Group Managing Editor

The Times and The Sunday Times represent a combined 400 years of covering news and providing comment and

analysis in the UK and the world. We are authoritative, credible, responsible, trusted and a part of the nation’s cultural heritage.

The Group Managing Editor and his or her team oversee finance, personnel, career development, training, project management, organisational development, infrastructure, security, contingency planning and risk-management across The Times and The Sunday Times newsrooms. The Group Managing Editor is the primary point of contact for our colleagues in all matters outside journalistic initiatives and is the key adviser to the Editor on operational and managerial issues.

**Tasks/Responsibilities (team)**

Corporate Contact (in partnership with the EVP, Publisher and their SLT)
- Serve as a primary point of contact for non-editorial relationships and interactions with corporate departments.

**People (in partnership with News UK HR)**
- Responsible for recruitment, hiring and compensation planning for our journalists.
- Create, manage and deliver global training in journalism, media technology, management skills and personal development.
- Create, manage and deliver opportunities to build specific skill sets in external training programs and conferences.
- Ensure managers are well trained and adhere to all of our people's policies.
- Ensure transparency and diversity in recruitment, hiring and promotion, and strategise ways to encourage them. Track KPIs and update senior editors on progress.
- Coach and support individuals in the newsroom staff on career development. Create opportunities for stretch assignments and help our journalists chart their way forward in their careers.
- Build and maintain a strong pipeline for external talent, including establishing strong relationships with colleges and universities and a robust entry program and networking at conferences and industry events.
- Participate in finding solutions for global-mobility problems.
- Support the newsroom through the annual performance-review process, creating tools and best practices and educating newsroom leadership where required..
- Work with the Editors and their senior team on strategic deployment of people across the organisation.

**Finance**
- Set and enforce spending standards.
- Drive and manage the annual budget process, supporting the Editors and EVP, Publisher.
- Lead newsroom cost-management programmes.
- Manage the size of the newsroom staff and compensation budget on a weekly basis.
- Manage supplier, contracts, third parties working with the recruitment and HR team..
- Manage flow of contract workers against budget, legal limits, team needs.
- Manage contracts with news and wire agencies (text, photos).

**Infrastructure & Logistics**
- Manage capital spending flow and the requisition of personal technology and telecom equipment.
- Manage fundamental newsroom-infrastructure needs (e.g. security, technology, communication infrastructure, etc.) in partnership with the relevant local or global teams

**Organisational Development / Project Management**
- Support newsroom leadership and other members of the Managing Editor’s office with project-management resources and coaching.
- Create, together with the newsroom leadership, an organisational development and continuous improvement roadmap, plan measures and resources, provide guidance and lead/facilitate processes.

**Leadership**
- Build and champion organisational support structures, programs and communications strategies to enhance the culture of excellence, opportunity and inclusiveness.
- Provide strong leadership in difficult situations.
- Contribute by attitude, example and encouragement to a culture of creativity, enthusiasm, motivation, ownership and professionalism.
- Manage, motivate and develop staff to consistently produce high-quality work.
- Set clear objectives for direct reports, cascading effectively down.
- Set agenda and make and articulate clear decisions.
- Set standards for individual and team performance - ongoing and in regular performance reviews.
- Identify high-potential journalists in our newsroom and ensure they are effectively developed.
- Elevate our ability to spot and recruit journalism talent externally.
- Direct other top editors/desk heads as they manage their department budgets and coach them on tracking and meeting budget goals (travelling budgets, fees for external services, equipment etc.).

**Key Attributes/Knowledge/Experience**
- Strong financial acumen, critical thinking and diplomatic problem-solving skills.
- Track record of successful newsroom management; a leader with experience mentoring and developing talent; able to make tough decisions and deliver difficult news with compassion and discipline aligned with Journal culture.
- Sound organisational abilities and inclination toward action: setting agendas, managing projects, change management.
- Journalistic experience preferred.
- Deep understand