Journalist-BBC

Focus on Africa is BBC’s flagship news and current affairs program for our audiences in Africa and those interested in African stories across the world. The program, across TV, radio and digital platforms, aims to provide a comprehensive view of the diverse experiences, cultures, and challenges facing African nations and their people. This includes engaging stories on politics, economics, environment, health, and social issues, along with highlighting achievements and innovations within Africa.

Focus on Africa aims to bridge the gap between African societies and global audiences, offering a platform for voices that often go unheard. The program seeks to foster understanding, promote dialogue, and celebrate the richness of African life by presenting high-quality journalism that motivates, educates, and informs viewers.

We are looking for highly successful Journalists to produce impactful content for Focus on Africa TV and radio programs as well as its digital livestreams and assets. The journalist  will have the experience of handling breaking news and rolling coverage and good understanding of our audience needs. You will have extensive experience of working on a TV, radio or podcast program and in-depth knowledge of digital production.

*This work-from-office job is based in Nairobi and highly qualified candidates living outside Kenya are encouraged to apply. We can offer the BBC’s standard Relocation Package to the successful candidate who might need to relocate to Kenya.

Main Responsibilities

•    Research, pitch, and produce compelling news stories and features tailored for TV and radio/podcast broadcasts. Ensure content is informative, accurate, and engaging, reflecting the diversity of African experiences and perspectives
•    Conduct interviews and gather information from various sources, including government officials, community leaders, and ordinary citizens
•    To present news stories, reports, and features live on air for both radio/podcast and television. This includes adapting style and tone to suit different formats and audiences
•    To ensure that BBC Editorial principles and all relevant legal, contractual and copyright requirements are met, referring upwards in cases of difficulty or doubt
•    To work closely with editorial colleagues, producers, and field reporters to develop and execute story ideas. Participate in team discussions and contribute to the overall editorial direction of Focus on Africa
•    To maintain up-to-date knowledge of current affairs, cultural happenings, and developments within Africa and beyond. Analyze trends and issues impacting the continent in order to produce timely and relevant news
•    To oversee the digital presence of Focus on Africa, including social media platforms
•    To coordinate with other BBC departments and international bureaus to source stories, enhance coverage, and collaborate on cross-platform features
•    To build and maintain relationships with correspondents and contributors as needed
•    To foster a culture of creativity and innovation within the team and to encourage the exploration of new formats and technologies, enhancing audience interaction and participation
•    To build and maintain diverse contact lists; compile and distribute information with other members of the team

Are you the right candidate?

•    Demonstrable experience of producing original content that has been impactful and reached new audiences with knowledge of social media best practice
•    Proven ability to work independently, or collaboratively as required, on original journalism for underserved audiences across a range of specialisms
•    In-depth knowledge of the news agenda across the African continent and its diaspora; ability to spot an interesting, shareable story – and generate eye-catching headlines and content to go with it
•    Ability to find interesting, alternative angles on established/on-going stories that dominate the news agenda
•    Track record of creativity in the use of pictures, graphics and audio to illustrate and explain fast-moving events and complex stories
•    Experience of working under pressure and meeting tight deadlines. A self-starting individual – you will be able to come up with ideas, get them commissioned made and delivered efficiently
•    Strong verbal communication skills in English, with the confidence to present on camera and on air
•    Ability to write creatively in English in an engaging manner as well as the ability to adapt material with accuracy, clarity and a style appropriate to differing audiences and forms of media
•    Strong working knowledge of the data and analytics tools available and demonstrable evidence of using them effectively
•    Strong research abilities to prepare for broadcasts, with the capability to analyse and distil complex information for audience consumption
•    An understanding of and respect for diverse cultural perspectives, enabling thoughtful engagement with various community topics and issues
•    Experience of planning and delivering international shoots – both in-person and remotely is advantageous

Job Package

Job Title: Journalist, Focus on Africa TV (Nairobi)
Job Reference: 22544

Band: C

Contract type: 5 x Permanent contract – local terms and conditions apply

Location: Office Base is Nairobi, Kenya

Final date to apply: Sunday 27th April 2025

We’re happy to discuss flexible working. Please indicate your choice under the flexible working question in the application. There is no obligation to raise this at the application stage but if you wish to do so, you are welcome to. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.

Excellent career progression – the BBC offers great opportunities for employees to seek new challenges and work in different areas of the organisation.
Unrivalled training and development opportunities – our in-house Academy hosts a wide range of internal and external courses and certification.
Benefits – We offer a negotiable salary package and a flexible 35-hour working week for work-life balance. You can find out more about working at the BBC by selecting this link to our candidate pack.

If you need to discuss adjustments or access requirements for the interview process please contact the reasonable.adjustments@bbc.co.uk.  For any general queries, please contact: bbchr@bbc.co.uk.

Please note that the application process will require you to upload a CV and complete the online application form with the opportunity to detail your experience, skills and knowledge required for the role.

About the BBC

We don’t focus simply on what we do – we also care how we do it. Our values and the way we behave are important to us. Please make sure you’ve read about our values and behaviours here.

Diversity matters at the BBC. We have a working environment where we value and respect every individual’s unique contribution, enabling all of our employees to thrive and achieve their full potential.

We want to attract the broadest range of talented people to be part of the BBC – whether that’s to contribute to our programming or our wide range of non-production roles. The more diverse our workforce, the better able we are to respond to and reflect our audiences in all their diversity.

We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. We will consider flexible working requests for all roles, unless operational requirements prevent otherwise.

To find out more about Diversity and Inclusion at the BBC, please click here.

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.