Jobs at BBC

• BBC World Service is evolving its editorial team in Lagos while future-proofing its journalism to meet changing media consumption habits across sub-Saharan Africa.
• BBC News Igbo is one of the most trusted international news providers for audiences across West Africa and a highly engaged global diaspora.
• With a strong editorial heritage, the service is entering an exciting new phase: transforming into a video-led operation designed to reach a new generation of Igbo audiences who primarily consume news via smartphones and social media.
• BBC News Igbo is changing into a story-led model built around two complementary editorial streams: On the Day and On Demand.

Why Join The Team?

• The Journalist is the core production resource of both streams. Whether working a morning, afternoon or night shift within On the Day, or contributing to planned video and podcast production within On Demand, the Journalist is expected to move fluently between platforms, formats and roles (such as writing a web article, filming a clip, voicing a radio package and publishing a social post), often on the same story, within the same shift.
• This transformation demands journalists who are not simply willing to work across platforms, but who think across platforms instinctively.
• That means asking, before production begins, how a story will serve audiences on the website, on Instagram, on TikTok and on radio or TV, and making deliberate choices about format, length and angle for each.

Responsibilities

• Create and publish accurate, engaging and SEO-friendly news content for the BBC Igbo website, ensuring timely updates and high editorial standards.
• Produce, present, shoot and edit short-form video content for platforms including TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, using strong storytelling and visual production skills.
• Develop compelling social media content that drives audience engagement, expands reach and supports content discovery across digital platforms.
• Respond quickly to breaking news, maintaining a consistent flow of content across the website and social channels throughout the day.
• Use audience analytics and performance insights to inform content decisions and continuously improve digital output.
• Contribute to BBC Igbo’s visualised radio programming, presenting confidently on air and on screen for both broadcast and streaming audiences.
• Repurpose live radio and interview content into engaging digital clips, maximising audience reach across social media and the BBC Igbo website.

Requirements

• Proven experience creating engaging content across digital, social, radio and video platforms, with a strong understanding of audience needs and platform best practice.
• Excellent writing, reading, editing and storytelling skills in Igbo, with the ability to produce accurate, engaging and SEO-aware content to tight deadlines.
• Strong video production skills, including presenting, self-shooting and editing content for platforms such as YouTube, TikTok,
• Instagram Reels and Facebook – added advantage.
• Confident using audience analytics, headlines, thumbnails and metadata to optimise content performance, discoverability and engagement.
• Experience sourcing, verifying and reporting news accurately and impartially, including handling breaking news and user-generated content.
• Strong broadcast skills, including radio production, interviewing and presenting for live, on-demand and visualised programme formats.
• Fluent in Igbo and English, with a good understanding of the political, social and cultural landscape of Nigeria and wider West Africa, and the needs of Igbo-speaking audiences.

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Purpose of the Role

• As Senior Journalist, you will lead editorial decision-making on shift, working closely with the Senior Journalist Team Manager and Assistant Editor to drive commissioning, coordinate output and maintain high standards across digital and radio platforms.
• You will champion a digital-first approach, leading journalists and presenters in a fast-paced news environment.
• The role also oversees the delivery of video-first podcasts and livestream content, helping grow audiences through compelling storytelling, innovative formats and real-time coverage of major news events.
• The Senior Journalist role is also central to the production of visualised podcasts designed to attract young and female audiences who increasingly consume news through video and on-demand platforms.
• The podcast is a video-first editorial product, built from the ground up with a distinct visual identity, presenter format and editorial voice, published five times per week.
• Alongside the podcast, the Senior Journalist role will lead BBC Pidgin's livestreaming capability and other social platforms, covering major news events live and building the audience habits that make the service a destination for breaking and developing stories in real time.

Your Key Responsibilities and Impact

• Drive a digital first newsroom approach, ensuring every story is planned and produced for publication across digital, radio and video platforms from the outset.
• Oversee the production of short form video content for TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, turning daily news stories into high performing digital assets.
• Drive continuous publishing across BBC Pidgin's website and social channels, commissioning and editing compelling news, video and audience focused content that grows engagement.
• Lead the development and production of BBC Pidgin’s visualised podcast, delivering engaging content on trending issues and topics that matter to younger audiences.
• Use audience insights and performance analytics to shape editorial decisions, optimise content and identify opportunities for growth across platforms.
• Manage BBC Pidgin's live and visualised radio output, ensuring high editorial and technical standards while maximising opportunities for digital distribution and streaming.
• Coach and develop journalists in cross platform storytelling, digital production and video journalism, while fostering collaboration across teams to deliver innovative content.

Your Skills and Experience
Essential Criteria:

• Proven experience leading digital first news operations, with a strong understanding of audience engagement, content performance and growth across digital platforms.
• Full fluency in written and spoken Pidgin and English
• Expertise in commissioning, editing and publishing content across multiple platforms, including news websites, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and other social channels.
• Strong knowledge of audience analytics and the ability to use data and insights to make real time editorial and commissioning decisions.
• Excellent news judgement and the ability to identify stories with strong digital potential, shaping them into engaging formats such as explainers, live blogs, Q&As and short form video.
• Experience producing or overseeing visualised broadcast content, with a clear understanding of how to create compelling experiences for both audio and on-screen audiences.
• Strong leadership and people management skills, with the ability to motivate, coach and develop teams while maintaining high standards in fast paced and high-pressure environments.
• Outstanding writing, scripting and editing skills in Pidgin and English, combined with excellent communication, planning and stakeholder management abilities.