Executive Editor/Executive Producer – News and Current Affairs

The Executive Editor/Executive Producer - News/Current Affairs is responsible for the overall operations and development of news and current affairs program concepts. He/ She is responsible for guiding the team to develop the most salient points in a story and vets stories for accuracy, objectivity and timeliness. He works together with sales and marketing teams and other partners to create and coordinate content, launch events, campaigns and promotion plans to increase viewership. He also manages post-broadcast issues and ensures that production complies with all policies and regulations. He works in a newsroom but may be assigned field activities at times. He should be able to adapt quickly to changes and perform well in a dynamic environment. He requires a thorough knowledge of current affairs locally and internationally. He should have experience in managing budgets and be able to identify management issues of individual departments. He possesses strong editorial sensitivity and the ability to prioritize and interpret the key stories of the day. He should be an effective negotiator. He also should have an expert command of language, effective oral and written communication. He ought to have a good understanding of camera, sound and editing systems.

Skills and Competencies

Technical Skills & Competencies

Fundraising and Sponsorships
Proficiency Level
Establish connections and pitch projects to potential sponsors and financial backers.
5
Legal and Compliance Management
Proficiency Level
Review production operations, processes and agreements for compliance with applicable legislations and compliance to industry norms.
4
News Bulletin Production
Proficiency Level
"Review news bulletins to decide on final news for broadcast and lead news programming operations."
5
News Editing
Proficiency Level
"Review line of news to edit for global and local sensitivities."
5
News Story Development
Proficiency Level
"Curate newsworthy beats and news delivery platforms that engage target audience segments."
5

Generic Skills & Competencies

Communication
Proficiency Level
"Negotiate with others to address issues and achieve mutual consensus."
Advanced
Problem Solving
Proficiency Level
Anticipate potential problems beyond the current scope and apply higher order problem solving tools and techniques to turn problems into opportunities.
Advanced
Leadership
Proficiency Level
Lead by example at organisational level. Inspire, motivate and guide others to adopt a point of view, make changes or take action. Cultivate an open, cooperative and collaborative learning culture for the organization.
Advanced
Resource Management
Proficiency Level
Deepen insights into the planning, allocation and deployment of resources to anticipate needs. Plan the allocation and deployment of resources efficiently and effectively.
Intermediate
Developing People
Proficiency Level
Provide coaching to others to develop their skills and knowledge on their jobs to enhance performance.
Intermediate

Critical Work Functions and Key Tasks

Produce news/current affairs content

• Prepare a forecast of important events for coverage based on analysis of customer trends, analytics and viewers' feedback
• Oversee budgets, forecasting, work allocations and staffing of the various departments
• Scrutinise the final news/current affairs content for accuracy, objectivity and timeliness before broadcast
• Develop sources of information to get heads-up and prior knowledge of breaking and other newsworthy events 
• Grow and enhance network of strategic relationships externally to support content development initiatives
• Guide others to address post-broadcast issues such as viewers' complaints and feedback
• Recommend ways to increase viewership, improve operational efficiency and achieve corporate goals

Manage operations

• Lead pre and post assignment briefings for the production teams to ensure salient news points are captured
• Maximise the use of organisational resource by collaborating with other departments
• Manage production budgets to ensure that expenditure for the news and current affairs department are kept within limits
• Mentor the production teams for success by coaching and providing constructive feedback regularly 
• Identify sources to seek financial backing and sponsorship for the production of current affairs content 
• Lead the preparation of programme proposals to prospective sponsorship partners while not negatively affecting the objectivity and 
accuracy of content
• Pitch programme concepts to key stakeholders to secure funding for production
• Represent the organization at key social and business events to increase the organization's profile in the industry

Manage projects

• Drive project to meet schedules, budget, manpower and technical quality targets
• Drive project discipline to document scope changes, issues and risks that affect implementation
• Collaborate with users, technical staff and management to determine and resolve issues associated with project implementation
• Lead regular project reviews to recommend schedule changes, cost or resource adjustments

Manage teams and/or department

• Define common goals, direction and accountability among staff 
• Define staff development strategies by coaching, mentoring and engaging in career discussions
• Define effective performance management practices within department in accordance with organizational policies and procedures
• Oversee budgets, forecasting, work allocations and staffing of the various departments

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