Senior Producer at Thomson Reuters

Job Description

Business Unit: Reuters News

Senior Producer, East Africa

Role Summary

Reuters is looking for a talented editorial leader to manage our video operations in East Africa, based in our regional hub, Nairobi. Managing and producing regional Africa Daily content, our flagship Africa lifestyle service, is a significant part of the role. The successful candidate will have a proven track record of leading teams across multiple locations, including hostile environments. We want someone who is creative, with plenty of initiative, and is passionate about winning the big stories for a global client base that includes more than 1,100 broadcast and digital media outlets.

You will need to have a deep understanding of the East Africa region. Fluent English language skills are a must for this role. This is a leadership role which will be expected to drive the story forward on a daily basis and making a substantial contribution to the debate about how we cover our stories, what elements are needed and how they perform.

We want someone who is confident handling breaking news as well as pitching stories that go beyond the headlines and help explain to a global audience the political, socio-economic, generational, and cultural changes that are taking place in East Africa and why they matter.

A background in video newsgathering is a must, as is the ability to write clean copy under pressure of time. Video editing is also a core skill, and field experience is a definite advantage. Experience leading teams both in the field and on the desk is required. The ability to shoot video will also confer a clear advantage.

The video news industry is going through a period of significant change, largely driven by technology and the rapidly changing habits of news consumers. You will be very customer focused and an excellent communicator who is able to guide your teams to produce visually compelling content for Reuters’ clients in the growing digital sector as well as our existing broadcast news customers.

Key Relationships

The Senior Producer, East Africa will report to the Chief Producer, Africa

Works closely with regional senior producers, the Duty Editor, Output Editor and counterparts in text and pictures. All relationships are critical to success.

Major Responsibilities / Accountabilities

• Will lead the video operation across East Africa region
• Will ensure the East Africa region is aligned with Visuals strategy, specifically with a view to broadcast and digital video clients and multimedia.
• Will ensure our teams are positioned to deliver high-quality video at speed to all Reuters customers.
• Will work alongside colleagues from text and pictures to help create a truly unified newsgathering team.
• Ensure that multimedia working across the region becomes part of our bureaus’ day to day planning coordination and coverage.
  
  

Essential Skills & Experience Required

• Senior editorial experience in agency and/or broadcast television newsgathering and production
• Proven leadership skills and the ability to motivate local and remote teams

• Track record of working in a breaking news environment
• Experience of managing teams in hostile environments
• Strong video editing and script writing skills
• Ability to remain calm under pressure
• Strong planning and organisational skills

• Have a clear understanding of the news video needs of major broadcasters and digital clients
• Excellent communication skills and ability to build relationships quickly.
• Ability to drive speed and accuracy
• Uphold Reuters Trust principles of independence, integrity and freedom from bias
  
  

Desired Skills

• Experience of working in an international news organisation
• Basic camera skills to the level of being able to produce a simple edit of a news story or news conference
• Fluency or understanding of the regional language groups
  
  

Education/ Certifications

• Education to first degree level is essential
  
  

NB: To be considered for this opportunity please ensure that you submit BOTH a CV and Cover Letter. Your Cover Letter should be addressed to “Whom It May Concern” and should detail your motivations for applying to the role.

At Thomson Reuters, we believe what we do matters. We are passionate about our work, inspired by the impact it has on our business and our customers. As a team, we believe in winning as one - collaborating to reach shared goals, and developing through challenging and meaningful experiences. With more than 25,000 employees in more than 100 countries, we work flexibly across boundaries and realize innovations that help shape industries around the world. Making this happen is a dynamic, evolving process, and we count on each employee to be a catalyst in driving our performance - and their own.

As a global business, we rely on diversity of culture and thought to deliver on our goals. To ensure we can do that, we seek talented, qualified employees in all our operations around the world regardless of race, color, sex/gender, including pregnancy, gender identity and expression, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, citizen status, veteran status, or any other protected classification under applicable law. Thomson Reuters is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer providing a drug-free workplace.

We also make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs in accordance with applicable law.