Supervising Editor, Digital - Breaking News

Supervising Editor, Digital - Breaking News and Live

Apply for the role at BBC

JOB BAND: E

CONTRACT TYPE:
Permanent, Full-time (At will).

FLSA Status:
Exempt

DEPARTMENT: BBC News

LOCATION:

Washington, DC

PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: $130,000 - $155,000 depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.

This is a local hire position and eligible candidates must be able to live and work in the US (US citizenship, Green Card or work authorization).

Closing date: 18:59 EDT, 3 January 2026

The BBC’s North American digital team covers US and Canadian news for both domestic and global audiences. As our next Supervising Editor, you will direct the daily news agenda for digital and oversee the output of more than 40 journalists working across text and video. We are seeking an experienced editor with impeccable judgement and a strong background in leading breaking news coverage.

Please note this role involves some evening and weekend working.

Join one of the most trusted news brands in the US. The BBC offers independent, impartial journalism with global reach. This senior role is an exciting opportunity to shape coverage for the BBC News website and app that will reach an audience of tens of millions. Based in our Washington newsroom, you will collaborate with teams across the US and Canada as well as our global bureaus, and report to our Head of Digital News for North America.

• Deliver the daily agenda for digital news out of the US and Canada, exercising impeccable news judgement and constantly monitoring a wide range of sources to keep us ahead of the competition.
• Lead our response to breaking news to ensure we are fast and accurate – you will know when to send a push notification, launch a live blog and prioritise resources accordingly.
• Run the output of a team of more than 40 journalists, at different levels of seniority and working across text, video, social and audience.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues in other teams, bureaus and countries to best serve the BBC’s audiences in the US and Canada.
• Assign, edit and coach journalists at all stages of the reporting process – you will ensure our stories are focused, compelling and compliant with the BBC’s editorial standards.
• Grow audiences in the US by generating clear plans for digital coverage – using search and social insights to anticipate audience needs, and generating distinctive angles that will make the BBC stand out.

• At least 10 years experience in a daily digital news operation, with significant news editing experience and an in‑depth knowledge of US and Canadian affairs.
• Demonstrable experience and a passion for directing major breaking news coverage – ensuring accuracy and speed in an intense, high‑pressure environment.
• Experience in all aspects of digital news production and curation, with a strong understanding of how to best present our coverage, from sharp headlines to a smartly curated front page.
• Experience of growing audiences, and using data to inform decisions about how to reach them, and of working collaboratively across teams and time zones.
• Enthusiasm for the BBC’s position as a trusted news brand in the US, and an understanding of the importance of impartiality – and what it means in practice.

If you can bring some of these skills and experience, along with transferable strengths, we’d love to hear from you and encourage you to apply.

This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved.

Please note:

If you were to be offered this role, the BBC will conduct Employment screening checks which include reference checks, eligibility to work checks, and if applicable to the role, safeguarding and adverse media/social media checks. Any offer made is conditional on these checks being satisfactory.

For any general queries, please contact: