Senior Broadcast Journalist (Digital) at BBC World Service

The BBC, is the leading international broadcaster in Africa reaching a weekly audience of more than 100 million on Radio, TV, Digital (language sites and bbcafrica.com), Mobile and Social Media. We broadcast to Africa in English, Hausa, Somali, French, Kinyarwanda/Kirundi, Kiswahili & Arabic. We are committed to broadcasting to and from the continent in a style that meets the demands of our growing audience and as well as our language services, our presence in the region is also defined by our bureaux, special correspondents and bilingual reporters.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Senior Broadcast Journalist (Digital)

Job Reference: BBC/TP/788768/22144
Location: Lagos
Contract Type: Permanent - Full Time
Job Category: Journalism
Business Unit: News: W2020
Department: BBC Africa (Lagos Hub)
Reports to: Digital Editor (London)
Contract: Continuing

Context

• Here the vision is simple - Lead a new ambitious African digital innovation team of multitalented journalists and content creators in Lagos
• 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 Lagos with the ambition to develop digital journalism in Africa.
• You’ll be expected to lead and inspire the new multi-disciplinary digital team in Lagos made up of news journalists, designers, software developers and social media specialists. This team will be working with journalists working across 12 African language services (English, Amharic , Tigrinya, Afan Afaan Oromo, Swahili, Somali, French, Great Lakes , Pidgin, Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa) to create content new forms of digital storytelling and journalism that reaches 111 million people in Africa with particular focus on underserved audiences – such as young and female

About the Team

• BBC Africa Innovation Hub is a production and development team responsible for creating high impact visual journalism. We’re building an agile, dynamic team to be at the forefront of crafting innovating ways of telling stories digitally for the African mobile audience.
• The team works with the newly formed television genres programmes, newsgathering, investigations team and language digital services to create data- driven stories, visual storytelling and pilot content that address the data challenges audiences are facing.
• This team has the remit to explore new innovative use of technologies, with an emphasis on social, mobile and youth audiences.
• The BBC Africa Innovation Hub aims to generate digital content that meets the BBC high editorial standards and showcase the continent’s best visual journalism.

About the Role

• You’ll be leading a team of visual journalists (developers, designers, journalists, visual artists, interactive journalists and women’s affairs journalists based in Lagos).
• You’re a visionary leader in the field of digital media and looking for a new challenge. We’re looking for an individual who has experience in working with multidisciplinary teams to build digital content and products. It’s highly desirable you come from a journalism background and can demonstrate your interest in journalism and storytelling.

Main Duties

• To work with the digital editor to fully scope the editorial portfolio for the team
• To be the on ground team lead working to briefs from the Digital Editor with the mandate to inspire and ensure the team is meeting our editorial standards
• To pitch in and contribute and create digital content
• You will be receiving and approving with the Digital Editor digital, commissions from daily news teams, planning ,TV, deployments editors Working with the Digital Editor you will be receiving and approving commissions from daily news teams, planning, TV, deployments and editors
• To work in partnership with editorial colleagues to deliver outstanding, distinctive, multi-platform, interactive and social media content by providing the ways to realiserealise editorial ambitions within operational constraints.
• To manage innovation and change, and to drive continuous improvement throughout production.
• Where necessary you will need to; to recruit, train and ddevelop staff new to the platform and ensuring a constant flow of new talent and ideas.
• Work with the Digital Editor to pilot a series of innovative digital content ideas leading to a long-term impact on the content and services we offer to audiences
• Accountable for ensuring all necessary rights are acquired for the complete delivery
• You’ll be expected to represent the team at key editorial meetings
• Responsible for scheduling content in production
• To promote greater understanding of digital production processes and workflows across beyond the BBC Africa Innovation Hub
• Eexplain digital content concepts and ideas to content makers in BBC Africa
• Ppromote and demonstrate collaborations and partnerships inside and outside the BBC, particularly looking at Universities and Technology hubs across Africa.

Necessary Skills:

• Clear evidence of experience of telling storytelling on digital platforms
• Strong digital skills, an excellent understanding of the social media environment,
• Proven track record of innovation with the ability to lead teams and deliver to deadline
• To commission digital content and give clear instructions to members of the team as well as producers and reporters.
• Experience of converting teams and organizations to embrace and implement new digital work practices
• Proven editorial judgment and flair, able to make sound decisions quickly.
• Demonstrable knowledge of digital platforms and the different ways African audience consume news
• In depth understanding of digital analytics and how they can be used to improve output and drive change.
• Ability to work well with other producers, reporters and teams.
• Wide range of contacts from across the Africa digital
• Knowledge of Health and Safety policies and practices.

Competencies

• Decision Making - Is ready and able to take the initiative, originate action and be responsible for the consequences of the decisions made.
• Imagination / Creative Thinking - Translates news and current affairs into high quality programming through a detailed understanding of the requirements of the broadcast media and possession of the necessary writing, directing and reporting skills.
• Planning and organising - Is able to think ahead in order to establish an efficient and appropriate course of action for self and others. Prioritises and plans activities taking into account all the relevant issues and factors such as deadlines, staffing and resources requirements.
• Resilience - Can maintain personal effectiveness by managing emotions in the face of pressure, setbacks or when dealing with provocative situations. Can demonstrate an approach to work that is characterised by commitment, motivation and energy.
• Influencing and persuading - Ability to present sound and well reasoned arguments to convince others. Can draw from a range of strategies to persuade people in a way that results in agreement or behaviour change.

Managing relationships and team working:

• Able to build and maintain effective working relationships with a range of people. Works cooperatively with others to be part of a team, as opposed to working separately or competitively.

Editorial Judgement:

• Makes the right editorial and policy decisions based upon a clear understanding of the BBC’s distinctive news agenda, the requirements of news and current affairs coverage as well as those of the programme departments.

Application Closing Date
3rd July, 2017.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online