Job Opportunities at the BBC World Service

Job Reference: BBC/TP/653414/26520
Department: BBC Africa
Reports to: Business Editor, BBC Africa
Contract: Continuing
Grade: Local Terms and Conditions

The Job

• The post holder will be based in a new Africa Business Unit. S/he will have be responsible for creating and presenting expert, authoritative and entertaining Business coverage in Nigeria and the surrounding regions, reporting for multi-platform outlets, including TV, online, social media and radio.
• The Reporter will deliver content for a daily and a weekly Business TV show and will be expected to contribute innovative ideas, drive the creative vision and present the content. S/he will also plan and produce video and TV packages, desk top editing, produce graphics, and arrange for guests to appear on our output.

Main Duties

• To compile and present engaging content offering new perspectives and deeper exploration of Business stories, interviews, profiles and digital content.
• 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 pitch original stories with both TV and digital treatments, making sure that they work for online, social and TV platforms.
• To work closely with the BBC Africa teams in London, Dakar, Johannesburg and Nairobi. To have a good working relationship with Business departments within the BBC, all BBC Africa Services, external organisations and independent production companies.
• 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 Business TV features, News bulletins, Online or social.
• To find and brief contributors for live and edited stories and interview them for broadcast.
• To develop original ideas for digital content and create engaging blogs and vlogs for BBC online sites.
• To alert Editors to breaking news and be ready to file accurate, immediate on-the-spot reports.
• To adhere to Editorial Guidelines and BBC Industry Codes of Practice and be responsible for ensuring safe working practices and the observance of BBC’s Health and Safety Regulations.
• To strive for diversity of contributors, in terms of gender, ethnicity, disability and age.
• Appreciate and demonstrate the BBC Values.

Skills and Experience

• Exceptional knowledge of business, in particular business stories that appeal to an African audience and an understanding of what audiences are looking for in digital and social media business coverage.
• Excellent contacts within the business sector.
• Knowledge and practical experience of weekly and/or daily journalism.
• Authoritative microphone voice and ability to communicate effectively to listeners and viewers with experience of high quality on air reporting and presentation, particularly in video.
• Ability to write creatively, accurately and succinctly, and understand how to find and generate original and engaging business stories that can work across all platforms.
• Strong digital understanding an awareness of the latest broadcast technology and the ability to learn new skills.
• Experience of making sound judgements on matters of editorial sensitivity.
• Creativity and ideas generation with the ability to think originally and to contribute fully to the planning process.
• Well-developed organisational skills with the ability to remain calm while working to deadlines, apply sensible work priorities and pace throughout assignments.
• Good team working skills both as a team leader and a team player.
• An awareness of budget issues and delivering value for money.
• Resilience, determination, ambition, energy and enthusiasm.
• A full command of written and spoken English is essential. Knowledge of a Nigerian language would be desirable.

Desirable:

• Experience of using a camera to film professionally

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 business. 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 business 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

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Job Reference: BBC/TP/869092/25989
Job Code: AF 246
Department: BBC Africa TV
Contract: Continuing
Reports to: West Africa Deployment Editor
 
The Job

• The Broadcast Journalist will work within the BBC Africa Planning team in Abuja to assist the Deployment Editor to deliver the very best journalism to audiences in Hausa, English and other African Service languages.
• The post holder will work closely with planning teams in Dakar, Nairobi, London, Lagos and Johannesburg to ensure that stories are developed and shared.
• You will need to have excellent knowledge of News and Current Affairs in Africa, and an understanding of what Hausa-speaking audiences are looking for in multiplatform coverage as well as a real nose for original, creative journalism.
• You will be expected to script, write, make packages and translate.

Main Duties

• To suggest and develop original ideas and treatments for stories relevant to English- and Hausa-speaking audiences.
• To produce accurate, informed and interesting content, and to achieve high impact journalism across all platforms.
• To ensure the commissioning of new innovative digital content which is shareable across African languages and the rest of the BBC World Service.
• To write content for TV, online and digital platforms using a Content Management System.
• To brief and provide information to reporters, producers and editorial teams on stories, contributors and events.
• To plan for big news events and communicate plans to the wider BBC.
• To work with and to maintain clear and regular communication with the Planning Producers of the African services together with the Deployments Editors in Africa, the Planning Editor in London and BBC Newsgathering on coverage of stories and editorial themes for all of BBC News.
• After training, to be able to use a range of digital equipment and technology to research, write, assemble, edit and deliver programmes and content.
• To ensure that BBC Editorial values and guidelines and all relevant legal and copyright requirements are met, asking for the support of managers in cases of difficulty or doubt.
• To maintain professional journalistic standards of accuracy, impartiality and fair dealing and adhering to the BBC’s editorial guidelines.
• All journalists may be required to work with or move to other programme teams on a multi-media basis and to have the ability to work across a range of skills.

Required Skills Abilities and Experience

• Outstanding fluency and up to date knowledge of spoken and written Hausa and English.
• Editorial judgement and organisational excellence.
• Experience of planning for broadcast news content and understanding what elements are required to produce fair and balanced output. Relevant experience as a journalist, both in originating material and editing the work of others.
• Innovative ideas and initiative to contribute to editorial strategies, planning and the development of the programme agenda.
• A good knowledge of what audiences want on TV and digital platforms within the market.
• A passion for African and international news and current affairs, as well as business, sport, social issues, history and arts/culture.
• Knowledge and understanding of digital platforms across Africa. A demonstrable interest in new media and how to exploit it for the BBC’s purposes.
• Great contacts with West Africa and Africa experts, officials and potential contributors in a variety of areas.
• To be able to use editing software to edit content. The ability to acquire technical skills and to operate technical equipment. Good keyboard/computer skills.
• The ability to work with team members across different sites and to advise and liaise with colleagues on stories.
• Understanding the cost of delivering stories and managing plans within budget.

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 Judgement - demonstrates balanced and objective judgement based on a thorough understanding of BBC editorial guidelines, target audience, programme and department objectives. Makes the right editorial decisions, taking account of conflicting views where necessary.
• Decision Making - is ready and able to take the initiative, originate action and be responsible for the consequences of the decision made.
• Imagination / Creative Thinking - is able to transform creative ideas/impulses into practical reality. Can look at existing situations and problems in novel ways and come up with creative solutions.
• Planning and Organisation - 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.
• Leadership - ability to create a vision and inspire others to realise it irrespective of circumstances.
• Resilience - can maintain personal effectiveness by managing own emotions in the face of pressure, set-backs 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.
• 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.
• Talent Management - is able to recognise potential (managerial, professional, artistic or otherwise) and is willing to foster the development of that potential. Creates a climate in which potential can be realised.
• Managing relationships - able to build and maintain effective working relationships with a range of people.
• Self Development - is able to identify and apply opportunities for learning and development.