability. This role is responsible for the desk's daily output and long-term editorial identity, ensuring RFA's journalism reaches its audience accurately, compellingly, and across all platforms, in alignment with RFA's mission and news standards. The Editor in Charge acts as the primary editorial decision-maker for the Tibetan language service, directing staff across different time zones and coordinating with counterpart desks and cross-desk functions. While the Country Operations Director manages office administration, facilities, and local infrastructure, the Editor in Charge oversees all aspects of news operations and editorial personnel, reporting to the Managing Editor and serving as the escalation point for editorial, news operations, and personnel matters within the service.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or above in journalism, political science, economics, or a related field; OR a minimum of 10 years of professional journalism experience in Tibet-focused coverage, with at least 4 years in a senior editorial leadership role overseeing a team or desk.
Experience managing journalists across multiple locations and time zones, including in follow-the-sun or distributed newsroom environments.
Deep knowledge of and political sensitivity toward Tibet and its surrounding neighbors; demonstrated experience leading coverage of major political events and developments; comprehensive subject-matter expertise in the desk's coverage area.
Demonstrated record of producing high-quality journalism — including breaking news, investigations, and long-form reporting — to publication standards.
Strong editorial judgment and experience making difficult calls on accuracy, sourcing, safety, and standards under deadline pressure.
Fluency in multi-platform publishing: web, social media, video, shortwave, and audio formats.
Demonstrated ability to build and develop an editorial team: hiring, mentoring, performance management, and professional development.
High degree of familiarity with journalist safety principles and source protection practices.
Native-level fluency and absolute editorial mastery of written and spoken Tibetan.
Professional working proficiency in English.

Nice To Haves

Experience building and operating source networks in sensitive, restricted, or high-surveillance environments is strongly preferred, with existing networks and contacts.
Prior experience leading a language service, international desk, or multilingual newsroom.
Experience working at an international broadcaster or public media organization.
Experience developing and publishing visual or multimedia-led storytelling.
Background in investigative, data journalism is highly desirable.
Experience working with diaspora, exiled, or at-risk source communities.
Familiarity with audience development, analytics tools, and digital distribution strategies for contested information markets.

Responsibilities

Set the editorial direction and coverage priorities of the Tibetan desk, in alignment with RFA's mission and strategic guidance.
Lead daily editorial planning, ensuring the desk produces accurate, impactful, and relevant journalism across web, social, shortwave, and video platforms.
Approve high-stakes or sensitive stories before publication, coordinating with relevant stakeholders.
Ensure the desk upholds RFA's editorial standards, sourcing practices, and ethical guidelines.
Foster original, exclusive, and investigative reporting, encouraging experimentation in story formats and multimedia storytelling.
Build and maintain a robust source network relevant to the desk's coverage area, including in restrictive environments.
Collaborate with other editors (Coverage, Visual, Audience Engagement) to identify cross-desk opportunities, develop visually driven stories, and align editorial planning with audience engagement initiatives.
Work with the investigative team to develop and publish in-depth, high-impact investigative journalism.
Oversee the desk's full output cycle across different time zones, ensuring editorial continuity through a follow-the-sun model.
Direct Senior Editors in managing news assignment, development, pre-publication editing, and publishing.
Ensure clean and consistent editorial handoffs between time zones, maintaining the desk's publication schedule and quality standards.
Leverage data, analytics, and audience insight to inform coverage decisions and optimize content reach.
Coordinate with the Senior Producer on A/V and broadcast output, ensuring multimedia content meets RFA's standards.
Manage all editorial personnel on the desk across locations: hiring, onboarding, performance evaluation, professional development, and scheduling.
Provide ongoing editorial mentorship and feedback to Senior Editors, reporters, and producers.
Manage staff travel and reporting assignments; approve operational expenditures.
Partner with HR on recruitment, retention, and workforce planning.
Flag potential journalist safety concerns to the Safety Director and relevant Managing Editor.
Act as the desk's representative in editorial planning meetings, cross-desk initiatives, and institutional projects.
Liaise with Technical Operations, Production & Assets, and Country Operations on the desk's equipment, infrastructure, and bureau needs.
Coordinate with the Country Operations Director on desk personnel matters and operational issues affecting the editorial team.