Media Subject Matter Expert (SME)

Overview

We are undertaking an AI Transformation Assessment to define the strategic, financial, and operational foundations for becoming an AI empowered media organization. The assessment will evaluate the current state, identify high value AI use cases across departments, quantify the investment and ROI, and deliver a Business & Investment Case supported by a prioritised Implementation Roadmap.

A multidisciplinary team of business, financial, media, and technical experts will collaborate with stakeholders to produce actionable insights, establish readiness for AI adoption, and guide the transition toward data driven, automated, scalable operations.

We are seeking a Media Subject Matter Expert (SME) with deep experience in media operations, newsroom transformation, and AI driven content production to support a strategic AI Transformation Programme for a leading media organization.

Expected Outcomes

• A set of validated and prioritised AI use cases for media functions
• Clear mapping of current state vs. AI enabled "to be" media workflows
• Documentation of best practices and benchmarking insights from global media leaders
• Contribution to the Business & Investment Case, quantifying the potential value of AI in media operations

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• Participate and support the Transformation Lead and Project Team in discovery sessions to capture current media workflows (newsroom, content factory, digital publishing, etc.) and identify potential AI driven improvements.
• Advise on how AI technologies (e.g., NLP, video/audio analysis, content tagging, recommendation engines, newsroom automation) can enhance editorial, production, and distribution processes.
• Collaborate with the project team to validate and test NLP enabled use cases for newsroom efficiency, automated metadata creation, and personalised content delivery.
• Provide insight into global media trends, newsroom digitisation, and AI adoption across leading broadcasters and publishers.
• Evaluate proposed AI use cases to ensure they are operationally relevant, technically feasible, and aligned with media industry standards.
• Collaborate with editorial, production, and commercial teams to bridge the gap between creative, technical, and business stakeholders.
• Translate complex AI capabilities into practical applications for journalists, editors, and producers.
• Contribute to the development of the Business & Investment Case by defining expected benefits, success metrics, and transformation enablers for media operations.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in media or broadcasting, with a strong understanding of newsroom, content production, or media technology environments.
• Proven experience in newsroom digital transformation, content lifecycle optimisation, or media innovation projects.
• Familiarity with AI applications in media such as content personalisation and recommendations, video/audio transcription and tagging, automated metadata generation, AI assisted news writing or curation, data driven audience insights and analytics.
• Strong understanding of end to end media workflows: editorial planning, production, asset management, publishing, and audience engagement.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to engage with creative and technical teams.
• Ability to identify, explain, and prioritise opportunities where AI adds tangible business or operational value.

Desirable Qualifications / Skills

• Experience with Media Asset Management (MAM/DAM) systems, newsroom automation tools, or digital publishing platforms.
• Exposure to AI tools and technologies such as Azure AI, OpenAI, or other GenAI/LLM based solutions.
• Business consulting or advisory experience in media transformation projects.
• Familiarity with data governance, media monetisation, or audience analytics.

Contractual Duration

Short term contract for a period of 10 weeks, not exceeding 40 working days.

Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates