Job Title: Editor in Charge – International Desk

Department: Editorial, International Desk

Reports To: Managing Editor Asia

Location: Taipei, Taiwan

Schedule: Full-Time

Who We Are

Radio Free Asia (RFA) is a private, nonprofit 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. RFA produces journalism in multiple Asian languages and delivers news through web, radio, video, podcasts, social media, and other digital platforms.

The International Desk serves as RFA's English-language newsroom. Working across RFA's language services, the desk identifies, enhances, and publishes the organization's most important journalism for global audiences through English web, multimedia, podcasts, newsletters, social media, and other digital platforms. The desk also produces original English reporting, enterprise journalism, investigative journalism, and special editorial projects that advance RFA's mission of providing accurate, independent, and uncensored news.

Job Summary

The Editor in Charge provides the editorial leadership, strategic direction, and operational management of RFA's International Desk. The position is responsible for ensuring that RFA's most important journalism reaches global audiences through high-quality English-language reporting across digital, multimedia, podcast, video, newsletter, and social media platforms.

Working closely with Managing Editors, language service editors, and newsroom leadership, the Editor in Charge establishes editorial priorities, oversees original reporting, coordinates multilingual collaboration, and manages the daily operation of the International Desk. The position is responsible for building a high-performing English-language newsroom that expands the reach, impact, and influence of RFA's journalism worldwide.

Key Responsibilities

Editorial Leadership

• Lead the editorial vision, priorities, and strategic direction of the International Desk.
• Ensure the International Desk produces accurate, timely, engaging, and impactful English-language journalism across all platforms.
• Identify the most significant reporting from RFA's language services for English publication.
• Approve major enterprise stories, investigations, special projects, and sensitive editorial decisions.
• Foster original reporting, exclusive journalism, investigative reporting, and innovative storytelling.
• Maintain the highest standards of editorial integrity, fairness, accuracy, verification, and journalistic ethics.

Operations Workflow

• Oversee the desk's full output cycle across both time zones (Taipei and Bangkok) in which the desk operates, ensuring editorial continuity through the follow-the-sun model.
• Ensure clean and consistent editorial handoffs between time zones, maintaining the desk's publication schedule and quality standards around the clock.
• Supervise the Senior Editor, Senior Multiplatform Journalists, Multiplatform Journalists assigned to the desk.
• Establish newsroom priorities, workflow, publication schedules, and editorial deadlines.
• Ensure efficient coordination between the Taipei and Bangkok teams.
• Promote continuous improvement in newsroom processes and editorial quality.

Cross-Language Editorial Coordination

• Work closely with editors across RFA's language services to identify stories of regional and international significance.
• Develop cross-language enterprise reporting and collaborative editorial initiatives.
• Encourage information sharing and editorial collaboration across RFA's multilingual newsroom.
• Ensure important reporting from language services receives timely English-language coverage.

Coverage & Editorial Development

• Guide the development of original reporting, enterprise journalism, investigations, interviews, explainers, and multimedia projects.
• Encourage innovative storytelling across digital platforms.
• Promote coverage that provides additional context and international perspective beyond translated reporting.
• Identify editorial opportunities that strengthen RFA's global journalism.

Audience Growth & Multiplatform Strategy

• Oversee publication across RFA's English website, newsletters, podcasts, video, social media, and emerging digital platforms.
• Work closely with audience engagement teams to expand RFA's English-language audience and increase the global impact of RFA journalism.
• Encourage the effective use of multimedia storytelling, SEO, audience analytics, and digital engagement strategies.

Staff Leadership & Professional Development

• Partner with HR on recruitment, retention, and workforce planning for the desk
• Provide ongoing editorial mentorship and feedback to staff working under English Desk; foster a culture of editorial excellence and continuous improvement.
• Conduct performance evaluations and support professional development.
• Promote journalist safety and responsible reporting practices for staff covering sensitive issues, and Flag potential journalist safety concerns to the Safety Director and relevant Managing Editor, ensuring staff and source protection is built into editorial decisions from the assignment stage.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Journalism, Communications, International Affairs, Political Science, or a related field from an accredited college or university.
• Minimum of ten years of progressive journalism experience, covering Asia-focused news, including at least four years in a senior editorial leadership role.
• Experience managing journalists across multiple locations and time zones, including follow-the-sun or distributed newsroom environments.
• Proven record of leading original reporting, enterprise journalism, investigative reporting, and major editorial initiatives.
• Strong editorial judgment and experience making difficult calls on accuracy, sourcing, safety, and standards under deadline pressure.
• Experience managing multilingual editorial collaboration and cross-functional newsroom operations.
• Demonstrated ability to build and develop an editorial team: hiring, mentoring, performance management, and professional development.
• Fluency in multi-platform publishing: web, social media, video, shortwave, and audio formats.
• Proficiency in both English plus one more RFA language, with exceptional writing, editing, and communication skills in English.
• Strong knowledge of Asian affairs, democracy, human rights, regional security, media freedom, and international issues.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading an English-language newsroom or international news operation.
• Experience reporting on South China Sea or The Pacific Islands coverage.
• Experience working in multilingual or international media organizations.
• Experience overseeing investigative journalism, multimedia storytelling, podcasts, newsletters, and video journalism.
• Familiarity with audience development, analytics, SEO, content management systems, and digital publishing strategies.
• Established professional networks across Asia and the international media community.
• Awards, recognitions, or notable editorial achievements demonstrating journalistic excellence.
• Possession of valid work authorization for Taiwan, where the job is located, is highly advantageous for this role.

Physical Requirements / Working Conditions

This position is hybrid, with three days in-office and two days remote weekly. Work is sedentary, performed at a desk using standard office equipment, with occasional lifting up to 15 pounds. Reasonable accommodations will be made for qualified individuals with disabilities.

Some flexibility in work hours required to accommodate international time zones.

To be considered for this position, please include a cover letter with your application.