Journalist, Newsday Nairobi (23071)

Job Introduction

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

The journalist has a crucial part to play on the Newsday team, working on original and forward planning stories or special programmes that make an impact on air, on digital and around the BBC. The successful candidate will have creative story ideas and treatments every day for the programme and also the other BBC platforms - and have a proven track record of delivering these. They will know the right guests for a story and how to get them onto the programme. They will have a good understanding of the kind of audiences being targeted by the World Service, including how to engage with younger listeners; and women audiences, which is a strategic priority.  

Are you the right candidate?

•    The ability to write in English  creatively, clearly and concisely in an engaging manner, which is suitable for broadcast on Newsday, as well as for digital content and BBC News online
•    Strong demonstrable knowledge of international news and current affairs, including an understanding of the stories and issues that will be most relevant to our biggest audience in Africa. You will know how to explain global stories to our audience in Africa
•    Good evidence of finding original stories and bringing them to life with imaginative, creative story-telling and innovative production techniques 
•    Demonstrable evidence of finding and delivering headline-making guests and interviews
•    The ability to create digital assets using audio, video or stills - including how to share stories with the widest possible audiences through social media
•    Experience of working in a live radio or broadcast environment is desirable
•    Demonstrable evidence of being a strong team player and willing to collaborate with colleagues and other business partners
•    Evidence of demonstrating the BBC Values in your work
 

Job Package

Job Title: Journalist, Newsday Nairobi
Job Reference: 23071

Band: C

Contract type: 3 x 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.