Senior Journalist, Focus on Africa

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

Focus on Africa is BBC’s flagship news and current affairs programme for our audiences in Africa and those interested in African stories across the world. The programme, across TV, radio and digital platforms, aims to provide a comprehensive view of the diverse experiences, cultures, and challenges facing African nations and their people. This includes engaging stories on politics, economics, environment, health, and social issues, along with highlighting achievements and innovations within Africa.

Focus on Africa aims to bridge the gap between African societies and global audiences, offering a platform for voices that often go unheard. The programme seeks to foster understanding, promote dialogue, and celebrate the richness of African life by presenting high-quality journalism that motivates, educates, and informs viewers.

WHY JOIN THE TEAM

We are looking for a highly successful Senior Journalist to supervise the production and outputting of the Focus on Africa Podcast programme as well as its digital livestreams and assets and, whenever necessary, do the TV output. The Senior Journalist will lead a talented team to produce engaging and informative content that resonates with our global audience while reflecting the rich diversity and complexities of African stories. You will be an experienced journalist with a proven track record of handling breaking news and rolling coverage, and a strong understanding of audience needs.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT:

Lead and oversee the planning, development, and production of engaging segments and features for Focus on Africa, ensuring that content is relevant, accurate, and visually compelling.

Collaborate with journalists, researchers, and contributors to identify and produce dynamic stories that reflect the experiences and concerns of African audiences.

Mentor and guide staff, providing feedback and professional development opportunities to build a high-performing production team.

Be responsible for the output of the daily episode ensuring that all content adheres to BBC’s editorial standards and guidelines regarding accuracy, fairness, and impartiality.

Review and approve scripts and video packages before broadcast, ensuring alignment with the overall editorial strategy.

Oversee the digital presence of Focus on Africa, including podcast and social media platforms and audience engagement initiatives, and utilize audience insights and market research to tailor content that maximizes viewer engagement and reach. Identify new opportunities for digital expansion, utilizing analytics and audience feedback to inform strategy.

Coordinate with other BBC departments and international bureaus to source stories, enhance coverage, and collaborate on cross-platform features.

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

Strong track record in producing or commissioning in-depth and original stories.

Solid track record of outputting Audio Visual Podcast, current affairs programmes as well as digital and streaming offers whenever necessary.

Demonstrable experience producing digital content including a podcast that has been impactful and reached new audiences on digital platforms and knowledge of social media best practice.

Strong experience of coping brilliantly in a breaking news environment with a deep understanding of Africa and the world. An understanding of sport, entertainment and wider cultural life is essential.

Proven ability to lead and manage collaborative editorial teams working to deliver TV, Podcast and Digital content. Ability to manage less experienced members of the team and demonstrate strong delegation skills.

A wealth of expertise in overseeing and subbing text in English, and editing video.

Strong working knowledge of data and visual journalism.

Excellent spoken communication skills in English, including clarity, articulation, and the ability to convey complex ideas simply. Ability to write creatively in English in an engaging manner as well as the ability to adapt material with accuracy, clarity and a style appropriate to differing audiences and forms of media

DESIRABLE:

Experience of filming would be an advantage.

Minimum qualifications

BA/BSc/HND

How to apply

Interested and qualified? Go to BBC World Service on careers.bbc.co.uk to apply

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