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Ben Bevington ben.bevington@bbc.co.uk
2000 M St, NW, Suite 800
Washington District of Columbia United States 20036
Web: bbc.com/news
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Senior Editor, Digital
Job Description
It’s an exciting time to be part of BBC News. We are expanding in North America, our biggest market outside the UK. We are recruiting several senior editors to play a critical role in this transformation. You will not only decide what stories to cover on our platforms – but how.
The right person for this role is one who thinks holistically about content creation and curation. You should have impeccable news judgment, informed by data and analytics. You should be able to multitask effortlessly, and manage the day-to-day efficiently.
You can be based in our Washington, New York or Los Angeles bureaus.
In this role, you will work under a supervising news editor. They will decide, on a daily or weekly basis, which of the following responsibilities you will oversee.
Creation A crucial component of this role is to create content that will help us make inroads into the communities we are trying to grow. You will do so by working with not just a core team of digital writers and video journalists based around the U.S. and Canada, but also with the digital teams in London, Singapore and elsewhere. You will also collaborate with colleagues from TV, radio and the BBC’s many language services. An understanding of, and a record of incorporating, search, social, and analytics is key.
Another key criteria: the ability to act in the moment – whipping up a live blog; pivoting reporters from assigned stories as needed; generating ideas and formats for day-of, next-day, and long-term coverage; and, sometimes when the situation demands, rolling up your sleeves and writing a story or two.
Curation A second important part of this role is to determine how we present the stories we create. We are trying to grow reach and habituation among our readers. So, you will ensure that our homepage and app look dynamic and appeal to a North American audience. Are they reflecting the most relevant and updated developments in the news stories of the day? Are they spotlighting the best pieces coming from other parts of the BBC? Are we staying competitive and covering the right stories in the right way?
You will also decide what we should alert, when and where; and sign off on social posts.
Job Requirements
The successful candidate will have:
- Three years’ experience working as a writer or editor in a daily online or print outlet
- Excellent editorial judgement with experience handling breaking news in text on digital platforms and a proven track record of making the right decisions under intense pressure
- The ability to sift news material with speed and accuracy and then to devise and enact an effective digital production and promotion plan
- In-depth knowledge of data analytics and experience of using them to shape our journalism to meet the needs of different audience groups
- Demonstrable knowledge of US, Canada and world affairs and the ability to generate a clear editorial plan for digital coverage of major breaking news
- Experience in assigning, curating, editing, and structuring engaging pieces in a range of digital formats and generating ideas to reach wider audiences
- Curiosity and creativity to explain the world to a U.S. audience, and reflect the different perspectives of American and international audiences
- Proven record of adaptability to an ever-changing digital media landscape
Interested? If so, please apply online and include a cover letter that lays out why you’d be the right person for this role.
About the BBC
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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, sexuality, social background, religion and/or belief. And we promote flexible working opportunities where operational needs allow.
To find out more about Diversity and Inclusion at the BBC, please click here
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