Short Form Video Editor

Short Form Video Editor

Our client is a high-growth digital content company that has evolved from a social media agency into a creator-led media business with an audience of approximately 2.9 million followers.

The company currently publishes two short-form videos per day across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts, alongside six long-form YouTube videos per month that are handled by a separate editor.

The founders currently edit all short-form content themselves, creating a significant production bottleneck. The company is now looking to scale from approximately 2 to 4 short-form videos per day, requiring an experienced editor who can take ownership of the short-form post-production workflow and help support a cadence of 28+ videos per week.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Short Form Video Editor who understands that great social content is about much more than cutting clips together.

This person will be responsible for turning raw footage into engaging, fast-paced short-form videos built around strong storytelling, timing, humor, and audience retention. The ideal candidate understands how to recognize the moments that matter, remove anything that slows the content down, and structure an edit so viewers want to keep watching.

CapCut mastery is a key requirement. The company specifically prefers CapCut over heavier editing platforms such as Premiere because speed and efficiency are critical to the production workflow.

The position operates on a fully asynchronous production cycle with a one-week turnaround, giving the editor significant independence over when the editing work is completed while still requiring consistent availability during a full-time Monday–Friday PST schedule.

Key Responsibilities

Short-Form Video Editing

• Edit high-volume short-form video content for Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.
• Help scale production from approximately 2 videos per day to 4 videos per day.
• Support a production target of approximately 28+ short-form videos per week.
• Transform raw footage into polished, engaging, platform-ready content.
• Identify the strongest moments within raw footage and build compelling edits around them.
• Remove unnecessary pauses, repetition, and low-value footage to maintain momentum.
• Ensure each video has a clear beginning, progression, and payoff.
• Create edits designed specifically for short-form viewing behavior rather than applying traditional long-form editing techniques.

Pacing, Humor & Storytelling

• Use pacing as a primary tool for maintaining viewer attention.
• Understand comedic timing and preserve or enhance humor through editing.
• Recognize when cuts, pauses, reactions, or transitions strengthen a moment.
• Structure footage into cohesive stories even when the raw material is less structured.
• Identify strong hooks and ensure the opening seconds immediately capture attention.
• Maintain momentum throughout each video without making edits feel unnecessarily chaotic.
• Develop a strong understanding of the founders' personalities and editing style so finished content remains authentic to their voice.
• Make independent editorial decisions without requiring detailed instructions for every cut.

Platform Optimization

• Edit content specifically for Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.
• Understand the pacing and storytelling conventions of modern short-form social content.
• Ensure videos are formatted appropriately for vertical viewing.
• Maintain awareness of evolving short-form editing trends and audience expectations.
• Optimize edits for watchability, retention, shares, and engagement.
• Adapt editing approaches based on the type of content rather than forcing every video into the same template.

High-Volume Production

• Manage a substantial weekly volume without sacrificing storytelling or editing quality.
• Organize raw footage and active projects efficiently.
• Maintain consistent editing standards across 28+ weekly deliverables.
• Prioritize speed and efficient workflows to keep production moving.
• Batch editing work where appropriate to improve productivity.
• Maintain clear visibility into what has been received, edited, reviewed, and finalized.
• Reliably meet the established weekly production deadline.

Asynchronous Workflow

• Operate effectively within a fully asynchronous editing environment.
• Work from content filmed and prepared by the founders before the start of each weekly editing cycle.
• Receive raw footage on Monday and deliver completed content by the following Monday.
• Manage the one-week production cycle independently without requiring constant supervision.
• Communicate proactively if footage, direction, or other information is missing.
• Flag potential delays early rather than waiting until the final deadline.
• Incorporate feedback efficiently while maintaining the weekly content schedule.

Required Qualifications

• 2–5 years of experience in video editing, short-form content editing, social media editing, or a closely related role.
• Demonstrated mastery of CapCut .
• Strong portfolio of short-form video content.
• Deep understanding of short-form pacing and viewer retention.
• Strong storytelling instincts and ability to identify the narrative within raw footage.
• Excellent sense of comedic timing and humor.
• Strong professional English fluency , including the ability to understand conversational nuance, humor, tone, and context within raw footage.
• Experience editing content for platforms such as Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.
• Ability to independently make strong editorial decisions.
• Comfortable producing content at a high weekly volume.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fully asynchronous environment.
• Reliable communication and consistent adherence to deadlines.
• Availability to work full-time Monday–Friday during PST hours.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience editing for established content creators or high-follower social media accounts.
• Experience supporting high-volume daily social media publishing.
• Understanding of viral short-form content structures, hooks, retention, and storytelling.
• Experience editing personality-driven, humorous, or entertainment-focused content.
• Familiarity with social media analytics and how editing decisions affect retention and engagement.
• Experience developing repeatable editing systems for high-volume production.
• Ability to quickly learn and replicate an existing creator's editing style.
• Experience working directly with founders or content creators in a fast-moving environment.

Technology & Tools

The primary editing platform for this position is:

• CapCut – Required and strongly preferred
• Instagram
• TikTok
• YouTube Shorts
• Cloud-based file sharing and collaboration tools
• Communication and project management platforms

Advanced motion graphics are not a primary requirement for this position. The emphasis is on speed, pacing, humor, storytelling, and excellent editorial judgment rather than graphics-heavy production.

Role Details

• Experience: 2–5 years
• Employment Type: Full-Time
• Schedule: Monday–Friday
• Hours: PST
• Work Style: Fully asynchronous
• Primary Focus: Short-form video editing
• Current Cadence: Approximately 2 short-form videos per day
• Target Cadence: Approximately 4 short-form videos per day / 28+ videos per week
• Weekly Workflow: Raw footage received Monday → completed videos delivered the following Monday
• Long-form YouTube editing is handled separately and is not the primary responsibility of this position.