Editor in Charge, Khmer Desk

Job Title: Editor in Charge, Khmer Desk

Department: Editorial, Khmer Desk

Reports To: Managing Editor, DC

FLSA Status: Exempt

Location: Washington, DC | Hybrid

Schedule: Full-Time

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 Editor in Charge provides the editorial leadership, strategic direction, and operational management of the Khmer Desk. The position is responsible for ensuring the Desk delivers accurate, timely, and impactful journalism across all platforms while upholding RFA's editorial standards and mission.

Working closely with the Managing Editor, newsroom leadership, and other language Desks, the Editor in Charge establishes editorial priorities, oversees daily news operations, develops original reporting, and manages the Desk's editorial staff. The position is responsible for building a high-performing newsroom that delivers compelling journalism to Khmer-speaking audiences while adapting to the changing media landscape and audience needs.

• Lead the editorial vision, priorities, and long-term strategy of the Khmer Desk.
• Ensure the Desk produces accurate, timely, and impactful journalism across web, radio, video, podcasts, and social media platforms.
• Approve major enterprise stories, investigations, special projects, and other sensitive editorial content before publication.
• Foster original reporting, exclusive journalism, investigative reporting, and innovative storytelling.
• Maintain the highest standards of editorial integrity, fairness, accuracy, verification, and ethical journalism.
• Build and maintain a strong network of sources in Khmer-speaking communities in both Cambodia and overseas.

• Supervise Senior Editors, Multiplatform Journalists, producers, and other editorial staff assigned to the Desk.
• Establish newsroom priorities, workflow, publication schedules, and editorial deadlines.
• Promote continuous improvement in newsroom processes, editorial quality, and multiplatform journalism.

• Lead coverage of political, economic, social, legal, and human rights developments affecting the Khmer-speaking communities.
• Encourage enterprise reporting, investigative journalism, explanatory reporting, interviews, and multimedia storytelling.
• Coordinate with other RFA language desks on stories of regional significance and opportunities for cross-language collaboration.
• Work with the investigative team — directing the desk's data journalists, investigative reporters, and OSINT journalists — to develop and publish in-depth, high-impact investigative journalism.

• Partner with HR on recruitment, retention, and workforce planning for the desk
• Provide ongoing editorial mentorship and feedback to Senior Editors, reporters, and producers; 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.

• Expand the Khmer Desk's digital audience through innovative storytelling and audience engagement.
• Work closely with audience engagement expert and production teams to maximize the reach and impact of RFA journalism, encourage the effective use of multimedia storytelling, analytics, SEO, and emerging digital platforms.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor's degree in Journalism, Communications, Political Science, International Affairs, or a related field from an accredited college or university.
• Minimum of ten years of progressively responsible journalism experience in Cambodia- focused news coverage,…