Senior Journalist, Regional Journalism (Planning) at BBC World Service

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

• The Planning team plays a central role within Africa regional journalism. The team plays a vital role in directing editorial priorities, commissioning and content across Africa and World Service Languages. Working across teams, regions and platforms, we provide the editorial coordination that helps ensure strong, distinctive journalism is identified early, planned effectively and shared as widely as possible.
• We are the key link between the production hubs, World Service language teams and English-language output, communicating forward plans, identifying opportunities for collaboration and promoting content with the potential to travel across audiences and platforms. The team helps bring greater visibility and coherence to Africa regional journalism, enabling teams to work together effectively and maximise the reach and impact of our best stories.

WHY JOIN THE TEAM

• We are looking for an experienced Senior Journalist to join the Africa regional service planning team, helping to connect teams, content and editorial priorities across languages and platforms.
• The role requires strong editorial judgement to anticipate the news agenda, coordinate forward plans and identify opportunities for original journalism and collaboration. Working with teams across African languages,  World Service and wider BBC output, the Senior Journalist will help ensure our strongest journalism is visible, shared and reaches the widest possible audience.
• The postholder will deputise for the Assistant Editor as required.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT:

• Working on key documents that will be shared amongst BBC staff communicating content and the news agenda
• Responsible for originating and producing stories which may include scripting and editing content across a range of BBC output
• Allocate work to a team and check progress; ensure the professional contribution of the team and quality of output
• Working on digital content 
• Delivering to tight deadlines
• Commission and select relevant materials ensuring they meet the BBC’s editorial standards

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

• Ability to manage resources, staff, technical facilities and budgets.
• Thorough knowledge of African current affairs and audience needs
• Extensive experience in producing and creating digital content.  An 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
• Experience of working in planning or having worked on big projects and delivering to deadlines
• An ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with teams in African countries
• Experience in producing content for underserved and younger audiences
• Experience in the use of digital analytics to maximise the impact of our videos and drive change when needed.  Demonstrable knowledge of digital platforms and the different ways audiences are consuming news
• Sound understanding of the BBC’s editorial guidelines, along with a commitment to the editorial aims of BBC News