Journalist, BBC Swahili at BBC World Service

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

• BBC Swahili is one of the BBC World Service's biggest and fastest growing language services, reaching millions of Swahili speakers across East Africa and beyond. Operating across radio, TV and digital platforms, the service provides independent, impartial journalism to audiences whose access to free and trusted news is often limited by political pressure, media restrictions and disinformation. 
• BBC Swahili is transforming into a story-led model built around two complementary editorial streams: On the Day and On Demand.

WHY JOIN THE TEAM

• The Journalist is the core production resource of both streams. Whether working a morning, afternoon or night shift within On the Day, or contributing to planned video and podcast production within On Demand, the Journalist is expected to move fluently between platforms, formats and roles (such as writing a web article, filming a clip, voicing a radio package and publishing a social post), often on the same story, within the same shift.
• This transformation demands journalists who are not simply willing to work across platforms, but who think across platforms instinctively. That means asking, before production begins, how a story will serve audiences on the website, on YouTube, on TikTok and on radio or TV, and making deliberate choices about format, length and angle for each.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT:

• Write clear, accurate and engaging articles for the BBC Swahili website on a daily basis, producing content that is well-structured, properly sourced, SEO-aware and published to deadline.
• Produce and present short-form video content including news moments, explainers, interviews and reaction pieces optimised for publication on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Reels, Facebook and YouTube Shorts, as a standard part of daily output.
• Self-shoot, present and edit short video content using mobile or camera equipment, applying strong visual judgement, clear audio, appropriate framing and basic graphic or caption overlays to produce content that meets BBC Swahili’s production standards.
• Contribute to BBC Swahili’s visualised and linear radio output, performing on screen as well as on air and understanding the specific demands of presenting and reporting for a simultaneous radio and YouTube streaming audience.
• Research, script, film and edit TV packages independently or in collaboration with Video Journalists, ensuring content is well-sourced, clearly structured and appropriate for the target broadcast slot.
• Develop and maintain a range of contacts across East Africa to support original newsgathering, tip-offs and on-the-ground reporting, and use those contacts to contribute stories and angles that go beyond wire and agency copy.
• Contribute to live coverage of breaking news events across all platforms including livestreaming, producing timely, accurate content at pace while maintaining BBC editorial standards.

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

• Proven ability to produce content across multiple digital platforms including a news website, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Reels and Facebook, TV and radio with an understanding of the editorial and production requirements of each.
• Strong digital writing skills, including the ability to produce clear, accurate, well-structured articles in Swahili that are engaging for online readers and appropriately optimised for search.
• Experience of producing and presenting short-form video content for social media platforms, including vertical formats for TikTok and Instagram Reels, with a clear understanding of what makes short video content hold attention and drive shares.
• Practical experience of self-shooting video using mobile or camera equipment, with the ability to apply sound visual judgement in a range of settings including studio, location, interview and news-gathering environments.
• Confidence presenting to camera, with the ability to deliver scripts, interviews and two-ways clearly and naturally for both broadcast and streaming audiences.
• Experience of producing content for radio, including writing scripts for the ear, voicing packages and conducting interviews for broadcast.
• Solid experience of sourcing, verifying and reporting news accurately and impartially under deadline pressure, including the ability to apply verification techniques to social media content and user-generated material.
• Fluency in written and spoken Swahili and English, with the ability to write, sub-edit and present in both languages to a high professional standard