Senior Multimedia Journalist at BBC

Job Reference: BBC/TP/656733/23915
Department: BBC Africa
Contract Type: Permanent - Full Time
Reports to: Senior Partnerships & Production Manager
Contract: Continuing

The Job Summary

• We are looking for a talented Senior Multimedia Broadcast Journalists to work in a new Africa Co-Production Unit and launch news video and TV products for Nigerian audiences and wider African audiences.
• The successful candidate will need to have excellent knowledge of news in Nigeria, Africa, global news and an understanding of what audiences are looking for in digital and social media news coverage.
• They will have significant editorial responsibility and will be expected to plan, drive the creative vision and output the weekly TV show and digital content.
• They must demonstrate strong editorial judgement and solid journalistic skills.
• They will be able to write creatively, accurately and succinctly, and understand how to find and generate original and engaging news stories that can work across all platforms.
• You will be adept at planning and producing video and TV packages, desk top editing, producing graphics, and arranging for guests to appear on our output.
• The job will require ambition, imagination and a large degree of initiative with the high editorial, journalism and production values expected by the BBC.

Main Duties

• To compile and output innovative news programmes and content offering new perspectives and deeper exploration to news stories, interviews, profiles and digital content.
• To be creative and influential in developing BBC’s Africa and Channel’s TV News agenda and set an example for the producers to follow and to formulate ideas which will inspire audiences.
• To plan, structure, write and produce content for use on TV, Digital and Radio and to develop treatments of the highest quality and with journalism at the heart.
• To oversee and comply content and ensure it meets BBC and Channel’s TV guidelines and legal requirements.
• To deputise for the Co-Production Editor and line manage some member of the team, train and develop the staff.
• To forge working relationships with BBC News, other News departments within the BBC including all BBC Africa Services and Channels TV news teams.
• To manage production budgets effectively.
• To prepare edited material either working in a self-op environment or with a craft editor to produce inserts and packages for the various outlets such as News TV features, News bulletins, Online or social.
• To generate ideas and material that can work across all platforms in order to maximise impact and efficiencies. To help increase the co-operation between teams and ensure more collaborative future planning.
• To find and brief contributors for live and edited stories and in some cases interview them for broadcast.
• Produce a reporter or presenter on location.
• A full command of written and spoken English.
• To watch or listen to news footage and log accurately what is important or useful, in order to tell a story through edited highlights.
• To develop original ideas for digital content.
• To be responsible for ensuring safe working practices and the observance of BBC’s Health and Safety Regulations.

Skills and Experience

• Exceptional knowledge of news, in particular news that appeals to a Nigerian audience and excellent news contacts.
• Proven skills in creating TV news programmes or visual news content to highest standards.
• Strong digital understanding and awareness.
• Good team working skills both as a team leader and a team player.
• Proven editorial judgement and the ability to make decisions under tight deadlines
• Creativity and ideas generation.
• Well-developed organisational skills and the ability to maintain a high standard of performance whilst under pressure.
• An awareness of the latest broadcast technology.
• An awareness of budget issues and delivering value for money.
• Knowledge of the African media market and the changing needs of the audience.
• Experience of making sound judgements on matters of editorial sensitivity.
• Knowledge and practical experience of weekly and/or daily journalism.
• Well-developed communication skills.
• Outstanding written and spoken English. Written and spoken Pidgin or Hausa is desirable.
• Strive for diversity of contributors, in terms of gender, ethnicity, disability and age.
• Appreciate and demonstrate the BBC Values.
• Resilience, determination, ambition, energy and enthusiasm.

Competencies

• Editorial Judgement - Makes the right editorial and policy decisions based upon a clear understanding of the BBC’s Producer guidelines and Editorial Policy.
• Subject Knowledge - Demonstrates a good knowledge of mainstream news. Develops increasingly useful contacts and sources.
• Decision Making - Is ready and able to take initiative, and make decisions to tight deadlines.
• Planning and Organising - Is able to think ahead in order to establish an effective 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.
• Analytical Thinking - Able to simplify complex problems, process projects into component parts, explore and evaluate them systematically.
• Imagination and Creative Thinking - Translates news stories and events into high quality content through a detailed understanding of the requirements of the broadcast media and possession of the necessary writing, directing and reporting skills.
• Resilience - Can maintain personal effectiveness by managing own 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.
• Communication -The ability 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.
• Influencing and Persuasion - 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. Highly effective team player; works for the benefit of the whole team.
• Understanding Diversity - Understands and appreciates the uniqueness of self and others. Demonstrates, and is committed to improving, understanding of why people react in particular ways. Understanding diversity in its widest sense. Demonstrates a commitment to improving diversity in the BBC. Takes a balanced approach to discussing and taking action on diversity issues. Articulates how individual differences can benefit the BBC.