Visual Data Journalist - Interactive & Graphics Specialist (6 Month FTC)

The Sun is the biggest news brand in the UK, publishing hundreds of stories a day and reaching over 170m unique users digitally every month. Its exclusives set the news agenda and its campaigns have changed the lives of many. Delivering news, entertainment, and sports coverage to millions of readers every day. With a rich history spanning decades, we are dedicated to providing accurate, insightful, and engaging content across print and digital platforms.

Your role: We are seeking an expert

Data Journalist to join us on a 6-month fixed term contract to drive high-impact visual journalism across our online platforms. In this role, you will combine sharp news judgment with advanced coding skills to build custom, dynamic interactives, ranging from fast-turnaround daily quizzes to major, map-led visual features that top the site. You will act as a bridge between the newsdesk and technical teams, taking total ownership of projects from raw data analysis to front-end execution.

Day to day you will

• Pitch, design, code, and deploy standalone digital features, dynamic quizzes, searchable databases, and complex geospatial/map-based graphics.

• Work side-by-side with senior editors and section heads to identify daily reporting that can be elevated into lead visual packages.

• Analyse complex datasets to extract bold, audience-focused leads and hook-driven headlines optimised for online engagement.

• Partner with the Core Tech team to design scalable data models and maintain efficient pipelines for live data feeds.

• Independently pitch data-driven stories, track breaking trends, and turn around rapid-response visual assets under tight deadlines.

What we're looking for from you

• Front-End Development: Fluent in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and modern visualisation frameworks (such as D3.js, Svelte, React, or Leaflet/Mapbox).

• Data Wrangling: Expert knowledge of Python or R for scraping, cleaning, structuring, and analyzing large datasets.

• News Judgment: Proven track record in a fast-paced newsroom environment, with a knack for translating complicated data into clear, compelling, tabloid-style digital narratives.

• UX/UI Design: Solid understanding of responsive design, accessibility standards, and mobile-first user experience.

• Database Management: Experience querying SQL or working with REST APIs to drive dynamic graphic components.

How to Apply

Please submit your resume alongside a portfolio or GitHub link featuring recent interactive work and data projects.

News UK is one of the leading media businesses in the UK and Ireland. Our newsbrands include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun, The Sun on Sunday and The TLS. Our national broadcast brands include talkSPORT, Times Radio and Virgin Radio UK, and we have market-leading local stations across Ireland. Our world-famous brands provide news, analysis, opinion and entertainment to almost 40 million people each month. Spanning print and pixel, audio and video, events and experiences, our multi-format brands are home to a plurality of opinion, representing the diverse communities we serve. Driven by passion, guided by principles and acting with purpose, we exist to promote a fair society, freedom of speech and a little bit of fun. Rethinking continually the business of storytelling, we represent, reflect and reach the nation, telling the stories that matter.

Life at News

Driven by passion, guided by principles and acting with purpose. We represent, reflect and reach the nation, telling the stories that matter. We inform our audiences so that they can make decisions based on trusted information.

We represent, reflect and reach the nation, telling the stories that matter most. To ensure these stories resonate with as broad an audience as possible, it is essential that our organisation reflects the diversity of the people we reach. Whether through age, gender, ethnicity, disability, social class or sexuality, we are committed to representing the rich variety of voices that make up our society. And we champion a culture where everyone has the opportunity to contribute and thrive as we continue to innovate and drive long term sustainable growth. This is done through our Diversity Strategy.

At News UK, we take pride in our exceptional employee-led networks that bring together individuals with shared interests and create a vibrant sense of community. We believe our networks play a vital role in fostering a collaborative and supportive work culture at News UK. Groups that we support include the African & Caribbean Network, Parents and Carers, and LGBTQ+ group News Is Out, and the Apprentice Society.

Benefits

Some of our benefits include:

• Private medical insurance including coverage for pre-existing conditions

• Discounted gym memberships, free ClassPass at Home, weekly in person/ virtual exercise classes

• ‘Bikes for Work’ and ‘Electric Car’ scheme

• Up to 60% discount on Harper Collins books

• Maternity leave up to 18 weeks full basic salary & paternity leave up to 2 weeks

• Access to exclusive events and competitions with exciting brands such as talkSPORT, Virgin Radio UK & The Times. Weekly virtual panel chats with top journalists and celebrities

• Access to wellbeing benefits such as EAP, physio/massage and counselling

• A generous pension scheme with employer contributions of up to 5%

• Wide range of training available, plus full LinkedIn Learning access

• 30 days holiday, plus bank holidays

• Up to 3 paid volunteering days per year to support causes you care about

We are committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process. If you require reasonable adjustments due to a disability or health condition at any stage of your application or interview, please let us know. You can contact us at [email protected] to discuss how we can support you to perform at your best.