Senior Video Editor (YouTube)

WHO WE ARE
NIA Production is a YouTube conglomerate. We own, build, and operate our own channels in-house. Every channel we run is ours.
You can see our work at ----------

We are 90+ people strong and growing rapidly. Most of our team is hybrid and we hire globally. We move fast. We care about results, and we hire people who think the same way.
WHY THIS ROLE EXISTS
NIA Production doesn't launch channels by guessing what works; we build repeatable systems backed by audience data.
The Experimental Channel Video Editor/Channel Launch Editor exists to develop the editing formula behind every new YouTube channel we launch. Rather than maintaining an established editing style, you'll identify what keeps viewers watching, test competing creative approaches, and turn successful experiments into documented systems that other editors can execute consistently.
Once a channel's editing formula has been proven and handed off, you'll move on to the next experimental channel and repeat the process. Your success isn't measured by how many videos you edit, rather it's measured by how many successful editing systems you create.

HOW THIS ROLE WORKS
Each engagement follows the same cycle:
Discovery and competitor research. Align on goals and audience, tear down 8 to 15 competitor channels (plus any channels outside the niche whose packaging approach could be useful to intergrate), and document which visual patterns work.
Concept development. Build mood boards and concept options, then commit to one direction.
Pilot videos. Edit benchmark videos to prove the style works in a real edit, not just in mockups.
Style package and template build. Package the style guide and all reusable assets so someone else can run it without you.
Handoff and training. Train the incoming editor, answer their questions, and guide them accordingly through the transition, then move to the next channel.

RESPONSIBILITIES
Research and creative direction. Study the top-performing videos in the niche and work out the editing mechanics behind their retention: how the first 15 to 30 seconds are built, where cuts speed up or slow down, how b-roll and sound design hold attention. Turn that into a direction covering pacing, hook structure, text and graphics, music, and SFX. You pitch this direction and you defend it, with reasoning specific to that niche rather than copying what worked elsewhere.
Niche and channel mastery. Develop a deep, working understanding of both the niche and the specific channel you're building, deep enough to know what will work before testing it. Take what's proven to work elsewhere and adapt it so it fits this channel specifically, and originate new ideas where the niche has a gap, so the channel stands out rather than blends in.
Pilot editing. Prove the style in real edits. Take raw, unstructured footage and turn it into videos with a strong hook and intentional pacing.
Testing and optimization. Run structured tests between competing approaches, such as two different openings or pacing styles, and use average view duration and retention data to d ---------- what becomes the standard. When a style is not working, flag it early and propose a new direction instead of repeating what has already failed.
Systemizing and handing off. Build the infrastructure the channel needs to move fast: intro templates, title and caption styles, SFX libraries, transition presets, project templates. Document the formula, train the editor who inherits it, and leave notes detailed enough for them to hold the retention curve without guessing at your reasoning.
Team coordination and delivery. Coordinate with the team, always meet turnaround times, keep up great communication, and be reliable. As we scale, this includes managing and coordinating any additional designers brought on to support volume.
Proactive growth mindset. Be proactive and obsessed with self-improvement, pushing to get better each day.

WHAT THIS ROLE IS NOT
This is about the kind of person you are, not just the tasks.
You are not a stylist. You do not have one signature look you apply to everything. A fast-cut challenge channel and a slow cinematic one need different instincts, and you have both.
You are not a maintainer. You like working out the formula, not running it. If you need one channel to settle into, the constant handoffs will wear on you.
You are not an order-taker. You do not just cut what you are handed. You push back on footage that cannot support retention and defend a direction with reasoning.
You are not attached to your edit. Your taste is not the standard. A retention graph can prove you wrong, and you accept it when it does.
You are not a lone wolf. You do not make yourself valuable by being the only one who can recreate your edit. You build so someone else can take over.

REQUIREMENTS

Must-Have:
A portfolio of real, published YouTube edits, ideally across more than one niche or format, since this role will not stay on one type of content.
A track record of turning raw, unstructured footage into compelling videos with a strong hook and intentional pacing, not just polishing footage already shot to a script.
Strong ability to read retention graphs: spotting the exact ---------- nt viewers dropped off, explaining why, and tying it to a specific editing decision.
Demonstrated versatility, with evidence of adapting your pacing and style across genuinely different content instead of applying one signature style to everything.
The ability to watch a competitor's video and go into full technical detail which editing decisions are driving retention, rather than just saying it feels well edited.
Strong motion graphics ability and working knowledge of AI tools relevant to editing and production.
Ability to manage your own workload across more than one channel without close oversight.
You genuinely enjoy hard challenges. Working out a retention formula from raw, untested footage is difficult and full of dead ends, and you are the kind of person who is drawn to that rather than worn down by it.

Nice-to-Have:
You have launched a channel from its earliest uploads, building the editing style and format from scratch instead of joining an established show.
You have built reusable editing systems (templates, presets, SFX libraries) that other editors actually adopted.
You have trained someone or handed off work before.

RESULTS

Success in this role is measured by:
Average view duration and retention improve and hold across multiple uploads, not on one standout edit.
Every channel you work on ends up with a documented editing system the team can run without you.
Your tests produce clear, data-backed winners the team can confidently standardize.
You move through channels at a healthy pace instead of staying on one longer than needed.
Your handoff notes are clear enough that another editor understands the reasoning behind every major decision and can hold the retention performance without extra guidance.
You coordinate well with the team and continue to be proactive in surfacing issues that affect the channel’s success.