Senior Journalist (On the Day)

Role Overview

This role sits at the heart of BBC Swahili’s digital-first transformation, where you will lead a team producing news for a large, engaged audience across East Africa and beyond. Day to day, you’ll plan and commission stories that work first for the website and social media, then extend into radio and television, ensuring every piece of journalism meets the service’s high standards of independence and trust. Your decisions directly shape how millions of Swahili speakers access reliable news in a region where media freedom is often constrained.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead a shift-wide commissioning workflow that prioritises digital publication from the very first story pitch, then adapts content for broadcasting when it adds value.
• Oversee continuous updates to the BBC Swahili website throughout your shift, approving articles, image galleries, video embeds and social posts to maintain a steady publishing cadence.
• Commission and edit short-form vertical video for TikTok, Instagram Reels, Facebook and YouTube Shorts, making video a standard output from daily news stories rather than an afterthought.
• Use audience analytics dashboards to spot which stories and formats drive the most engagement, and adjust your editorial plan in real time to maximise reach and retention.
• Supervise the daily production of the live visualised radio programme, ensuring it broadcasts smoothly while also serving YouTube viewers who watch the stream.
• Coordinate with the TV production team to guarantee that news packages, headlines and programme segments are delivered on schedule and meet editorial and technical standards.
• Manage the shift’s workflow by assigning tasks, tracking progress against deadlines and reallocating resources as breaking news or audience behaviour shifts.
• Provide on-the-job coaching for junior journalists, focusing on digital production techniques, platform-specific writing, video skills and cross-platform coordination.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Proven experience leading a digital-first news operation, with a strong grasp of what drives traffic, engagement and audience growth across multiple platforms.
• Hands-on history of commissioning and editing content for a news website, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Reels, Facebook and YouTube Shorts simultaneously.
• Ability to interpret audience analytics tools live during a shift and make editorial decisions based on performance data.
• Deep understanding of platform-specific best practices: SEO for website, watch time for YouTube, shareability for Facebook, and high-retention vertical video for TikTok and Reels.
• Experience producing or supervising visualised radio or TV output, and knowing how to optimise broadcast content for both audio listeners and on-screen viewers.
• Familiarity with TV news production workflows, including working with producers, camera operators and presenters to meet tight deadlines.
• Excellent scripting, writing and sub-editing skills in Swahili and English, with meticulous attention to accuracy and tone.

What We Offer / Why Join

You will join a language service that is one of the largest in the BBC World Service, with a reach that matters deeply to audiences who rely on trustworthy journalism in a challenging media environment. The role offers the chance to help shape a story-led, multi-platform editorial model, working with a team that values innovation and independence. You will also have opportunities to develop your leadership skills while contributing directly to the professional growth of junior journalists.