BBC
Digital Video and Social Journalist
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JOB DETAILS
JOB BAND: C
CONTRACT TYPE: 6 months Fixed Term contract/attachment; Full-Time
DEPARTMENT: BBC Nations, Cambridgeshire Social Journalist (BBC Local)
LOCATION: Cambridge (office based)
PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: £27,600 - £34,000 depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.
We're happy to discuss flexible working. If you'd like to, please indicate your preference in the application – though there's no obligation to do so now. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.
PURPOSE OF THE ROLE
We are looking for an experienced journalist and social media storyteller to create original content for BBC Local across social and digital platforms.
This is a role for someone with a passion for local journalism and a track record of finding and telling stories that matter to local audiences. You'll use social listening, audience insight and strong news judgement to identify appealing untold stories, spot emerging trends and turn them into engaging content that reaches people via our social platforms who don't typically consume local news through traditional broadcast channels. You'll combine editorial experience with insight from social media metrics to guide decisions about which stories to prioritise, how they should be told and which formats will be most effective.
Working closely with colleagues across digital, audio and TV news teams, you'll create content that informs, explains and sparks engagement around the issues affecting local communities. The successful candidate will ideally have newsroom experience and be comfortable making editorial decisions in a fast-moving news environment.
WHY JOIN THE TEAM
Our social media platforms play a vital role in helping BBC Local reach new audiences. We are looking for someone who can identify a strong local story, understand why it matters and present it in a way that engages audiences across our social media platforms.
This role combines reporting instincts, audience understanding and creative storytelling. You'll spend time social listening, developing original story ideas, repurposing content from across BBC Local services, creating video and social content that reflects the lives and interests of local audiences and appeals to the BBC’s lightest users.
You'll work alongside reporters, producers and editors across online news, local radio and TV, helping ensure our journalism reaches audiences wherever they consume content.
Your Key Responsibilities And Impact
- Find and develop original local stories through social listening, audience insight, contacts and community engagement
- Use strong editorial judgement to identify stories that are important, interesting and relevant to local audiences. Help ensure all content meets BBC editorial, legal and compliance standards
- Create engaging social-first content that helps BBC Local reach and grow under-35 audiences
- Script, film, produce and edit video content for social media and digital platforms
- Work with reporters and correspondents to create explainers, interviews and other innovative social storytelling formats including radio visualisation
- Repurpose content from BBC News website, BBC Look East and BBC Radio Cambridgeshire into engaging social media formats
- Publish content across social platforms and contribute ideas that increase audience engagement, reach and account growth
- Use analytics and audience insight to determine the most effective formats, treatments and platforms for different stories
- Monitor emerging audience behaviours and platform trends, adapting storytelling approaches while maintaining BBC editorial standards
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Essential Criteria
YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
- NCTJ qualification or equivalent journalism qualification. Those with at least two years professional experience in news content will also be considered
- Experience of creating and publishing content for digital and social platforms within a journalism, news, comms or factual content environment. You will demonstrate confidence in digital storytelling, with the ability to film and edit content that works well across different digital platforms
- Strong news judgement and a demonstrable understanding of what makes a compelling local news story. A passion for local journalism and a proven ability to find stories that reflect the lives, interests and concerns of local communities
- Experience of using audience insight, social media metrics and performance data to inform editorial decisions and content strategy
- An understanding of how to engage younger audiences without compromising editorial standards or journalistic integrity
- Experience using video editing software such as Final Cut Pro, Descript or equivalent and a good understanding of media law, journalistic ethics and the BBC's Editorial Guidelines
DESIRABLE CRITERIA
- Experience using social listening, audience insight and analytics tools to identify stories and measure content performance
- Experience of creating content across multiple platforms including social, digital, radio and television
- Experience of creating social infographics and image layout/Photoshop or equivalent
- Social reels presentation/using the platform formats for reporting
- Live streaming on social platforms
If you can bring some of these skills and experience, along with transferable strengths, we'd love to hear from you and encourage you to apply.
Please Note
As part of the application process please create an explainer reel for Instagram between 30 and 60 seconds on this news story about the redevelopment of the former Cambridge Airport site. We are looking to see your creativity in selling the news story on socials in a clear and engaging way.
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Please submit your video via Dropbox or WeTransfer with no expiry date on it being viewable.
Please also submit a one-page review of the BBC’s Facebook and Instagram accounts for Cambridgeshire saying what you would do to create growth on both platforms.
This role is currently advertised as internal only. Freelancers are eligible to apply if they have been on a Worker Contract (more info here) continuously for 6 months. If less than 6 months (or they have had a break of 3 weeks or more between engagements), they must seek Divisional HR approval to apply.
Disclaimer
This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved.
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.
Before your start date, you may need to disclose any unspent convictions or police charges, in line with our Recruitment policy. This allows us to discuss any support you may need and assess any risks. Failure to disclose may result in the withdrawal of your offer.
For any general queries, please contact: bbchr@bbc.co.uk
We are unable to accept applications via CV and only applications made online will be considered. Please click on the APPLY NOW button to proceed with your application.
Redeployment
The BBC is committed to redeploying employees seeking suitable alternative employment within the BBC and they will be given priority consideration ahead of other applicants. Priority consideration means for those employees seeking redeployment their application will be considered alongside anyone else at risk of redundancy, prior to any individuals being considered who are not at risk.
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