Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Web Video Editor

🎯 Role Definition

The Web Video Editor is responsible for transforming raw footage and creative assets into polished, platform-optimized video experiences that drive engagement, retention, and conversion across digital channels. This role combines technical post-production expertise (editing, color grading, audio mixing, motion graphics) with platform-aware storytelling and SEO-driven metadata practices to maximize discoverability and performance on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and company websites. The Web Video Editor works closely with producers, content strategists, social media managers, and creative directors to deliver on-brand videos on deadline and at scale.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Junior Video Editor / Assistant Editor at a digital media team
Social Media Content Creator with strong editing portfolio
Broadcast or production assistant transitioning to digital-first editing

Advancement To:

Senior Video Editor / Lead Video Editor (overseeing editing team and creative workflow)
Video Content Producer or Creative Lead (strategy and execution of video campaigns)
Head of Video or Director of Content (managing cross-channel video strategy and teams)

Lateral Moves:

Motion Graphics Designer
YouTube Channel Manager / Social Video Strategist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Edit and assemble raw footage into compelling, story-driven web videos across formats and lengths — from 6–15 second TikTok/Reels and mid-form Instagram/Facebook posts to long-form YouTube episodes — ensuring pacing, narrative structure, and emotional beats align with campaign goals and platform best practices.
Produce platform-specific edits optimized for mobile and desktop viewing (vertical, square, and landscape aspect ratios), ensuring safe areas, captions, and visual composition adapt correctly for each distribution channel.
Create and integrate motion graphics, lower-thirds, animated typography, and transitions using After Effects, Premiere templates, or native editing tools to elevate brand presentation and guide viewer attention.
Color grade and perform primary and secondary color correction to achieve consistent, cinematic, and brand-compliant looks across series and campaigns while matching shots from different sources.
Perform audio cleanup, mixing, and leveling including noise reduction, equalization, compression, and stereo imaging so dialogue, music, and sound effects are clear, balanced, and platform-ready.
Implement captioning and subtitle workflows (SRT, embedded captions, burned-in captions) for accessibility, international audiences, and algorithmic preference on social platforms.
Export and transcode deliverables in multiple codecs and resolutions (H.264, H.265, ProRes, DNxHD) and prepare masters, web-optimized files, and archival formats per technical specs and upload requirements.
Collaborate with producers, creative directors, and content strategists to translate briefs and storyboards into efficient editing plans and deliver final assets that meet creative intent and KPIs.
Maintain organized project files, naming conventions, and version control across Premiere/Final Cut/DaVinci projects and shared storage to enable fast iteration and handoffs between editors and producers.
Generate thumbnails, selects, and short clips designed to maximize click-through and watch-time for YouTube and social platforms, often iterating A/B variants based on performance data.
Upload, tag, and optimize video metadata (titles, descriptions, tags, chapters, timestamps) and provide SEO-friendly copy suggestions to improve discoverability and search ranking on YouTube and other platforms.
Coordinate rapid-turnaround edits for breaking news, live events, or trending topics, delivering publish-ready assets under tight deadlines while maintaining quality standards.
Lead multi-camera sync, multicam editing, and live-switch recording workflows for interviews, shoots, and webinars to produce seamless program outputs.
Review and QC all deliverables for technical compliance (frame rate, color space, aspect ratio), visual artifacts, and audio issues prior to publication to maintain brand and platform standards.
Build and maintain reusable edit templates, motion presets, LUTs, and sound libraries to accelerate production throughput and ensure brand consistency at scale.
Manage relationships with freelance and junior editors, assigning projects, reviewing edits, giving constructive feedback, and ensuring deadlines and quality expectations are met.
Monitor video analytics (watch time, retention graphs, impressions, CTR, engagement) and collaborate with analytics and content teams to iterate edits, thumbnails, and distribution strategies for improved performance.
Research and implement best practices for platform algorithms, trend signals, and audience behavior to inform cut points, captions, and hook strategies that increase early view velocity and retention.
Prepare and deliver content packages for paid media and cross-platform syndication, ensuring asset sizes and durations meet campaign specs and ad platform requirements.
Troubleshoot technical issues related to ingest, codecs, metadata, and publishing workflows, working with engineering or platform partners to resolve bottlenecks and optimize pipeline reliability.
Drive continuous improvement by testing new editing techniques, formats, and creative approaches, documenting results and updating team guidelines with learnings.
Ensure all edits comply with brand guidelines, legal requirements, music licensing restrictions, and copyright clearances; coordinate with legal or rights management as needed.
Support creative ideation sessions by providing technical feasibility input, rough cuts, and edit-first proofs that inform final creative direction.

