Senior Researcher (EXTEND)

JOB DETAILS

JOB BAND: C

CONTRACT TYPE: Fixed-term Contract to January 2027, Full-time

DEPARTMENT: BBC News Northern Ireland

LOCATION: Belfast

PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: £27,600 - £32,667 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

BBC EXTEND

This role is advertised as part of our BBC Extend programme for disabled people. To apply for this role you should identify as deaf, disabled or neurodivergent and must meet either the definition of disability in the Equality Act (2010), or the definition of disability in the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) if applying in Northern Ireland. You’re broadly defined as disabled under both acts if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative or adverse effect on your ability to do normal daily activities. This definition includes both apparent and non-apparent conditions and impairments, and medical conditions such as Cancer, HIV or Multiple Sclerosis.

We are committed to making the process of applying for this role as accessible as possible. If you need to discuss adjustments or access requirements for the application process, or have any questions about our Extend programme, please contact [email protected].

The BBC are fully committed to providing workplace adjustments to help eliminate barriers in the workface that disabled people face. To do this, we have our own dedicated BBC Access and Disability Service that provides assessments and support throughout employment with us. If you are successful in applying for this role and require workplace adjustments, we will work with you to get your adjustments in place.

If you’d like more information on BBC Extend, please visit the BBC Extend webpage. (EXTEND code: EX2324).

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 a Senior Researcher to join the newsroom team working across Radio, TV, Newsgathering and Digital.

As a Senior Researcher in radio, you will primarily work across Good Morning Ulster, Evening Extra and Talkback.  The Newsgathering role will involve working closely with a small team, helping to organise staffing and logistical resources. The TV role will involve gallery outputting for BBC Newsline and in Digital you’ll work with the team templating copy and working in social media and streaming.  The position requires shift working.

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. 

• Work in the radio and TV studios when programmes are on air, assisting the output producer and engineer, studio playout, playing audio and connecting guests.


• Pitch and develop ideas and original stories to present to programme producers and the planning team, with ability to turn them around quickly.


• Research and prep content in keeping with editorial brief and using a wide range of sources and reference material; gather audio; work on live radio production and studio play out, having a familiarity with the appropriate technical operations of our studios such as OpenMedia, Dalet, MusicMaster and MusicBox; template copy in Optimo and contribute to live pages as well as assisting in the digital streaming gallery.


• Assist in driving key stories and deployments across all platforms, maintaining the diary of stories and events.


• Liaise with contributors, experts and talent, where required, source and clear material for broadcasting and publishing, complete music reporting and processing payments for guests.

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

• Evidence of bringing in original story ideas and treatments, casting them, researching and writing presenter briefings.


• Demonstrating good editorial judgement and legal awareness.


• Excellent planning, organisational and technical skills.


• A thorough knowledge of current affairs in Northern Ireland, the rest of the UK and internationally.


• Understanding of our radio, television and digital platforms.


• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with a wide variety of internal and external colleagues and contributors.

DESIRABLE:

• The ability to operate in a live studio.


• Experience of researching and fact checking.


• Resilience and stamina to sustain performance when under pressure from a high volume of work and conflicting priorities.


• Knowledge of audience needs and understanding of commitment to diversity.

If you can bring some of these skills and experiences, along with transferable strengths, we’d love to hear from you and encourage you to apply.