Data Journalist, Nairobi at BBC World Service
Job Description
PURPOSE OF THE ROLE
Join BBC News Africa and help bring the continent’s most
important stories to audiences around the world. In this role, you will create
engaging, data-driven journalism across digital, video and audio platforms,
producing accurate, impartial and impactful content. Working to tight
deadlines, you will use strong editorial judgment, innovative storytelling
techniques and audience insight to deliver breaking news, live coverage and
original reporting that reflects the diverse communities we serve.
YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT:
- Produce
compelling, data-driven journalism, including stories, live coverage,
visual storytelling and special projects for digital audiences.
- Research,
write, edit and publish content across digital, video and audio platforms,
ensuring the highest editorial and production standards.
- Exercise
strong editorial judgement to identify, develop and deliver accurate,
impartial and engaging news coverage.
- Create
and adapt content for different audiences and platforms, using innovative
formats and audience insight to maximise reach and impact.
- Collaborate
closely with colleagues across BBC News, sharing content, supporting
cross-team projects and promoting best practice.
- Lead
or contribute to major editorial projects and breaking news coverage,
managing priorities effectively and delivering to tight deadlines.
- Support
programme production and presentation activities, including live and
pre-recorded output, while maintaining compliance with BBC health and
safety policies and editorial guidelines.
YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:
- Strong
experience in journalism, with a track record of producing high-quality
digital, multimedia, data and visual journalism for diverse audiences.
- Excellent
research, data analysis and storytelling skills, with the ability to turn
complex information into engaging and accessible content.
- Sound
editorial judgement and a clear understanding of news values, audience
needs, and the BBC’s commitment to accurate, impartial journalism.
- Proficiency
in using a range of digital tools and technologies to gather, produce and
publish content across broadcast, digital and social platforms.
- Strong
communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to build
effective relationships and work successfully across teams and
departments.
- Excellent
planning and organisational skills, capable of managing multiple
priorities, responding to breaking news and consistently delivering to
tight deadlines.
- Adaptable
and resilient, with a commitment to inclusion and diversity, and an
understanding of health and safety responsibilities within a broadcasting
environment.
Assistant Editor, BBC Great Lakes at BBC World Service
Assistant Editor, BBC Great Lakes
PURPOSE OF THE ROLE
BBC Great Lakes (Gahuza) is a highly respected provider of
news and information in Kinyarwanda and Kirundi. This includes courageous journalism that
holds the power to account. It also offers engaging stories on politics,
economics, environment, health, and social issues, along with highlighting
achievements and innovations in Rwanda, Burundi, DR Congo and neighbouring
countries.
Writers Resources
WHY JOIN THE TEAM
- We are
recruiting an experienced Assistant Editor to lead our news team in
producing high-quality, accurate, and compelling news content that
reflects the diverse voices and issues of the Great Lakes region. The
Assistant Editor will play a crucial role in shaping the editorial
direction of our broadcasts and digital platforms, ensuring that our
reporting is timely, relevant, and impactful. The successful candidate
will ensure skills sets in their team support high editorial, production
and brand values.
- This
is a role for an editor who combines strong journalistic instincts
with genuine digital ambition; someone who can lead a team through a
significant transformation in how BBC Great Lakes reaches and serves its
audiences, while maintaining the editorial standards and audience trust
that make the service matter.
YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT:
- Lead
the editorial vision of BBC Great Lakes, ensuring that all content
reflects the multifaceted nature of our diverse audience. You will set
high editorial standards for reporting without fear or favor.
- Lead
BBC Great Lakes transformation to a digital-first, video-led service,
creating a culture of editorial ambition, personal accountability, mutual
respect and continuous learning.
- Develop
and implement a data-led video strategy designed to drive measurable
digital growth, with a focus on expanding reach among younger and female
audiences.
- Use
audience insight, analytics and platform trends to inform commissioning,
distribution and editorial decision-making.
- Set
the editorial agenda, prioritising stories that matter most to target
audiences
- Commission,
edit and deliver high impact original journalism, including exclusives,
investigations, explainers and digital-first content.
- Mentor
and inspire a diverse team of journalists, fostering their professional
growth and enhancing their storytelling skills. Provide constructive
feedback and support a collaborative work environment that values diverse
perspectives.
YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:
- Recent
track record in leading content production and output (radio and digital)
at a senior level, with focus on the Great Lakes region news
- Demonstrable
experience of managing and motivating teams across multiple locations and
in fast-paced news environments.
- Proven
track record of developing and implementing successful data-led video
strategies that delivered measurable digital growth.
- Strong
editorial judgment and the ability to quickly identify and develop
impactful stories that reflect complex issues and diverse perspectives
- Demonstrable
recent experience of launching new digital products or programs that have
led to growth in reach and reputation across platforms
- Proven
experience in breaking news stories as well as producing features,
investigations and original journalism about the Great Lakes region
- Exceptional
writing, editing, and communication skills in Kinyarwanda, Kirundi and
English are all essential.
DESIRABLE:
- Proven
ability to shoot, script and edit video stories using tools such as Final
Cut Pro (FCPx) and QEdit, with the ability to deliver polished, engaging,
audience-focused content which is optimised for digital platforms such as
YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook
Senior Journalist Team Manager at BBC World Service
PURPOSE OF THE ROLE
BBC World Service is creating a new Horn of Africa Language
Services Unit in Nairobi, bringing together BBC Somali, BBC Afaan Oromo, BBC
Tigrinya and BBC Amharic under a single editorial leadership structure for the
first time.
