Cantonese Service Director

Date Posted	March 14, 2023
Industry	Newspapers / Wires, Radio Jobs, Nonprofit
Specialty	Not Specified
Required Education	Bachelor's Degree
Job Status	Full-time
Salary	Not Specified
Website	https://www.rfa.org/english

Description:

RFA is seeking a dynamic leader with demonstrably good managerial judgment to serve as the director of its Cantonese-language news service in its Washington, DC, headquarters.  The role of Cantonese Service Director requires an individual who will lead by example to motivate, inspire, and nurture journalists - both at headquarters and in Asia - serving audiences in RFA’s Cantonese broadcast region.  Essential qualifications for this position include a deep commitment to unbiased, high-quality journalism and a thorough knowledge of Hong Kong, China, and its Cantonese-speaking region.

 The ideal candidate will have strong professional integrity and editorial judgment to lead a team facing a highly challenging media environment. He/she must be able to ensure the quality of journalism required at RFA. He/she must have a good network inside Hong Kong and the Hong Kong diaspora community and maintain a keen awareness of the political, economic, sociological and environmental situations in Hong Kong and across China. The successful candidate will need to juggle administrative and editorial responsibilities overseeing what is one of the most active and dynamic services in RFA’s coverage area.

 Responsibilities Include 

• Planning, directing, and supervising the development of Cantonese news programs and daily operations of the Cantonese language service.
• Providing strong editorial leadership and managing a staff of journalists and digital content producers generating news content for a variety of media platforms.
• Monitoring and maintaining quality control of Cantonese Service news programming.
• Applying sound judgment to potentially controversial and sensitive editorial issues, and astutely flagging them for upper management and peers. Effectively and constructively supporting communications between management and Service staff.
• Directing the preparation of original material on news, current events, features, culture, and history, and other topics of particular interest to the target audience.
• Establishing and maintaining contact with Hong Kong and China experts, specialists and sources to enhance program content and to ensure content relevance given political, cultural, religious, social, economic, and demographic developments.
• Leading the Cantonese Service’s social media efforts to better engage with audiences.
• Managing and coordinating staff in multiple locations, and working with staff in different time zones to produce compelling content for RFA Cantonese Service programming.
• Attending to all Service administrative matters, including staff recruitment, personnel management, budget planning and oversight, training, and staff scheduling.

 Qualifications 

• Minimum 10 years’ professional experience in a news organization, including at least five years of management experience
• A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university (degree in journalism, broadcasting or related field preferred), or equivalent level of knowledge, skills, and abilities in broadcast journalism or related field gained from extensive professional experience.
• Fluency in spoken and written Cantonese and English? Mandarin language skills a plus.
• Significant demonstrable success in a supervisory/managerial/leadership capacity – preferably in broadcast journalism, printing media or a related field – along with an ability to supervise and manage staff and programs in multiple, geographically-distant locations (Washington, DC, Hong Kong, and elsewhere overseas).
• Strong knowledge and understanding of current political, economic, social, international, and environmental situation and conditions in and affecting Hong Kong and China.
• Good network of contacts inside Hong Kong and within the diaspora community.
• Strong writing and editing skills and demonstrated ability to exercise unbiased, timely, and principled news analysis and judgment.
• Demonstrated integrity and dedication to excellence, ability to solve problems, multitask, and deal effectively with a variety of critical situations.
• Good knowledge of social media and new developments in the media industry.

RFA is an equal opportunity employer committed to workforce diversity.
RFA encourages all qualified individuals to apply. If hired, the candidate must provide proof of eligibility to work in the U.S. as an employee of RFA. RFA reserves the right to reconsider or withdraw any offer of employment to any candidate whose authorization to work in the U.S. as an employee of RFA, or extension of such authorization, would require RFA to file or support a petition or related documentation.

 How to apply
Send résumé with cover letter making reference to the position of “Cantonese Service Director” via email to rfajobs@rfa.org.

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