Assistant Editor-BBC Careers
Job Description
Newsday is effectively the World Service’s breakfast programme – and one of the world’s biggest radio news programmes. It is the most listened to programme on the World Service English network.
Newsday now plans to have a production and presentation team in Nairobi that will be part of – and work closely with – the existing team in London. The ambition is to bring the show closer to some of our key audiences in Africa.
It is a global show with a global audience. But its largest audience is in Africa. It strives to bring the world to them and to showcase the most important stories. Another very significant audience is in the United States, broadcasting across the US on more than 500 partner stations.
Newsday is a three-hour live news show, with the ambition to be the essential guide to the main global news and talking points. Each day, the programme interviews guests who make headlines and news lines that are then picked up by other BBC and media platforms.
Newsday is broadcast live Monday – Friday from 0500 (London) – 0800 (London). Staff in London work on a regular shift pattern from Sunday to Friday. This role, based in Nairobi, will involve shift pattern working which will include early mornings.
*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
• Lead on setting up the Newsday production and presentation operation in Nairobi
• A line manager for Newsday, with senior editorial and management responsibility
• Provide on the day leadership for the journalists, senior journalists and presenters in Nairobi, supported by the Deputy Editor and Head of Journalism for the department, who are based in London. Your leadership will ensure editorial best practice across our radio, audio and digital output
• The lynchpin to ensure effective communication and co-ordination between the Newsday teams in London and Nairobi
• Know what best practice sounds like for our live output. They also know how to lead and support their team to develop and deliver digital opportunities for radio and audio; as they understand the BBC’s strategic priorities
• They instinctively take a lead on collaborating with other BBC departments, making the best use of resources to deliver editorial impact
• Demonstrate the BBC’s values in the way they manage their teams; rewarding and celebrating success, addressing performance promptly and fairly, treating team members with respect
• They ensure that the team and its output work within BBC guidelines, including on editorial, health and safety, diversity and inclusion and new ways of working
Are you the right candidate?
• Ability to write and communicate in English to a BBC broadcast standard
• Track record of senior editorial leadership, including in live news broadcasting, and ideally in radio news
• Evidence of strong editorial decision making and leading teams to create content that makes a wider impact
• Excellent knowledge of international news and current affairs, with significant experience covering Africa
• Demonstratable understanding of global audiences, especially in Africa
• Demonstrable experience of motivating a team and creating a strong team culture; plus supporting or leading a team through change
• Demonstrable experience of delivering effective feedback, leading on staff career development and training
• Evidence of a commitment to diversity and inclusion; including developing inclusive teams
• Evidence of being able to make content work for digital, in line with BBC News strategic priorities
• Experience and ability to represent Newsday within the wider BBC at meetings, business forums, editorial reviews etc, where appropriate
Job Package
Job Title: Assistant Editor, Newsday Nairobi
Job Reference: 22851
Band: E
Contract type: Permanent role – local terms and conditions apply
Location: Office Base is Nairobi, Kenya
Final date to apply: Tuesday 29th April 2025
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.
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.
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.