The Horn of Africa On-Demand Production Hub is a new,
dedicated production unit at the heart of the BBC’s ambitious restructuring of
its East Africa language services. The Hub exists to do what no individual
service team can do alone: produce high-quality, video-led journalism with the
production values, platform expertise and creative ambition that BBC audiences
in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and the diaspora increasingly expect.
WHY JOIN THE TEAM
- The
Senior Journalist Team Manager is the architect and engine of the
Production Hub. Your job is to maximise the reach, quality and impact of
journalism that originates with the four service teams, and to build the
production infrastructure, skills and workflows that allow the Horn of
Africa’s editorial ambitions to be realised at scale.
- You
will lead a small, multi-skilled team of video journalists and reporters.
You will work in close daily partnership with four Assistant Editors, and
you will report directly to the News Editor, Horn of Africa.
- This
is a role for someone with a genuine and demonstrable video vision:
someone who understands what great digital and video journalism looks
like, who can communicate that vision to journalists across four language
services, and who has the practical skills, leadership experience and
creative drive to make it a reality.
YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT:
- Design,
build and run the Horn of Africa On-Demand Production Hub from the ground
up, establishing its workflows, capacity, quality standards and ways of
working.
- Develop
and implement a clear production strategy for the Hub, setting out how it
will serve all four language services, what kinds of content it will
prioritise, and how it will evolve as the cluster’s digital ambition
grows.
- Act as
the BBC’s lead production expert for the Horn of Africa region, providing
strategic advice to the News Editor and the four Assistant Editors on
video production, digital platform strategy and audience development.
- Champion
the transition from audio-first to video-first production across the HoA
unit, working with Assistant Editors to embed video thinking into
editorial planning at the service level, not just in the Hub itself.
- Lead
the development and production of high-impact video journalism:
investigations, documentaries, long-form explainers, data-driven visual
stories and social-first short-form content to serve the editorial
requirements of the four services.
- Develop
and produce new video formats specifically designed to reach young women
across the Horn of Africa and diaspora communities, working with Assistant
Editors to identify the editorial propositions, storytelling approaches
and distribution strategies most likely to grow this audience.
- Manage
staffing, rotas and deployment of resources to ensure efficient and
effective output.
YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:
- Demonstrable
video vision: a clear, articulate and practically grounded understanding
of what outstanding digital video journalism looks like, backed by a
portfolio or track record of video content that has reached and engaged
significant audiences.
- Substantial
experience in video production and post-production for journalism,
including proficiency with filming, editing, motion graphics and the
production workflows required for high-volume, high-quality digital
output.
- Proven
experience of managing a journalism or production team, with the ability
to set direction, develop people, manage performance and build a culture
of creative excellence and collaborative working.
- Strong
understanding of digital platform distribution including YouTube, social
media algorithms, WhatsApp, TikTok and BBC digital products and a track
record of using that understanding to grow audiences.
- Experience
of leading significant production projects or transitions, such as
launching a new format, transforming a linear programme for digital, or
building a production operation from scratch.
- A
genuine commitment to reaching young female audiences, with practical
experience of designing content strategies, commissioning approaches or
storytelling formats specifically aimed at this group.
- Fluency
in written and spoken in one of our Horn of Africa languages and English.
Journalist, BBC Somali at BBC World Service
PURPOSE OF THE ROLE
There is a golden opportunity to become a Journalist in BBC
Somali as we seek to extend its trusted reputation across radio and digital for
the next generation. By joining the team, you will receive first-class training
and can share your stories with millions of BBC’s global audience.
WHY JOIN THE TEAM
The BBC Somali Service operates a digital first strategy,
publishing content online and on social media platforms, alongside producing
radio news and current affairs programmes in Somali. A career at the BBC offers
you an opportunity to tell stories that can change lives and at BBC Africa it
is our ambition to showcase the diversity of ideas and aspirations from across
the continent.
YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT:
- Create
content for a variety of broadcast and digital media platforms, in
multiple formats including audio and video. You will use your knowledge of
the digital media market to produce interesting news content for our
website and social media platforms.
- Present
the content on radio and digital. This might be live or recorded.
- Exercise
editorial judgment in developing story ideas and producing accurate and
impartial journalism.
- Liaise
closely with other team members and with other departments in the BBC, to
ensure that output material is shared, duplication is avoided, and best
practice is upheld.
- Tailor
different news treatments for different audiences ensuring that the output
reflects the audiences we serve.
- Delivering
to tight deadlines while maintaining the highest editorial standards.
YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:
- Full
command and up to date knowledge of spoken and written Somali language as
a first language or equivalent
- A good
knowledge of English including complete comprehension of written and
spoken English and the ability to communicate effectively
- Significant
recent experience as a broadcast journalist for the target area, both in
originating ideas and material and, with a good knowledge of production
techniques
- Ability
to write creatively in an engaging manner, adapt, and produce and
translate with accuracy, clarity and style appropriate to differing
audiences and forms of media suitable for the Service’s multimedia
output.
- Wide,
thorough and up to date familiarity with the target area which the service
broadcasts and an in-depth understanding of the Somali region’s news and
current affairs, history, politics, social issues and culture in addition
to good network and contacts with the newsmakers in the region.
DESIRED BUT NOT REQUIRED
- Ability
to shoot and edit videos