Senior Journalist

JOB BAND: D
CONTRACT TYPE: Permanent - Full time
DEPARTMENT: BBC News
LOCATION: London - Hybrid (most days in office)

PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: £41,200 - £52,500 depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.

We're happy to discuss flexible working. If you'd like to, please indicate your preference in the application – though there's no obligation to do so now. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

As a senior journalist on the planning team, you will commission, edit and approve digital content – news stories, analysis, features and video – for forthcoming news events. You will help ensure the website’s needs are represented in joint commissions, and that our planned content engages all audiences and meets the exacting standards of the front page. You will also support the planning assistant editor in the smooth running of the operation, and in generating and executing coverage plans around major news events.

WHY JOIN THE TEAM

Based in the LBH newsroom, we are a small, busy and supportive team. As a senior journalist with the News website planning team, you will be working closely with correspondents and producers on high profile, agenda-setting news stories, to deliver their journalism for digital audiences. You will be expected to build relationships across the organisation and you will work on some of the BBC’s most impactful reporting. You will, on occasion, be expected to work flexibly to deadlines.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT

• Commission, edit, produce and sign-off planned news content
• Work closely with correspondents in the News Content teams to identify stories and angles that will engage digital audiences
• Conceive, commission, marshal and roll-out digital coverage plans for set-piece events - including major news occasions - that call on multiple teams
• Edit and produce a wide range of content at speed and to the exacting standards of the BBC News front page
• Generate ideas and brief writers for digital commissions to attract new and under-served audiences, including for the weekend

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

• Excellent editorial judgement with significant experience of commissioning and editing news in English in text on digital platforms
• A track record of covering the UK and international news agenda, working on a broad range of topics, at speed and to deadline
• Experience, with evidenced results, of the requirements, formats and tools needed to generate a digital plan for news events
• A thorough appreciation of mobile storytelling principles and how they inform the commissioning process
• Substantial experience of editing and subbing text, with attention to accuracy, context and tone
• Experience of making decisions under pressure while swiftly rolling out a digital coverage plan
• Demonstrable experience, with credible results, of using social media, search and audience data to improve digital storytelling, reach new audiences and broaden coverage

Disclaimer

This is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved.

Please note: If you were to be offered this role, the BBC will conduct Employment screening checks which include Reference checks; Eligibility to work checks; and if applicable to the role, Safeguarding and Adverse media/Social media checks. Any offer made is conditional on these checks being satisfactory.

For any general queries, please contact: [email protected]

Redeployment

The BBC is committed to redeploying employees seeking suitable alternative employment within the BBC and they will be given priority consideration ahead of other applicants. Priority consideration means for those employees seeking redeployment their application will be considered alongside anyone else at risk of redundancy, prior to any individuals being considered who are not at risk.