Job Description

The Head of Digital provides strategic and operational leadership for Sky News Arabia’s digital platforms, ensuring the consistent delivery of high-quality, credible news content aligned with the organization’s editorial standards and objectives.

The role oversees the development, production, and distribution of digital content across online news, social media, video, podcasts, and interactive formats, working closely with editorial, programs, and production teams to strengthen cross-platform integration and audience engagement.

This position requires a forward-looking leader with a strong understanding of digital transformation in a newsroom environment, capable of driving editorial quality, platform growth, and innovation while maintaining alignment with Sky News Arabia’s editorial vision and values.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of a comprehensive digital strategy aligned with Sky News Arabia’s editorial vision and business objectives, ensuring high-quality, credible, and impactful digital output across all platforms.

• Provide strategic and operational leadership to digital content teams, including Online, Social Media, and Multimedia teams, fostering a culture of editorial excellence, innovation, accountability, and collaboration.

• Oversee the end-to-end digital content lifecycle across research, production, editing, verification, publishing, and distribution, ensuring consistency, accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with editorial standards in a 24/7 newsroom environment.

• Actively lead and institutionalize the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across digital operations, identifying, evaluating, and implementing AI-driven tools and workflows that enhance editorial efficiency, accelerate news production, improve content accuracy, support data-driven storytelling, and optimize publishing performance.

• Ensure that all AI applications are adopted in a responsible, ethical, and editorially governed manner, aligned with Sky News Arabia’s editorial standards, journalistic integrity, compliance requirements, and audience trust.

• Drive innovation in digital storytelling, multimedia formats, and audience engagement by working closely with editorial, programs, technology, and AI transformation teams to deliver integrated, cross-platform content.

• Manage and grow Sky News Arabia’s digital presence across websites and social media platforms, using data insights and AI-supported analytics to maximize reach, engagement, and content performance.

• Monitor emerging trends in digital media, journalism, technology, and artificial intelligence, continuously assessing and integrating relevant innovations to maintain competitiveness in the digital newsroom.

• Partner with analytics, product, and marketing teams to track performance, analyze audience behavior, and improve user experience through data-informed and AI-supported decision-making.

• Develop and maintain digital policies, guidelines, and workflows that govern content standards, platform use, and the ethical application of AI across digital platforms.

• Prepare and manage digital budgets, including investments in AI technologies and digital tools, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities and measurable return on investment.

Key Skills, Experience and Education

• Minimum of 15 years of experience in journalism or digital media, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role within a digital or editorial team.

• Proven experience in leading digital transformation initiatives within a news or broadcast organization.

• Extensive knowledge of online news production, social media strategy, and multimedia content creation.

• Strong editorial judgment and a deep understanding of digital journalism, storytelling, and audience behaviour.

• Experience with cross-platform content distribution, including video, podcasts, written articles, and social media content.

• Strong leadership and communication skills, with the ability to motivate and inspire a creative team.

• Fluency in written and spoken Arabic and English; additional language skills are a plus.

• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced news environment.

• Strong understanding of data analytics, audience insights, and SEO best practices.

• A passion for digital innovation and an entrepreneurial approach to driving growth in the digital news space.

• Experience in managing large-scale digital projects, including website development, app launches, and social media campaigns.

• Understanding of content management systems (CMS), digital video production tools, and analytics platforms.

• Familiarity with the unique challenges of broadcasting news in the MENA region, with an understanding of regional cultural and political dynamics.