Secondary Functions

Assist with asset management and archival tagging to ensure quick retrieval and reuse of footage and graphics for future projects.
Help maintain and evolve the team’s post-production roadmap, proposing tool upgrades, workflow automations, and training needs to increase throughput and quality.
Provide occasional shoot-day support for logging, slate syncing, and on-set technical consultation for capture settings that reduce edit-time.
Contribute short-form social edits for cross-functional campaigns and repurpose long-form content into short teasers and highlights for distribution.
Participate in post-mortems and retrospective sessions to identify bottlenecks and improve editing SOPs and time estimates.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Adobe Premiere Pro — advanced timeline editing, multicam workflows, nested sequences, proxies, and keyboard shortcuts.
Adobe After Effects — motion graphics, compositing, expressions, and template creation.
DaVinci Resolve — color grading, node-based color workflows, and Resolve editing when applicable.
Final Cut Pro X — familiarity preferred for organizations that use Apple-centric workflows.
Audio post-production — Adobe Audition, audio mixing, noise reduction, EQ, compression, and mastering for web.
Knowledge of codecs, containers, and delivery specs — H.264/H.265, ProRes, DNxHD, SRT captions, frame rates and color spaces.
Captioning & subtitling tools — experience generating and editing SRT files, embedding captions, and accessibility best practices.
Motion graphics and templating — creating reusable lower-thirds, openers, and end cards that scale across episodes and platforms.
Thumbnail and visual asset creation — Photoshop or Canva skills to design click-driving thumbnails and social images.
Video SEO & platform management — understanding of YouTube CMS, metadata optimization (titles, descriptions, tags, chapters), and basic upload/publishing pipelines.
Transcoding and file management — strong organizational skills with NAS/Cloud storage, proxies, and file naming/version control.
Basic analytics literacy — ability to read YouTube Analytics, platform retention graphs, CTR, and use that data to inform edits.
Live production support — familiarity with live capture formats, multi-camera ingest, and basic live-switch workflows (useful for live-to-VOD workflows).
Familiarity with collaborative tools — Frame.io, Wipster, Google Drive, Slack, Asana/JIRA for feedback, review, and project tracking.

Soft Skills

Strong storytelling instincts with an ability to pace, structure, and craft edits that maximize audience retention and emotional impact.
Excellent communication skills for receiving and incorporating creative feedback, articulating technical constraints, and collaborating cross-functionally.
Time management and prioritization under tight deadlines while maintaining attention to detail and quality.
Adaptability to fast-changing trends, platform shifts, and evolving creative briefs.
Problem-solving mindset, able to troubleshoot technical issues and propose workflow improvements.
Collaborative team player who mentors junior editors and works closely with producers, marketers, and designers.
Creative curiosity and continuous learning orientation to stay current with new formats, tools, and best practices.
Dependability and ownership for entire deliverable lifecycle from ingest through publishing.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Associate degree, certificate program, or equivalent hands-on experience in film production, multimedia, communications, or related field.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree in Film/Video Production, Digital Media, Communication, or related creative discipline; or extensive professional editing portfolio demonstrating relevant experience.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Film and Video Production
Digital Media / Multimedia Design
Communications / Journalism
Graphic Design / Motion Graphics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2–5+ years of professional video editing experience for web-first content; may vary by company size and complexity of role.

Preferred:

3–7 years editing content specifically for social platforms (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram) with demonstrable performance-driven portfolio, experience managing end-to-end post-production pipelines, and familiarity with platform SEO and analytics.