Rest of World was founded in an era of expansive digital globalism. Outside the West, tech adoption was lightning-fast, ubiquitous and held the promise of a unified – if noisy – future. Across thousands of stories, we charted the complexity of that process: triumphant underdogs, systemic corporate harms and myriad innovation from unlikely places. It was a world built on open digital borders, and a shared belief that technology was a rising tide for everyone.
In 2026, that era is over.
Tech has transitioned from a tool of connection – human and commercial – into an instrument of hard power. It is now increasingly fused to nationalism, fueled by unprecedented concentration of capital and accelerated by emerging technologies so powerful they are likened to nuclear weapons. Simultaneously, the world is grappling with a stark reality: the US is no longer a predictable actor. This volatility is radically reshaping how countries are thinking about their digital futures, and just how dependent they can be on American technological might.
This moment demands a new kind of journalism from Rest of World. We are seeking our next ambitious and visionary Editor-in-Chief to lead our strategic pivot, as we reimagine the publication for this more urgent mandate. We aim to provide the definitive record of this profound moment in global tech: how the world is reorganizing itself in response to US actions, and what that means for the future of technology everywhere.
This role can be based in the US or UK. Candidates must possess the right to work in one of these locations, as Rest of World is unable to sponsor work authorization for this role.
The Role
As Editor-in-Chief, you will be the editorial architect of our strategic pivot, bringing a new focus and fresh instincts to our talented global team. You will lead an elite newsroom of eleven journalists and a significant editorial budget, while aggressively expanding our reach through new investments in high-utility newsletters, video-first storytelling, and strategic creator collaborations. Working at the intersection of editorial, audience and operations, you will champion a data-driven approach to moving our audience from casual discovery to habitual engagement. We are looking for someone who instinctively understands this pivot for Rest of World, and can be a dynamic & authoritative voice for our work in public.
Key Responsibilities
Editorial Strategy & Vision
- Set the Editorial Direction: Define and communicate the daily and long-term editorial vision, ensuring every piece of content aligns with our strategy
- Enforce Journalistic Standards: Maintain the highest levels of editorial integrity, accuracy, and judgment across a global network of staff and contributors
- Prioritization & Focus: Act as the tastemaker and gatekeeper for our editorial choices, understanding the trade-offs of global coverage and where we can win
- Voice & Tone: Develop and refine a new distinct, authoritative brand voice that meets the moment and is consistent across content streams
Newsroom Operations & Talent
- Lead a Global Team: Direct our global editorial staff towards successful high-impact outcomes, fostering a culture of high velocity, experimentation with new tools, and accountability
- Budget Oversight: Manage the editorial budget with fiscal discipline, aligning spending with strategic priorities
- Workflow Optimization: Modernize editorial workflows befitting a technology-focused organization, and to support parallel publishing across text, video and audio, moving us away from legacy systems
Product, Platform & Growth
- Multi-Platform Execution: Oversee the editorial development of platform-native content, specifically driving the success of YouTube/video series, podcasts, and high-utility newsletters that readers turn to
- Data-Informed Decision Making: Partner with the Audience and Product teams to analyze performance metrics and iterate on formats that drive reader relevance & habitual engagement
- Public Representation: Act as the primary editorial voice of Rest of World at industry events, in media appearances, and with our global audience
Who You Are
- A proven editorial leader: You’ve led high-performing teams before and know how to empower journalists to do their most impactful work. You hold a deep respect and understanding for the purpose, power and responsibility of journalism in the public square
- Mission-driven: You are energized by our new strategic direction, and intuitively understand the “Why” behind our pivot – and what it means for us (and our audience) if we execute it well
- A geopolitical heavy-hitter: You possess a deep, sophisticated understanding of the intersection between technology and global power, and bring a deep network of international sources and relationships
- Strategic instinct for relevance: You have an innate sense of what our Western audience cares about, and you know how to translate complex global shifts into essential & accessible dispatches
- Adaptable leadership: You are comfortable with radical change, creative experimentation, careful budgeting, and the high-pressure environment of a strategic pivot. You see constraints as a catalyst for creative experimentation
- Platform-fluent: You are excited by the opportunity to meet our audiences where they live online, whether in email, YouTube, Linkedin or beyond
- A modern talent spotter & coach: You know how to manage traditional journalists alongside social-first video creators and analytical researchers
- Revenue oriented: You see financial sustainability and premium products as an integral part of the success of our mission and a collective responsibility
The compensation range for this role is between $250,000 and $300,000. The final salary will be determined based on a combination of factors, including relevant experience, prior roles, and geographic location, as compensation is benchmarked against local market conditions.
How to Apply
We’re seeking a leader as obsessed with this global reordering as we are, and knows how to reach audiences tired of a US-centric media echo chamber. To apply, please send a resume and a cover letter to jobs@restofworld.org with “Editor-in-Chief” in the subject line by May 1, 2026.
In your cover letter, please skip the formalities and address these two areas specifically:
- How would you describe our coverage today, and how do you think Rest of World’s mandate should change in the current era of US unpredictability and tech nationalism? What stories are we not doing that we should be?
- Describe a time you led a newsroom or a team through a significant strategic or coverage transition. What did you learn about what works and what breaks?