Southeast Asia Bureau Chief

About The New York Times

The mission of The New York Times is to seek the truth and help people understand the world. That means independent journalism is at the heart of all we do as a company. It’s why we have a world-renowned newsroom that sends journalists to report on the ground from nearly 160 countries. It’s why we focus deeply on how our readers will experience our journalism, from print to audio to a world-class digital and app destination. And it’s why our business strategy centers on making journalism so good that it’s worth paying for.

The New York Times is looking for an experienced and dynamic journalist to join our International team as the next Southeast Asia bureau chief.

The bureau chief will be an anchor for coverage that explores politics and geopolitics, culture, climate change, identity, gender, religion, tech innovation, socio-economic shifts, corruption and more. The successful candidate will bring keen analytical focus to their coverage as they think about regional and topical storylines. As bureau chief, you will also oversee the management of the bureau and help to direct freelancers and other journalists across this vast and varied region. It’s a critical assignment for The Times that requires energy, curiosity, passion and talent.

This is a chance to join a committed team of reporters and editors who have a history of award-winning work, an eagerness to experiment with new story forms, and a mission to bring Times journalism to a truly global audience across digital, print and other media.

The bureau chief role is based in Southeast Asia; the exact location will be discussed with the recruiter during the interview process. The bureau chief will report to a regional editor based in our Seoul newsroom.

Main responsibilities:

• Cover live and breaking news, enterprise and investigations in the region.
• Generate story and coverage ideas and execute them with top-notch writing.
• Build a network of stringers, reporters, and translators for sourcing and reporting.
• Collaborate with other reporters in the region during major news moments.
• Work with colleagues across Photo, Video, Audio and other departments to bring stories to life in a variety of formats across all of NYT products.
• Oversee the bureau logistics and operations.
• Demonstrate support and understanding of our values of journalistic independence and a strong commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world.

Our ideal candidate will have:

• Deep international reporting experience, preferably for a global news organization.
• An unstoppable flow of scoops and story ideas born out of superior sourcing, and an enthusiasm for finding new ways to tell those stories.
• Eagerness to collaborate with colleagues across the whole organization and globe, including working closely with our visual journalists to bring stories to life.
• The ability to build and nurture a network of stringers, reporters and interpreters to help the Times maximize its coverage reach.
• A commitment to fairness and independence in reporting and presentation.
• Regional language skills would be a plus, but not essential.

In order to be considered for this role, please submit your resume, cover letter, a PDF/link of your top 5-7 clips, and a coverage memo laying out the themes and some specific stories you would want to take on. The deadline for applications is July 22, 2026.

Benefits

For roles outside of the U.S., information on benefits will be provided during the interview process.