Hiring: Chief Program Director & Editor — The Debate House (Africa’s Discourse Lounge)
The Debate House; Africa’s premier Discourse Lounge & Forum Café is seeking a visionary Chief Program Director & Editor to shape and lead our live and digital programming. This senior role blends creative curation, editorial leadership and team management: you will design debate series and events, set our editorial standards, produce multi-platform content, build partnerships across the continent, and grow our audience and revenue.
Are You:
- An experienced editor/programmer (7+ years) with a track record producing high-quality live and digital content.
- Passionate about African ideas, civic engagement and civil discourse.
- A proven leader who can build teams, budgets and partnerships.
- Bold, editorially rigorous and excellent at turning complex issues into entertaining, accessible conversation.
- Job title: Chief Program Director & Editor
- Organization: The Debate House — Africa’s Discourse Lounge & Forum Café
- Location: Accra with pan-African travel
- Type: Full-time (Predominately remote work occasional on-site)
- Reports to: Founder / Editorial Board
- Direct reports: Programming team (Producers, Hosts/Moderators, Content Editors, Volunteer Coordinators), AV & Events staff, Partnerships & Community Manager
About The Debate House
The Debate House is Africa’s foremost Discourse Lounge and Forum Café — a mature entertainment center where lively, moderated discussions and debates on topical issues are the main attraction. We are redefining entertainment as intellectual engagement and social interaction: a thoughtfully designed venue, diverse programming, a phenomenal host, and a welcoming atmosphere make us a unique destination for curious citizens, thinkers, and opinion leaders across the continent.
Role Overview
The Chief Program Director & Editor will design, curate, edit, and deliver a world-class program of live and digital discourse across The Debate House venues and platforms. This hybrid leadership role combines creative program direction and hands-on editorial oversight: you will shape the editorial voice, set standards for debate formats and moderation, commission and produce content (live, recorded, written), build partnerships with thinkers and institutions across Africa, and grow audience engagement and revenue tied to programming. You will ensure every event and piece of content reflects The Debate House’s values of curiosity, rigor, civility, inclusivity and production excellence.
Key responsibilities: Program curation & delivery
- Create and own the annual and seasonal programming slate: debates, panels, interviews, town halls, workshops, live podcasts, film + discussion nights, and special series.
- Develop formats and running orders that encourage rigorous, civil, and accessible discourse while delivering premium entertainment value.
- Oversee venue scheduling, logistics and coordination with AV/Events teams for flawless execution.
- Lead recruitment and briefings for speakers, moderators, guest hosts and performers; ensure diversity of perspectives and backgrounds.
Editorial Strategy & Content Production
- Define and maintain The Debate House editorial voice, content standards and moderation guidelines.
- Commission, edit and produce multi-platform content: live recordings, edited podcasts, written pieces, newsletters, social video, and long-form features.
- Supervise content editing workflows, fact-checking, research briefs, and show scripts.
- Work with digital marketing to repurpose live events into high-impact digital products and audience growth initiatives.
Community Building & Partnerships
- Build and nurture relationships with universities, think tanks, civil society, media houses, cultural institutions, sponsors and corporate partners.
- Grow and manage a network of reliable guest speakers, thought leaders, subject matter experts and moderators across Africa.
- Support community outreach programs and membership initiatives that enhance civic engagement and audience loyalty.
Leadership & Operations
- Hire, mentor and manage the programming and editorial team; set clear goals and growth plans.
- Oversee program budgets, P&L for programming, and financial partnerships; identify revenue streams (ticketing, memberships, sponsorships, content licensing).
- Set KPIs and use data to iterate programming, attendance, retention, digital reach, satisfaction metrics and commercial targets.
- Ensure safe, inclusive, and accessible event experiences; manage risk and incident protocols for live events.
Public Representation & Thought Leadership
- Act as an external ambassador for The Debate House, speak at events, represent the brand to media and partners, and contribute thought leadership on discourse in public life.
- Engage actively with audience feedback and community conversations.
Qualifications
- Minimum 7 years of professional experience in editorial or advocacy leadership, planning and programming, curating public events, or related fields; at least 3 years in a senior/managerial role.
- Strong track record in content strategy and production — live events, podcasts, video and editorial output.
- Deep intellectual curiosity and familiarity with Africa’s political, social and cultural landscapes.
- Demonstrable experience building and managing teams, budgets and partnerships.
- Excellent writing, editing and verbal communication skills; keen editorial judgment and fact-checking rigor.
- Strong project management skills; comfortable juggling multiple concurrent projects and deadlines.
- Experience with audience analytics and community growth strategies.
- Network across academia, media, civil society or political spaces is a strong advantage.
- Commitment to upholding free, respectful, and inclusive discourse; experience developing moderation policies a plus.
Core Competencies & Values
- Editorial integrity and impartiality
- Political and cultural sensitive and balanced
- Courage to take creative risks and innovate formats
- Calm under pressure and strong problem-solving skills
- Collaborative leadership and mentoring
Performance Indicators
- Attendance and ticket revenue growth for flagship series
- Monthly active attendees and digital audience growth (podcast downloads, video views, social reach)
- Speaker and partner satisfaction scores; community engagement metrics
- Number of high-quality produced assets (third party podcasts, articles, recorded debates) released per quarter
- Sponsorships/partnership revenue attributable to programming
- Program safety incidents minimized; inclusivity targets met
Compensation & Benefits
- Competitive salary and benefits package commensurate with experience
- Performance-linked bonuses
- Professional development budget
How to apply
Send:
- CV (max 3 pages)
- Cover letter that outlines your editorial philosophy and a high-level 6-month programming plan for The Debate House (1–2 pages)
- Links or samples of relevant work (event programs, produced shows, written pieces, recordings)
- Send to: info@debatehouse.club with subject line “Chief Program Director & Editor (with your name)
- Application deadline: 5th December 2025
We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds and regions across Africa to apply.
