Senior Broadcast Journalist (Social Media) at BBC

Job Reference: BBC/TP/788768/22151
Job Category: Journalism
Reports to: Editor BBC Igbo
Department: Igbo

Context

• 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.
• At the BBC, we believe our mission is to inform, educate and connect the audiences from Africa to the rest of the world. BBC Igbo digital service aims to deliver our journalism in a lively and engaging fashion, with a focus on interactivity and the promotion of content on social media and across all platforms.
• As one of our senior social media journalists you’ll have a crucial role in leading our engagement with the audience. By joining BBC Igbo, you’ll be a part of the new team including Pidgin and Yoruba, will serve our audiences in Nigeria and West Africa.
• They will be based in Lagos, working alongside our operation in Abuja from where the BBC currently produces its Hausa service output. There is a strong emphasis on reaching and connecting with young audiences.

Role Responsibility

• You must have demonstrable experience of working on social media platforms, along with excellent editorial experience and strong writing skills. You will lead the day-to-day running of the BBC Yoruba social media platforms.
• The successful candidate will be helping to grow our audience reach and engagement, as well as referrals to our content across all platforms.
• You will report line to the BBC Igbo Editor. You will provide best practice guidance for the team’s social media activity, using feedback from performance data to drive success.
• The Senior Social Media Journalist’s task is to use social media effectively to spot the news as it breaks, curate and cultivate user generated content, identify viral content, develop and manage onsite communities and offsite social presences, with the aim of maximising reach and awareness.
• You will ensure that the social offer is engaging, coherent, upholds BBC News’s editorial values and further establishes BBC Igbo as a ground breaking interactive site especially amongst young audiences.

Role Responsibilities

• To lead and develop a fresh and innovative creative approach to curating, publishing and editing stories for BBC Igbo social media platforms.
• To create content for social- videos, online, gifs, pictures, Facebook lives , instagram Stories, etc
• To manage the interactive offer across all social media platforms.
• To be up to date with the new trends on social media and react accordingly.
• Test and provide feedback on new social tools. Provide training where necessary.
• You’ll be working with colleagues in the regional service but you’ll also be expected to produce stories that have global and pan African appeal
• Ensure all content published and commissioned adheres to BBC's Editorial Guidelines and commitment to the editorial aims of BBC News.
• You’ll be expected to represent your service and can be called on to share regional knowledge across BBC outlets, including on air
• Contribute to regular service audits with colleagues and stakeholders to review core output

The Ideal Candidate

• You will have a successful record of working in an online production environment with demonstrable experience and enthusiasm for social media and interactivity, an excellent knowledge of developments in social media and related areas.
• You’ll have an eye for a good story, the ability to tell digital stories in Igbo and English and have video editing skills. It would advantageous if your language skills extended to Yoruba, Hausa or Pidgin.
• You must have strong editorial judgment and a solid understanding of journalistic ethics and libel laws.
• You will have the ability to create new form/short form content from the development of an idea through to editing and publishing and have experience producing content specifically for social platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
• You must have a self-learner approach to new technologies and an understanding of their potential is essential.

Key Skills/Experience Required

• Excellent written and spoken Igbo language skills
• Enthusiasm and curiosity for and an in-depth understanding of digital and social media, above all with regard to global journalism.
• Experience of creating high quality copy and create assets (images, gifs, video) that can be used across social media channels in accordance with channel priorities.
• An understanding of the broader digital landscape in Africa and a proven interest in keeping up to date with developments in social media.
• Proven record of using social media effectively to engage audiences
• Good knowledge of Facebook and Instagram, particularly around posting formats and best practice, engagement and technical issues.
• Evidence of sound editorial and community judgement as well as an understanding of the power of online communities.
• Strong editorial judgment and a solid understanding of journalistic ethics and libel laws.
• Experience of working on youth content
• Good knowledge of social media optimization, analytics and newsgathering tools used by the BBC
• The ability to plan and organise time and resources effectively and to manage projects to conclusion according to deadlines.

Competencies
Editorial Judgment:

• 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.

Decision Making:

• Is ready and able to take the initiative, originate action and take responsibility for the
• outcomes 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 organizing:

• Is 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 requirements.

Resilience:

• Can maintain personal effectiveness by managing emotions in the face of setbacks or when dealing with provocative situations.
• Can demonstrate an approach to work that is characterised by professionalism, 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 behavior change.

Managing relationships and team working:

• Able to build and maintain effective working relationships with a range of people.
• Works co-operatively with others to be part of a team.