Gulf Editor

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT Gulf Editor (Contractor)

About MBN

Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN) is the premier Arabic-first media organization that connects the Middle East and the United States. The company is in the midst of an exciting digital transformation and looking for energetic and talented people who care about journalism and the Middle East to join us on this journey.

We provide original and indispensable reporting, perspectives and commentary on the Middle East and how America’s engagement impacts the region. MBN delivers content in both Arabic and English across multiple platforms, in formats including written articles, short-form video, newsletters, podcasts, data trackers and social media.

Our target audience is decision-makers, influencers, and residents of key capitals across the Middle East, as well as the next generation of globally engaged, digitally connected youth.

About The Role

MBN is seeking an experienced, highly connected Gulf Editor to lead, plan, edit, and report our coverage across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states (Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman) and the wider Gulf basin.

This is a senior hybrid role combining news desk leadership with active reporting, source cultivation, and on-camera analysis. The Gulf Editor serves as the operational center for the newsroom: commissioning, assigning, line-editing, and packaging content, while directly breaking major stories, leading real-time live blogs, writing the signature Gulf newsletter, and providing regular on-camera and podcast commentary.

The Gulf operates under a distinct, highly managed media landscape dominated by state communications and corporate public relations. The Gulf Editor must cut through protocol coverage to deliver independent, contextual journalism.

The role demands a sophisticated understanding of:

The post-conflict regional security architecture, integrated air/missile defense, and maritime chokepoints (Strait of Hormuz, Bab al-Mandab, Red Sea) following regional escalations and confrontations with Iran.

U.S.-Gulf strategic defense agreements, security guarantees, and counter-drone/maritime initiatives.

Sovereign wealth fund allocations (PIF, Mubadala, ADIA, QIA, OIA), fiscal reprioritization, and OPEC+ energy market dynamics.

The race for technological sovereignty: gigawatt AI data center buildouts, advanced semiconductor supply chains, and the geopolitical scrutiny surrounding Gulf technology partnerships with China and the United States.

Regional foreign policy maneuvers, including post-war reconstruction/stabilization tracks in Syria, Sudan, and Yemen, alongside diplomatic balancing with China, Russia, Turkey, and Iran.

Domestic socio-economic restructuring, labor market nationalization, demographic adjustments, and youth expectations.

The ideal candidate pairs the sharp news judgment and line-editing precision of a senior desk editor with the rolodex, investigative instincts, and agility of a veteran regional correspondent.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

The following tasks are considered essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions:

• Editorial Planning, Desk Direction, and Network Management
• Direct daily newsgathering and long-term editorial planning for all six GCC states, maintaining an active forward-planning diary of OPEC+ ministerial meetings, regional summits, sovereign wealth transactions, defense forums, and economic releases.
• Assign, coordinate, and edit reporting from MBN’s per-piece multimedia contributors, freelance journalists, stringers, and local fixers across Riyadh, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Kuwait City, Manama, and Muscat.
• Coordinate daily with the Editor-in-Chief, Executive Producers, and Washington news desks to ensure Gulf coverage leads regional news cycles with depth and context.
• Monitor Gulf state media, financial wires, regulatory decrees, satellite channels, and regional social networks in real time to capture breaking developments and identify emerging trends before they become consensus.
• Original Enterprise Reporting, Sourcing, and Scoops
• Pitch, report, and write original investigative pieces, news analyses, and enterprise stories for Alhurra.com and other digital products.
• Investigate tech diplomacy and economic security files, including U.S. regulatory and congressional scrutiny over Gulf AI infrastructure, advanced chip imports, and bilateral tech partnerships with Chinese entities.
• Build and maintain a deep, active contact network across Gulf government entities, economic advisory boards, sovereign wealth managers, energy consultancies, defense analysts, diplomats, and business leaders.
• Secure and conduct high-level on-the-record and background interviews with ministers, senior policymakers, regional economists, tech executives, and international diplomats.
• Deliver accurate, independent reporting on sensitive security, human rights, labor, and economic policy debates while navigating strict regional media and cybercrime regulations.
• Breaking News, Live-Blogging, and Publish-Ready Production
• Lead real-time coverage during fast-moving news cycles, directing live blogs, rapid-response text analyses, and live digital updates on Alhurra.com during major security escalations, OPEC+ decisions, or emergency summits.
• Line-edit, fact-check, and copy-edit all Gulf-related text, video scripts, and data visualizers to ensure they are clear, accurate, balanced, and immediately publish-ready.
• Enforce strict adherence to the MBN Stylebook, MBN editorial guidelines, Code of Conduct, and legal standards (libel, sourcing verification, and balanced terminology).
• Write and refine search-optimized (SEO) headlines, subheads (deks), captions, social copy, and metadata for digital distribution.
• Verify financial data, oil/gas market figures, transliterations of Gulf names and tribal designations, and institutional titles in both Arabic and English.
• Gulf Newsletter, Video Formats, and Multiplatform Output
• Write, curate, and edit MBN’s flagship Gulf digital newsletter, delivering insider context, data analysis, and concise takeaways on political, financial, and tech developments.
• Produce and script digital-native video explainers, charts, and vertical video series on complex topics (e.g., AI data center hubs, sovereign fund capital flows, defense treaties, energy transition).
• Serve as MBN’s lead analytical voice on the Gulf: delivering on-camera analysis, live digital hits, and hosting/participating in audio and video podcast discussions.
• Bilingual Integration and Regional Context
• Oversee and edit content across both Arabic and English, ensuring stories maintain their analytical weight, argument, and nuance in both languages.
• Adapt Arabic-origin reporting on the Gulf for international and Western audiences, providing necessary geopolitical background without diluting the original reporting.
• Translate breaking regional shifts—such as GCC-Iran security agreements, maritime defense operations, and U.S. bilateral pacts—into clear, accessible journalism for regional and global readers.
  
  

• Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, International Relations, Political Science, Economics, Middle Eastern Studies, or related field (or equivalent professional experience).
• 8–10+ years of professional journalism experience, combining newsroom desk editing/planning with extensive on-the-ground reporting on the Gulf region.
• Deep, verified knowledge of GCC political systems, macroeconomic restructuring (Vision 2030, economic diversification programs), energy markets (OPEC+, LNG), sovereign wealth fund strategies, AI/tech infrastructure developments, and U.S. defense partnerships.
• Proven, active network of contacts among Gulf policymakers, energy analysts, financial institutions, diplomats, and regional researchers.
• Expert line-editing, copy editing, and structural editing skills in Arabic, with proven experience managing live blogs, breaking news desks, and forward editorial calendars.
• Complete professional and editorial fluency in Arabic and English (capable of writing, editing, and publishing original copy in both languages independently).
• Demonstrated experience writing digital newsletters, scripting video explainers, and delivering clear on-camera and audio podcast analysis.
• Clear understanding of the media environments, legal frameworks, and sensitivities governing reporting across the GCC states.
  
  

• Prior experience as a Gulf Editor, Bureau Chief, or Senior Gulf Correspondent for an international news agency (e.g., Bloomberg, Reuters, Financial Times, WSJ, AP, AFP) or top-tier digital newsroom.
• Background in financial/economic journalism, technology/AI geopolitics, or defense/security reporting.
• Experience managing distributed networks of freelance reporters and contractors across multiple borders.
• Working knowledge of digital analytics (Chartbeat, Google Analytics) and newsletter publishing platforms.