Afghanistan/Pakistan Bureau Chief

Position description

The mission of The New York Times is to seek the truth and help people understand the world. That means independent journalism is at the heart of all we do as a company. It’s why we have a world-renowned newsroom that sends journalists to report on the ground from nearly 160 countries. It’s why we focus deeply on how our readers will experience our journalism, from print to audio to a world-class digital and app destination. And it’s why our business strategy centers on making journalism so good that it’s worth paying for. 

The New York Times is looking for a talented, experienced and versatile journalist to join our International team as the next Afghanistan/Pakistan bureau chief. The bureau chief will cover the region as well as broader issues that impact Afghanistan and Pakistan, including conflicts, the economy, security and politics. 

This is a chance to join a committed team of reporters and editors who have a history of award-winning work, an eagerness to experiment with new story forms, and a passion for bringing Times journalism to a truly global audience across digital, print and other media. In addition, as bureau chief, you will also oversee the management of the bureau. This includes directing the news-gathering activities of the bureau and supervising the logistics of an international bureau. The role requires energy, passion and talent for what is a critical assignment for The New York Times.

The bureau chief will be an anchor for coverage and explore some of the most globally important issues including politics, culture, climate change, identity, gender, religion, tech innovation, socio-economic shifts and corruption. We are looking for an entrepreneurial correspondent. In this role, you must be as comfortable covering immediate breaking news as you are writing thoughtfully and deeply about events and issues. And above all, you must be collaborative and eager to work with, and learn from, Times colleagues in bureaus around the world. The successful candidate will bring keen analytical skills to their coverage as they think about regional and topical storylines.

The role will report to the Asia Editor, who is based in Seoul. 

Main responsibilities:

• Cover live and breaking news, enterprise and investigations in the region;
• Generate ideas on coverage including specific targets or broad themes;
• Write articles on deadline; receive feedback and edits;
• Create and assign stories, or play a role in shaping and editing them;
• Familiarity with audience tactics to reach new readers across platforms;
• Build a network of stringers, reporters, and translators for sourcing and reporting;
• Hire and manage staff in the bureau; including proactively ensuring that the team are engaged, motivated; assess their performance and support their development;
• Collaborate with other reporters in the region during major news moments;
• Work with colleagues across Photo, Video, Audio and other departments to bring stories to life in a variety of formats across all of NYT products;
• Oversee the bureau logistics and operations including but not limited to: leases, reporting equipment, cars, budget reports and any monthly funding requests, legal responsibilities, scheduling / leave of absence requests and general maintenance.
• Demonstrate support and understanding of our value of journalistic independence and a strong commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world.

Qualifications

• Proven strong international reporting and writing experience, preferably for a global news organization;
• Ability to juggle breaking news, smart analysis and ambitious enterprise;
• Leadership and management skills and willingness to grow;
• Detailed and expert understanding of the region history and clarity about the intricacies of regional politics within Afghanistan and Pakistan 
• Fluency in other languages would be preferable; 
• Proactive problem solver;
• Thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented environment;
• Ability to work on several assignments at once; produce insightful enterprise and news coverage; cultivate and manage sources/stringers; apply relevant experience to pursue ideas in consultation; 
• Interest in directly engaging with readers to deepen their relationships with The Times;
• Familiar with the local media with up to date knowledge of appropriate sources;
• Collegial and collaborative behavior, integrity with assignments;
• Familiarity and deep understanding of The New York Times’s values
• Commitment to The New York Times’s strategy, ethics, standards and mission for both themselves, their team, stringers and colleagues.

Application instructions

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