Editor-in-Chief

Do you live and breathe commercial aviation, and know how to turn a newsroom into a market-leading voice? We may just have a job for you! :)

Read more about us below:

ch-aviation is a company that provides accurate data and news on the business and commercial airline industry. Our News team currently has nine team members who work from various locations (Lithuania, Mexico, Portugal, Serbia, Philippines, and South Africa) across the globe.

As such, we are now looking for an experienced Editor-in-Chief with mother-tongue-level knowledge of English to lead our News team, on a long-term contractor basis, or as an employee based in Switzerland, Croatia, or Serbia.

Job Description

Given our continued push to expand and elevate our coverage of the global aviation market, we are looking for an Editor-in-Chief to take full editorial ownership of ch-aviation’s News output and lead a distributed team of journalists working remotely from across the globe.

As Editor-in-Chief, you will set and safeguard editorial standards across a wide business and commercial-aviation beat - fleet and aircraft order news, mergers, acquisitions and takeover battles, regulatory and sanctions stories, airline network and operational updates, and broader business-model developments. You will review and sign off on articles ahead of publication, ensuring factual, grammatical, and syntactical accuracy, and that every piece meets our house style guide and editorial principles.

You will allocate incoming leads and stories to the appropriate journalist, decide whether stories merit full article or news brief treatment, and ensure published articles are unique and not duplicates of work already queued or live. You will also be expected to personally research, chase, and write high-impact stories, drawing on a global network of sources at airlines, lessors, OEMs, and regulators to corroborate reports and break news.

This role requires deep aviation industry knowledge - aircraft types, terminology, regulatory and legal frameworks - combined with strong news judgment and a sharp sense of global geopolitical context, so that airline-industry events are always reported within the bigger picture.

Beyond day-to-day editorial leadership, you will work closely with the product owner on the evolution of our news offering, including newer initiatives such as our Aftermarket News coverage, and will represent ch-aviation at major industry events (such as the IATA AGM) to secure exclusive interviews and on-the-ground coverage.

Given that it is a remote-based position, the job also requires a person capable of leading and mentoring a team purely through remote communication tools, while maintaining a disciplined, analytically oriented, and collegial working culture.

The ideal candidate will have substantial experience in journalism and editorial leadership, deep knowledge of the civil and/or business aviation world, and a strong portfolio of verifiable, unedited published work in English for reference.

Responsibilities

• Take overall editorial responsibility for ch-aviation’s News output, setting and upholding editorial standards across the team;
• Review tickets and leads, determine whether they merit full article or news brief treatment, and allocate them to the appropriate journalist;
• Review pending articles for factual, grammatical, and syntactical accuracy ahead of queuing and publication;
• Ensure published articles are unique and not duplicates of content already queued or published;
• Independently research, develop, and write original English-language articles across the full commercial- and business-aviation beat;
• Cultivate and maintain sources at airlines, companies, lessors, OEMs, and governments from across the globe;
• Corroborate and clarify reports through additional research and source verification;
• Coach, mentor, and manage a distributed team of journalists, ensuring deadlines and quality standards are consistently met;
• Collaborate with Publishing and Product on the evolution of news formats and offerings, including emerging initiatives such as Aftermarket News;
• Represent ch-aviation at international industry events, securing exclusive interviews and breaking coverage;
• Travel from time to time, both as a reporter and to meet with the international team of journalists.

Required Skills

• C2-level of English language, both oral and written. Knowing multiple languages is a plus;
• Significant previous newsroom and editorial leadership experience, ideally within B2B or trade media;
• Proven ability to manage and develop a remote, multi-national editorial team;
• Ability to properly structure and edit English news articles to a consistent house style;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, strong attention to detail, and sound news judgment;
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively, problem-solve, self-organize, and manage competing deadlines across a team;
• Ability to analyse, develop, and write original articles to a high standard under deadline pressure;
• Ability to keep data and information confidential;
• Strong digital research skills, including advanced use of search engines and online databases to track down leads and verify information.
• Previous experience with Microsoft Office suite (Word, Outlook).

Optional Skills

• Previous experience working in a multi-cultural, multi-national environment;
• Knowledge of Boolean search terms;
• Experience with editorial workflow tools (e.g., Freshdesk or similar ticketing systems);
• Language skills in multiple languages are a plus.

Location: Remote: Europe, Africa, or Middle East. 

Application process:

If you think you would be a perfect match for our company and the advertised position, submit your motivation letter and Curriculum Vitae in English.

Please note that only applications in the English language will be accepted. Thereafter, only short-listed candidates will be contacted. 

All applications will be considered under the terms and conditions of confidentiality and in accordance with regulations governing personal data protection.

This is a full-time position within the news team and applicants will be subject to a practical assessment to determine the best fit for the role. An interview and a full-day workshop will also be a part of the selection process to conclude the final selection of the candidate.