Researcher - Sport at BBC

Job Reference:  BBC/TP/590124/24315
Contract Type: Permanent - Full Time
Job Category: Journalism
Business Unit: News - W2020
Report to: Editorial Sports Editor, Africa
Contract: Continuing

The Job

• To monitor online, TV, radio, newspapers and social media across Africa sports, and produce tip-offs, news updates, media reviews and background information.
• To maintain an up-to-date database of personalities, organisations and source information from the target area, using the best technology for gathering and organising information.
• To feed into the sports agenda for the day, identifying new ways to deliver content relevant to all Africa sport users.
• To collaborate with other sports journalists on creating engaging and innovative products.
• To come up with new and creative ways of telling stories and think of the best ways to integrate video, images, graphics and data into Africa sports products in order to have a powerful visual impact.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

• Produce timely tip-offs, media reviews, basic sports updates and background information based on the monitoring of vernacular sources from the target area
• Maintain a database of personalities, organisations and source information from the target area
• Undertake administrative tasks as required
• Play a role in the planning and strategic development of research as appropriate
• Contribute story ideas and new angles on emerging narratives and long-running stories, including from a data perspective
• Actively seek feedback from Africa Sport users on our research offering; work with the Senior Digital Journalist/Editorial Lead and the rest of the team to interpret this and respond in a timely manner
• Ensure all output produced adheres to the highest journalistic standards and is consistent with BBC editorial guidelines.

Knowledge, Skills, Training and Experience
Essential:

• An excellent level of spoken and written English and another African language is preferable.
• Experience of carrying out tasks where attention to detail is particularly important
• Ability to communicate effectively and to present complex information and ideas clearly and concisely
• Sports judgment and the ability to spot a story
• An interest in African sport
• Willingness and enthusiasm to embrace new ways of working and new technology to find and analyse information and produce content and an ability to share/communicate what you know, or have learnt, to others in the team.
• Ability to understand and identify the needs of sports users.

Desirable:

• Understanding sport user groups and target markets
• Expertise in the collection, processing, analysis and visualisation of data (possibly including basic programming skills)
• Experience as a journalist
• Content creation, video shooting/editing skills or broadcast experience
• A thorough knowledge of all the requirements of the BBC’s editorial policy

Competencies
The following competencies (behaviours and characteristics) have been identified as key to success in the job. Successful candidates are expected to demonstrate these competencies:

• Editorial Judgment - Demonstrates balanced and objective judgment based on a thorough understanding of BBC editorial guidelines, target audience, team and department objectives. Makes the right editorial decisions under pressure, taking account of conflicting views where necessary.
• Planning and organization - Able to think ahead in order to establish an efficient and appropriate course of action for self and others. Prioritizes and plans activities taking into
• account all the relevant issues and factors such as deadlines, staffing and resources and team priorities. Juggles priorities under pressure.
• Collaborative working - Works in partnership and actively collaborates with colleagues in the team. Recognizes shared objectives and priorities, and works co-operatively to achieve them, putting them before personal preferences and objectives. Works co-operatively with others in physical and virtual teams, as opposed to working separately or competitively.
• Creative Thinking - Able to transform creative ideas into practical reality. Can look at existing situations and problems in novel ways and come up with creative solutions.
• Communication - Able to get one’s message understood clearly by adopting a range of styles, tools and techniques appropriate to the audience and the nature of the information.
• Resilience - Manages personal effectiveness by managing emotions in the face of pressure, set backs or when dealing with provocative situations.
• Demonstrates an approach to work that is characterized by commitment, motivation and energy. Is willing to accept and act on feedback.
• Flexibility - Adapts and works effectively with a variety of situations, individuals or groups.
• Able to understand and appreciate different and opposing perspectives on an issue, to adapt an approach as the requirements of a situation change, and to change or easily accept changes in one’s own organization or job requirements. Recognizes that change and uncertainty is the norm.

Job Impact

• Decision making
• A Researcher is expected to gather information and updates, as well as selecting stories and sources which provide unique insights to sport users (under the guidance of a senior Journalist / Editorial Lead); legal issues, such as libel, and other issues of balance, accuracy and tone should be referred up to the senior Journalist / Editorial Lead.
• A Researcher is expected to maintain a database of relevant personalities, organisations and events in the target area.
• To effectively carry out this role, a Researcher must engage virtually with colleagues in Africa Sport, and the wider BBC, via email, telephone or video-conference. There may be need to travel to the UK or in the region.
• A Researcher needs to be proactive and constantly coming up with creative ideas to best tell the stories from the region, particularly with a focus on data-driven journalism; ultimate decision-making about the content and format of the output sits with the Senior Journalist.
• The work of the Researcher will be reviewed by senior Journalist / Editorial Lead or as delegated.

Salary

• Local terms and conditions.

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