Senior Journalist

JOB DETAILS

JOB BAND: D

CONTRACT TYPE: 1 x Nine months and 1 x Six Months, Full Time Fixed Term Contracts

DEPARTMENT: BBC News Northern Ireland

LOCATION: Belfast

PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: £41,200 - £47,126 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

BBC News Northern Ireland provides breaking news, analysis, features and debate plus coverage on topical issues across all platforms for local audiences and beyond. We are transforming its news operation to make it future fit in a rapidly changing and diversifying news media climate, with audience needs coming first and with digital at its heart.

We are seeking to appoint two Senior Journalists (producers) to work with our Digital News team for up to nine months and to work for six months on our daily news and current affairs programme output on BBC Radio Ulster.

Senior Journalists have high levels of production skills, a reputation for creative thinking and a thorough grasp of the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines and journalism law. 

WHY JOIN THE TEAM:

Joining the Belfast newsroom offers the chance to operate and grow in a busy and fast-paced news environment.  Your work will help inform public understanding, drive important conversations across platforms, and make a real impact. It’s a dynamic environment where your voice matters and your decisions will really shape the content we offer to our audiences. 

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT:

Senior Journalists will be required to:

• Lead daily production meetings in their output area and then assign tasks to Journalists, Reporters and Researchers.


• Commission output for their production area and deploy resources in a cost-effective way, provide forward planning and production support.


• Motivate teams to think creatively and respond quickly to breaking news and support junior staff members to help them grow and develop in their role


• Contribute to the production of original journalism.


• Deal with complex legal and editorial issues.

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• First class production skills, razor sharp news judgement and an ability to deal with complex legal and editorial issues, often under pressure. 


• Ability to produce distinct and impactful journalism that helps our audience to be more informed about the news.


• A creative storyteller, and a reputation for producing original journalism, having a wealth of contacts and an ability to persuade people to talk. 


• A sound knowledge of politics, current affairs and ongoing issues in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and further afield.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA: 

• Possess strong news judgement, strong decision-making skills and experience of operating calmly under pressure. 


• Be a creative storyteller and have a passion for and experience of producing original journalism that sets the news agenda and gets people talking.


• Be a resilient self-starter with an in-depth knowledge of politics, cultural life as well as domestic and foreign news and a sound knowledge of politics, current affairs and ongoing issues within Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and further afield.


• Having an understanding and experience of the changing media landscape, with digital storytelling at the forefront.


• Have the ability to write clear, concise copy that can run across all outlets. 

DESIRED BUT NOT REQUIRED: 

• Experience in managing people, good interpersonal and communication skills and a keenness to collaborate.    


• A track record in delivering original journalism.  


• Have knowledge of our audience needs and output, demonstrating a commitment to diversity and inclusion.


• Have experience use audience insight tools to look at and measure engagement.


• Have an understanding of how audiences operate in a digital space.