Job Purpose
We are looking for an experienced Head of English Editorial & Press to lead the day-to-day English editorial operation and manage the production, editing and delivery of high-quality English press and news content.
This is a hands-on editorial leadership role. The successful candidate will manage the English editorial team, control daily content traffic, assign work, prioritize urgent requests, review and approve content, and ensure all English output is accurate, polished and delivered on time.
The role will work closely with the Arabic Editorial team to ensure consistency of narrative, facts, terminology and messaging across both languages.
Content may originate in either Arabic or English:
- When content originates in Arabic, the English team will translate, adapt and edit it into publication-ready English while protecting the original narrative and intent.
- When content originates in English, the English team will edit and finalize the narrative before sharing it with the Arabic team for translation and Arabic editorial review.
This role requires someone who has previously managed a busy editorial or news desk, not only written or reviewed content.
Key Responsibilities
English Editorial Leadership
- Lead and manage the English Editorial team and take ownership of daily editorial delivery.
- Review, edit and approve English-language press releases, official statements, announcements, news stories, speeches, talking points and other public-facing content.
- Ensure all content meets high standards of accuracy, clarity, grammar, tone, structure and editorial judgment.
- Personally handle sensitive, complex or high-priority content when required.
- Maintain consistent English editorial standards, terminology, style and tone of voice.
- Ensure content is publication-ready before release.
Daily Editorial Operations & Traffic
- Manage the daily English editorial desk and all incoming content requests.
- Prioritize content based on urgency, importance, publication timing and stakeholder requirements.
- Allocate assignments across editors and translators.
- Track content from receipt through editing, review, approval and final delivery.
- Manage multiple simultaneous and urgent requests without compromising editorial quality.
- Identify bottlenecks and intervene quickly to maintain deadlines.
- Ensure appropriate team coverage during high-volume periods, major announcements and urgent press activity.
- Maintain visibility over the entire English content pipeline at all times.
Arabic-English Editorial Coordination
- Work closely with the Arabic Editorial team on daily content flow and priorities.
- Ensure Arabic and English versions remain aligned in narrative, facts, terminology and messaging.
- Review Arabic-origin content and ensure the English version accurately reflects the intended meaning.
- Finalize English-origin narratives before transfer to the Arabic team.
- Identify and resolve discrepancies between Arabic and English content.
- Ensure translations are professionally adapted rather than translated word-for-word.
- Maintain strong coordination between both editorial teams to support fast turnaround.
Press & News Content
- Oversee the editing and finalization of press releases, official statements, announcements and news-related materials.
- Ensure content follows professional journalistic and press-writing standards.
- Verify facts, names, titles, dates, figures and key messages before publication.
- Manage urgent press requirements and breaking or time-sensitive content.
- Work closely with relevant communications, media and digital teams to support publication requirements.
- Exercise strong editorial judgment when handling sensitive or high-profile content.
Team Management
- Directly supervise editors, translators and other assigned editorial staff.
- Manage workload distribution and daily task allocation.
- Set clear editorial expectations and turnaround times.
- Review team output and provide ongoing editorial feedback and coaching.
- Develop the editorial capability of the team.
- Maintain accountability for deadlines and quality.
- Build a strong working relationship between the English and Arabic editorial teams.
Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, English, Communications, Media, Translation or a related field.
- Minimum 10 years of professional experience in journalism, newsroom operations, editorial management, press communications or a closely related field.
- Minimum 4 years of direct team-management experience within an editorial, newsroom or press environment.
- Proven experience managing a daily editorial desk or high-volume editorial operation.
- Strong hands-on experience editing and approving press releases, official statements, news stories and senior-level communications.
- Demonstrated experience assigning work, managing editorial traffic and working against tight publication deadlines.
- Experience working with government, major media organizations, news agencies or large institutional communications environments is strongly preferred.
Language Requirements
- Exceptional English writing and editing capability is essential.
- Professional fluency in both English and Arabic is strongly preferred.
- Candidates must be able to understand Arabic source material and assess whether the English adaptation accurately reflects the original narrative.
- Strong bilingual editorial judgment is a major advantage
