Managing Editor, Asia
HybridTaipei, Taiwan, Taiwan
Job Summary
Lead editorial operations across Asia-based desks throughout the Asia news cycle, setting daily agendas and ensuring consistent standards for Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Korean, and international desks. Manage Editors in Charge by allocating resources, resolving cross-desk conflicts, and maintaining accountability. Partner with the Managing Editor, Washington for 24-hour coverage via written handoffs and weekly syncs. Drive coverage ambition with Investigations and shared resources to pursue high-impact journalism. Act as the escalation point for standards, safety, and legal issues, approving high-stakes stories before publication. Represent RFA editorially with regional partners, sources, and stakeholders. Lead recruiting, performance management, and professional development for Asia-based staff. Oversee the Asia editorial budget, including resource allocation and staffing decisions. Participate in the organizational on-call rotation for breaking news escalations outside normal shift hours.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Journalism, International Relations, Political Science, Asian Studies, or a related field
- Minimum 15 years of progressive experience within a professional news organization
- At least 10 years in senior editorial management roles (Managing Editor, Editor in Charge, or equivalent)
- Direct knowledge of the political, cultural and media landscape across the regions
- Candidates must have direct professional or lived experience in one of the five regions
- First hand cultural fluency across the East Asia regions
- Familiarity with the specific editorial and operational challenges of reporting on closed or authoritarian governments
- Experience with source protection in high-surveillance environments
- Experience with legal risk in restricted jurisdictions
- Experience with the limits of access-based reporting
- Established source network in the region
- Demonstrated ability to maintain and grow sensitive source relationships responsibly
- Strong and demonstrable news judgment across story types — breaking news, investigations, explainers, and sensitive or legally exposed stories
- Ability to make difficult editorial decisions under time pressure and on stories with pre-publication risk
- Proven ability to recruit, develop, and manage senior editorial staff
- Experience with performance management and succession planning
- Demonstrated skill in managing editorial conflict — between desks, between editorial and operational priorities, and under deadline pressure
- Experience working across language teams
- Experience managing multi-platform output (web, social, video, podcast, shortwave)
- Proficiency in at least one RFA broadcast language that falls under the Asia portfolio — Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, or Korean
Desired Qualifications
- Prior experience leading international newsrooms or language services serving Asian audiences
- Familiarity with safety and security protocols for journalists in restrictive environments
- Prior experience managing multilingual or multicultural editorial teams
- Experience working with diaspora communities and exiled source networks
- Prior experience at an international broadcaster, wire service, or multi-desk news organization with comparable operational complexity
- Possession of valid work authorization for Taiwan
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