Chief Editor - Times of Blockchain

VAP Group; United Arab Emirates; On-site; AED 360,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

VAP Group in Dubai seeks an Editor-in-Chief to shape Times of Blockchain's editorial vision and content strategy, aligning with audience needs.

You will hold final authority on major stories, manage senior staff, and drive the content roadmap across news, guides, and thought leadership.

This hybrid role requires 8+ years in journalism with leadership, strong ethics, and experience with WordPress, SEO, and analytics.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of journalism/editorial experience with senior leadership.
• Proven track record of scaling a digital news publication.
• Strong ethics and sourcing, AP/house style adherence.
• Experience leading distributed editorial teams and freelancers.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; public brand representation.
• Working knowledge of WordPress publishing workflows, SEO fundamentals, and analytics tools.

Responsibilities

• Define and continuously refine editorial vision, voice, and content strategy.
• Hold final editorial authority and sign-off on major stories and investigations.
• Set and enforce Editorial Policy, separating content types clearly.
• Oversee management of the Global Blockchain Show's event agenda.
• Recruit, mentor, and manage senior editorial staff; foster newsroom culture.
• Own the content roadmap across breaking news, guides, market analysis, thought leadership.
• Represent the publication externally; media appearances and partnerships.
• Oversee crisis and correction protocols; ensure accuracy and sourcing.
• Collaborate with SEO, growth, and revenue to align output with goals.
• Monitor industry trends and audience data to identify new coverage areas.
• Approve editorial hires, freelancer agreements, and budget allocations.

Skills

Editorial leadership

Journalism experience

News judgment

People leadership

Communication skills

SEO fundamentals

Content analytics

Tools

WordPress

SEO tools

Analytics tools

Job description

Location: Hybrid (Dubai)

Employment Type: Full-time

Key Responsibilities

• Define and continuously refine Times of Blockchain's editorial vision, voice, and content strategy in line with audience needs and market positioning.
• Hold final editorial authority and sign-off on major stories, investigations, exclusives, and any content carrying legal, reputational, or ethical risk.
• Set and enforce the Editorial Policy, ensuring clear separation between editorial content, sponsored/pressrelease content, and advertising.
• Responsible for the comprehensive management and oversight of the Global Blockchain Show's event agenda.
• Recruit, mentor, and manage the Managing Editor and senior editorial staff; build a high-performing, accountable newsroom culture.
• Own the annual/quarterly content roadmap, balancing breaking news, evergreen guides, market analysis, and thought leadership.
• Represent the publication externally: media appearances, industry panels, partnerships with events (e.g., the Global Show series), and relationships with PR agencies, exchanges, studios, or vendors relevant to the vertical.
• Oversee crisis and correction protocols; ensure factual accuracy, proper sourcing, and timely corrections across all published content.
• Partner with SEO, growth, and revenue teams to align editorial output with traffic, engagement, and business goals without compromising editorial integrity.
• Monitor industry trends, competitor coverage, and audience data to identify new coverage areas and content formats (video, newsletters, social).
• Approve editorial hires, freelancer/contributor agreements, and editorial budget allocation.

Requirements

• 8+ years of journalism/editorial experience, including at least 3 years in a senior editorial leadership role (Editor-in-Chief, Chief Editor, or equivalent).
• Proven track record of building or scaling a digital news publication, ideally in a fast-moving, technical, or niche vertical.
• Exceptional news judgment, editorial ethics, and command of AP/house style, fact-checking, and sourcing standards.
• Strong people‑leadership skills with experience managing distributed editorial teams and freelance contributor networks.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; comfortable representing the brand publicly.
• Working knowledge of WordPress‑based publishing workflows, SEO fundamentals, and content analytics tools.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience covering the specific vertical at senior editorial level.
• Existing network of industry contacts, spokespeople, and press contacts relevant to the beat.
• Experience negotiating and managing media partnerships with industry conferences and events.
• Familiarity with disclosure requirements for sponsored content, press releases, and paid coverage in digital media.

Success Metrics / KPIs

• Editorial quality: accuracy rate, correction turnaround time, and adherence to editorial policy.
• Audience growth: organic traffic, returning readers, and newsletter subscriber growth.
• Team performance: retention of senior editorial staff, output consistency, and coverage speed on breaking news.
• Brand reputation: media citations, event partnerships secured, and industry recognition.