Director - Breaking

Reports to: Executive Editor & Managing Director, Sky News

We are putting in place a new leadership structure to strengthen collaboration across the newsroom and support delivery of our 2030 vision for a premium, video‑first Sky News, built for the digital future.

The Director – Breaking & Live (B&L) is a pivotal leadership role within the newsroom, responsible for shaping and delivering the organisation’s B&L content.

The Director – Breaking & Live sets the strategic direction for how B&L news is gathered, produced, commissioned and delivered, ensuring that it is delivered at pace, while remaining accurate, authoritative and engaging.

This role will be accountable for embracing tech solutions to improve the B&L operation and drive efficiencies. They will need to drive change.

With a remit that spans strategy, talent management, and cross‑platform delivery, the role requires a blend of strategic vision, editorial judgement, and operational leadership, as well as the ability to collaborate across departments and manage complex stakeholder relationships.

This role leads the Breaking & Live operation — an integrated team of on‑screen talent, producers, and editors tasked with delivering high‑impact B&L content that informs and resonates with diverse audiences.

They will advocate for the categorising of B&L stories and work with the premium hub directors to ensure that the right level of resource is allocated from the premium hubs to the B&L desk to ensure sufficient coverage of important B&L events.

• Set the strategic direction for how Breaking & Live (B&L) news is gathered, produced, commissioned, and delivered.
• Ensure B&L content is delivered with speed, accuracy, authority, and audience engagement.
• Champion Sky News’s vision to be a premium, video‑first, digital news organisation.
• Drive change across editorial and operational practices, embracing tech solutions to improve the B&L operation and drive efficiencies.
• Manage and direct high‑performing teams within the B&L operation, comprising on‑screen talent, producers, and editors.
• Oversee the categorisation of B&L stories to determine editorial priority and resource allocation.
• Collaborate with premium hub directors to ensure appropriate coverage and support for major B&L events.
• Work with platform teams to ensure that content resonates with audiences.
• Be a fully committed member of the Sky News leadership team, aligned wholly with Sky News’ collectively agreed strategic vision and goals, and embody these in the leadership of the B&L operation.

• Highly experienced cross‑platform journalist and newsroom leader with strong editorial judgement.
• Exemplary communication, coordination and operational skills.
• Resilience and an ability to respond well under extreme pressure in fast moving breaking news environments.
• Commitment to innovation, experimentation and challenging the status quo – this role must embrace and drive change.
• Proven ability to lead large, multi-disciplinary teams across platforms.
• Experience in cross‑platform content delivery – especially premium digital video.
• Strategic leadership skills, with the ability to align editorial output with organisational goals.
• Experience managing high‑profile presenters and correspondents, with a focus on performance, development, and editorial alignment
• Demonstrated experience in budget management and resource planning.
• Commitment to diversity, inclusion, and editorial integrity.

At Sky News, our mission is to bring you the full story, first. We take you there, 24:7, reporting from the heart of the events changing our world. We ask the big questions of everyone, revealing what you want to know. And our style is bold and independent, giving you a fresh perspective.

In the UK, Sky News is a compelling alternative to the public service broadcasters and opinion‑driven news outlets, reaching one in three people every month.

Across the world, we are one of the most‑followed English language news brands on social media, bringing award‑winning British journalism to a global audience.

Sky News is part of Sky, one of Europe’s leading…