Senior News Editor (English in Africa)

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT: 

• Line manage the Focus on Africa editor, as well as the BBC Africa social media teams, and be responsible for high quality editorial content on a variety of platforms.  
• Handle editorial decisions in moderate and highly complex environments, including some geopolitical sensitivity or operational risk.  
• With other senior staff managing editorial operations across Africa – you will set and deliver a clear editorial strategy for commissioning, gathering and reporting the news and current affairs  
• Be highly skilled at managing numerous and diverse senior and executive level stakeholders, often operating under tight timescales and managing competing priorities   
• Have expert knowledge of our audience’s needs, current market trends and challenges, and deep knowledge of editorial output processes across the whole of the BBC, as well as that of competitors.  
• Experience of solving complex editorial and legal challenges, managing significant budgets and understanding key financial drivers.   
• Have experience of managing staff across locations, having nurtured talent and be internally and/or externally recognized as a promoter of diversity and inclusion 

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE  

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:   

• Substantial experience of journalism and production, as well as proven editorial judgement and substantial experience of managing editorial and operational staff and facilities in a daily news environment.  
• Demonstrates balanced and impartial judgement. Makes the right editorial decisions with guidance.  
• Demonstrates proficiency in the use of broadcast and digital technology and stays current with developments in this field.  
• Ability to foster creativity and experimentation, shows openness to new ways of doing things, and demonstrates a commitment to improving diversity in the BBC  
• Ability to think strategically and describe the concept in a way which motivates others towards that goal – able to convert long term aims into short and medium-term goals.