Senior Journalist, BBC Swahili Service at BBC World Service

Role Responsibility

We are looking for a Senior Digital Journalist, to be in charge of Swahili online, to shape digital editorial development and delivery across all our digital platforms and to help influence the growth of digital skills and approaches across BBC Swahili.

You will oversee the development of BBC Swahili digital in transforming the platform to offer original and distinctive journalism. You will curate the best visual storytelling stories for a diverse global Swahili audience.

As the senior member of the digital editorial team, you will help the service to build authentic connections between the BBC and its audience.

As the senior digital champion you will liaise between the service and the wider BBC and communicate the BBC digital vision and industry developments to the department.

You will be reporting to Editor, Swahili service and will be expected to cultivate relationships with the BBC Africa Planning teams and BBC News website teams to ensure that BBC Swahili Service digital content is effectively disseminated inside as well as outside the BBC.

Are you the right candidate?

You will be leading a digital team based in multiple locations across East Africa to optimize and develop sharable content. In order to do that you will need experience leading a team and to have accurate editing and writing skills in Kiswahili and also be able to reversion English text into Kiswahili .

We are looking for someone who has experience of originating and producing stories (creatively) which may include scripting, editing, outputting, filming and presenting content across a range of BBC output.

You will be skilled in using analytics tools to create authentic audience engagement with a passion for staying connected with the digital community.

In this highly visible role you’ll be contributing your digital vision for the service with various key stakeholders, previous experience of this is desirable.

Other requirements include:

• A high standard of editorial judgment, writing ability and editing/ subbing skills based on substantial broadcast journalism experience.
• Maximises opportunities offered by existing and emerging technologies to their fullest extent.
• Ability to work effectively as a member of more than one team. Resolving conflicts as necessary.
• Ability to manage resources, staff, technical facilities and budgets, in order to make challenging broadcasting in the most cost effective manner.
• Demonstrates a commitment to improving diversity in the BBC and understands how individual differences can benefit the BBC.
• Prioritises and plans activities taking into account all the relevant issues and factors such as deadlines, staffing and resources.
• Ability to write creatively in an engaging manner, adapt, produce and translate with accuracy, clarity and style appropriate to differing audiences and forms of media suitable for multimedia output.
• The flexibility and adaptability to sustain performance, particularly under pressure to meet deadlines and changing priorities and circumstances.
• An understanding of health and safety procedures and how they apply to broadcasting.