Interactive Journalist , BBC Africa at BBC World Service

Job description

Job Introduction

The BBC World Service is embarking on an exciting journey with unprecedented investment in digital content for Africa and your role will be critical to us in meeting our ambitions. The BBC will be launching a new digital innovation hub in Nairobi with the ambition to develop digital journalism in Africa. Your role as Interactive Journalist will play a key role in helping our content reach underserved audiences – such as younger, more female and more diverse demographics in Africa.

BBC Africa aims to make, explain and connect African and global stories by providing a unique insight into the main stories of the day in original formats. The African service digital offer consists of websites, mobile sites and Social Media with all services providing multimedia content in text, video, interactive and audio for radio, online, TV, mobile and social media platforms.

The successful candidate will work as part of the new Visual Journalism team within the Africa Hub to generate fresh and original global stories.

Role Responsibility

• To enhance and explain major news stories. To research, write, co-ordinate, manage and deliver to tight deadlines the production of high quality added value digital content including: information graphics, maps, graphical interactives, multimedia explainers, data journalism, data visualisation and other bespoke-format web content
• To generate ideas for data-driven stories and for how they might be developed and visualised for a variety of platforms
• To collaborate with reporters, editors, and the fellow team's designer and developer to bring those stories to publication
• To participate and contribute to the wider Visual Journalism community, with the Central BBC News Visual Journalism team and the other VJ Languages teams
• To make the most of data and visual journalism tools and workflows to create content of high editorial and technical standard
• To be aware of relevant advances in web technology and how they can enhance the team’s output
• Support fellow Africa Hub journalists to make the most of the available tools, to improve commissioning and workflows.
• To represent the Africa Hub within the BBC Visual Journalism community

The Ideal Candidate

• Journalism
  • Journalism experience –either online / radio / TV – ability to spot a story and make sound editorial judgements
  • Ability to write in outstanding English as well as at least one of the key Africa Hub’s languages well enough to write stories / backgrounders as required
  • Be able to write /create content for social media – awareness of different platforms – and what is relevant for each region
• Data
  • Numerate – ability to understand spreadsheets and create them in Excel and Google Drive for stories / data sharing
  • Knowledge of data sources and FOI procedure, if relevant, as it pertains to your region
• Production
  • Be able to use basic design software (like Photoshop) to make composite images as well as create and update and create basic templates for static content for social media – whichever platforms are most relevant
  • Good visual awareness and web production experience

Package Description

Continuing (permanent) contract

Role based in Nairobi, Kenya

Local terms and conditions apply