Supervising Editor

Full-time, permanent staff job with benefits including healthcare, paid leave and a retirement savings plan.

Role is based in Washington DC.

Any offer of employment with the BBC will be conditional upon you having the right to live and work in the US (US citizenship, permanent residency or work authorisation)

Job Introduction

It’s an exciting time to be part of BBC News. We are expanding in North America, our biggest market outside the UK, and we are recruiting a supervising editor to play a critical role in our growth.

The BBC is the most trusted news brand in the US. The right person for this role has significant experience as a daily news editor and thinks holistically about content creation and curation. They should have impeccable news judgement, informed by data.

The BBC’s North American digital operation covers US and Canadian news for domestic and global audiences. It is staffed 7 days a week, from 6 am to 11 pm ET. In this role, you will be expected to work shifts including some weekends, and will be based in our Washington DC office.

Finally, BBC News is committed to creating a more diverse and inclusive organisation. We expect you to help cultivate that.
Main Responsibilities

As the supervising editor, you will:

Deliver the daily agenda for news out of the US and Canada, constantly monitoring a wide range of sources to keep us ahead of the competition, and using search and social insights to anticipate audience needs
Run the output of a team of more than 30 journalists, at different levels of seniority and working across text and video
Shape news stories to make sure we are always reflecting the most relevant and updated developments, and covering the right stories in the right way
Assign, edit and coach journalists at all stages of the writing process, and on formats from breaking news to explainers to longer features. You will make sure our stories are focused and compelling
React quickly to breaking news - you know when to send a push alert or start a live blog, and how to prioritise resources accordingly
Grow audiences in the US by generating clear editorial plans for digital coverage - and always looking for distinctive angles that will make the BBC’s journalism stand out
Work collaboratively with colleagues in other teams, bureaus and countries to best serve the BBC’s news audiences in the US and Canada - you clearly articulate what digital audiences need

Are you the right candidate?

What we are looking for:

A track record as an editor in a daily digital news operation, with an in-depth knowledge of US and Canadian affairs
Experience of growing audiences, and using data to inform decisions about how to reach them
Someone who loves news and thrives in a fast-paced newsroom and can make decisions under extreme pressure, but doesn’t let go of attention to detail
Experience in all aspects of digital news production and curation. You should instinctively think mobile-first and have a strong understanding of that audience’s behaviors and needs, including how best to present content with limited space
Enthusiasm for the BBC’s unique position as the most trusted news brand in the US, and an understanding of the importance of impartiality - and what it means in practice
Evidence of having a positive impact on newsroom culture
An ability to function in a matrix organisation and to work collaboratively across teams and timezones

About the BBC

We don’t focus simply on what we do – we also care how we do it. Our values and the way we behave are important to us. Please make sure you’ve read about our values and behaviours.

Diversity matters at the BBC. We have a working environment where we value and respect every individual's unique contribution, enabling all of our employees to thrive and achieve their full potential.

We want to attract the broadest range of talented people to be part of the BBC – whether that’s to contribute to our programming or our wide range of non-production roles. The more diverse our workforce, the better able we are to respond to and reflect our audiences in all their diversity.

We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. We will consider flexible working requests for all roles, unless operational requirements prevent otherwise.