Executive Editor

Westminster, England, United Kingdom·Posted today

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Location: Westminster, London  Salary: Competitive    The Role Reform UK is seeking an exceptional Executive Editor to lead its expanded editorial, broadcast and digital content operation from the party's Westminster headquarters. This is a senior leadership role with responsibility for building a high-quality, high-output media operation capable of delivering at national scale in the build-up to the next general election and beyond. A central priority will be the development of Reform TV and Reform UK's wider broadcast and video output: creating distinctive programmes and formats, commissioning original content, maximising the Westminster studio and building the production capability required to deliver ambitious live and recorded output at speed. The Executive Editor will lead across broadcast, video, website/news and social, ensuring they operate as one coherent editorial operation. The role combines the editorial judgement of a senior newsroom leader, the production experience of a senior broadcaster and the audience instincts of a modern media executive.   What you'll do <ul> <li>Lead the editorial and production operation</li> <li>Lead Reform UK's expanded editorial team, setting clear priorities, delegated authority, standards and performance expectations across Broadcast & Video, News & Website and Brand Social Media.</li> <li>Set the overall editorial direction and daily content agenda, identifying the stories, political moments and ideas around which Reform UK should build its output.</li> <li>Establish a highly organised seven-day operation with effective commissioning, forward planning, rotas, handovers, escalation, weekend coverage and rapid-response capability.</li> <li>Recruit, coach and retain high-performing talent, and deploy budgets, studio capacity and production resources around the content most likely to generate impact.</li> </ul>   Key Responsibilities Build Reform TV into a major content operation Shape the editorial and creative vision for Reform TV, developing it into a distinctive media proposition rather than simply a distribution channel for existing political content. Develop and commission a compelling slate of repeatable programmes and formats, including interviews, debates, panel shows, packages, explainers, documentaries, political analysis, personality-led programming and live events. Work closely with the Head of Video and senior production staff from concept through delivery, balancing ambitious planned output with the ability to react rapidly to breaking news and political opportunities. Build recognisable formats, presenters, contributors and franchises, while identifying opportunities for major interviews, exclusive access, location shoots, outside broadcasts and special programming. Run high-quality live and studio production Maximise the use and impact of Reform UK's Westminster studio as a reliable engine for high-quality live and recorded programming. Oversee editorial and production planning for live programmes, interviews, events, speeches, press conferences and breaking-news coverage. Ensure robust processes across research, scripts, guests, running orders, technical delivery, compliance, post-production and distribution. Set clear production standards, contingency plans and escalation routes so output can increase in speed and volume without compromising quality. Own content, formats and distribution Directly oversee the Website Editor, Head of Video and Head of Social, holding each team accountable for quality, reach, engagement and impact within one editorial strategy. Ensure major stories, speeches, campaigns and political moments are commissioned as complete content packages rather than isolated posts or videos. Decide where premium production adds value and where speed, immediacy and authenticity matter more. Ensure strong broadcast and long-form content is intelligently repurposed into clips, explainers, articles, graphics, short-form video and social assets. Encourage disciplined experimentation with programmes, presenters and treatments, scaling what works and stopping what does not. Build audiences across every platform Ensure content is conceived with distribution and audience behaviour in mind from the outset and adapted appropriately for each platform. Oversee the website as an authoritative destination for news, video, policy and political content, encouraging audiences to watch, return, subscribe, register, join and participate. Stay close to changing audience behaviour, platform trends and new forms of media consumption so Reform UK continues to reach audiences wherever they are moving.   Performance and Leadership: <ul> <li>Establish clear measures of success across programmes, video, website and social, combining editorial judgement with evidence about what audiences watch, read, share and return to.</li> <li>Use audience data and regular performance reviews to inform commissioning, scheduling, formats, staffing and resource allocation.</li> <li>Build a results-based culture that learns quickly from evidence, scales successful formats and changes or stops activity that consistently underperforms.</li> <li>Work closely with the Data & Analytics function to turn audience insight into clear recommendations for senior editors, producers and party leadership.</li> <li>Build strong relationships across Operations, Communications & Media, Campaigns, Press, Data, Membership, Events and the regional and branch structure.</li> <li>Work effectively with senior political figures, understanding their priorities while applying the editorial judgement required to turn political objectives into compelling content.</li> <li>Improve forward planning through clear editorial meetings, commissioning processes, shared calendars and defined ownership, ensuring major initiatives and events have an effective content plan.</li> <li>Manage relevant production companies, freelancers, agencies, platform partners and suppliers, ensuring high standards, value for money and clear accountability.</li> <li>Represent editorial, broadcast and audience priorities confidently to senior party leadership, making clear recommendations, surfacing risks early and taking responsibility for delivery.</li> </ul>   THE PERSON We are looking for an outstanding senior editorial and broadcast leader with the judgement, creativity, energy and operational discipline to build a modern, high-output media operation in a fast-moving political environment. This is not primarily a technical production role: the successful candidate must understand how excellent television and video are made, lead senior editorial and production teams confidently, and be equally comfortable assessing the political agenda and digital audience performance. Essential experience and capabilities <ul> <li>Substantial senior leadership experience in broadcast television, video-led news, current affairs, journalism, media production or another high-pressure editorial environment.</li> <li>Significant experience leading editorial and production teams, including senior editors, producers and creative or technical staff.</li> <li>Strong understanding of the complete television and video production process, with proven experience commissioning high-quality programmes and overseeing live output from development through delivery.</li> <li>Excellent editorial judgement and news sense, with a strong creative instinct for stories, contributors, treatments and distinctive repeatable formats.</li> <li>Strong understanding of the modern media landscape, with sufficient digital and data fluency to lead website, social and audience teams and distribute broadcast-quality content effectively across platforms.</li> <li>Demonstrable success growing reach and engagement through strong editorial ideas, formats, personalities or programming.</li> <li>Outstanding stakeholder-management and communication skills, including confidence working with senior political figures, journalists, producers, operational leaders and external partners.</li> <li>Highly organised, politically aware and resilient, with the ability to manage competing priorities, budgets, major projects and rapid-response demands in a highly scrutinised environment.</li> <li>Willingness to be based at Reform UK's Westminster HQ and work flexibly around breaking news, major broadcasts, political events and campaign periods, including evenings and weekends when required.</li> </ul> Highly desirable <ul> <li>Senior experience within a national broadcaster, television newsroom, major production company or substantial video-led media organisation.</li> <li>Experience launching or substantially developing a television channel, digital video operation, programmes or major new broadcast proposition.</li> <li>Experience commissioning long-form interviews, documentaries, studio programmes, debates, current-affairs formats or live events.</li> <li>Experience developing on-screen talent and building programmes or franchises around distinctive personalities.</li> </ul> Why join Reform UK? This is an opportunity to build a significant new media operation inside a national political party at a decisive point in its development. The successful candidate will have unusual scope to shape Reform TV, its programmes and formats, its production operation, editorial agenda and wider digital content strategy - and to see the impact of that work at national scale.

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