Executive Editor at BBC Media Action

BBC Media Action uses media and communications to reduce poverty and promote human rights in developing countries. To achieve this, it partners with civil society, local media and governments to:

• Produce creative programmes in multi-media formats which inform and engage audiences around key development issues.
• Strengthen the media sector through building professional capacity and infrastructure.

BBC Media Action promotes development and human rights through three main thematic areas:

• Health
• Governance and rights, and
• Humanitarian and emergency preparedness.

The BBC Africa is looking for interested/motivated candidates to join the Team as:

Job Title: Executive Editor

Job Reference: BBC/TP/139984/9424
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Reports To: Country Director, Nigeria
Duration: 1 year (with possibility of extension)
Contract: International terms and conditions

Overall Purpose of Job
This is a senior management team role, reporting directly to the Country Director, responsible for delivering our media outputs in Nigeria. The Executive Editor will use her/his extensive experience of management, programme production and editorial expertise to oversee all radio, television, digital and mobile output.

The post holder will ensure systems are in place to support all aspects of production, supporting every stage of project design from inception to post-production, and ensuring timely delivery to partner stations. Building the capacity of national staff members within the team will be a large part of this job, as is building collaboration that stretches across departments to deliver the most creative outputs possible. She/he must help ensure that innovation and creativity lie at the heart of all our media outputs while ensuring continuity and consistency across a range of platforms.

Developing and monitoring our long term vision for our outputs that puts them at the heart of our projects is a key responsibility, to keep us current in a rapidly evolving media market.

Main Duties

• Provide leadership of the production team in Nigeria, with overall responsibilities for editorial decision-making, production processes, outputs, budgets, and equipment.
• Take overall responsibility for delivery and sign-off of all media outputs of BBC Media Action Nigeria, ensuring editorial integrity and timeliness and raising and maintaining editorial and technical quality across all programme content for radio, television, social media, and other platforms as relevant.
• Develop systems and organise regular editorial and management meetings to guarantee that Production Department resources are being strategically allocated, scheduled, and shared between different Production Department teams and programmes.
• Manage heads of different production teams to coordinate and creatively influence concept development and planning for existing outputs and new productions.
• Working with heads of different production teams, take responsibility for effectively identifying, recruiting, and retaining staff and freelancers.
• Support professional development of all staff, including strengthening creativity, technical skills and editorial decision-making of the BBC Media Action production teams to deliver outstanding content.
• Ensure teams fully comply with BBC Editorial guidelines and values. Work with the Country Director to manage any editorial issues that may arise.
• Keep fully across programme budgets and spending to ensure they comply with our project donor requirements.
• Working with senior members of the project management department, ensure all production staff understand the goals of each of our projects and produce all media outputs to align with project objectives.
• Participate actively in BBC Media Action Nigeria’s country senior management team, and encourage maximum collaboration across all departments with the results that our impact in Nigeria is realized on the ground.
• Along with members of the senior management team and the Country Director, ensure that BBC Health and Safety guidelines are observed on all productions, staff are trained and briefed to manage risk in a highly challenging environment, and support is provided to others to take appropriate measures to minimize exposure to perceived risks. Advise and support the Country Director and senior staff to manage risk related to production on all the projects.
• Build and maintain relationships with media partners, donors, and other stakeholders in Nigeria to represent and enhance the work of BBC Media Action.

Skills, Knowledge, & Experience Requirements
Essential:

• Experience of managing teams to deliver multiple broadcast outputs (especially radio and/or TV) to tight time frames and setting up/improving systems for scheduling and coordinating the allocation of production resources.
• Demonstrable creative ability, with a proven track-record in designing, developing and making media programmes.
• Ability to demonstrate strong editorial judgment and uphold good journalistic practice and principles.
• Considerable production budget management experience.
• Excellent interpersonal leadership and people management skills. Experience of leading and managing talent and production teams, as well as managing diverse teams.
• Excellent communication skills in English (verbal and written).

Desirable:

• Knowledge of BBC editorial values, aims and objectives, and an ability to apply these to media development projects.
• Evidence of experience and skill in using radio, TV or other media platforms to address developmental issues – for example, governance and health.
• Experience of designing or commissioning training and learning for production teams.
• Experience working closely with external partners, and/or building, maintaining, and influencing high level external relationships.
• Understanding of the principles of behaviour /social change communication;
• Experience of overseeing a multi-media production project especially using mobile technology
• Experience of developing written plans and reports for internal and external audiences.
• Experience of working in a developing country context, preferably in Africa.

Key Competencies
The following competencies (behaviours and characteristics) have been identified as key to success in the job. Successful candidates are expected to demonstrate these competencies.

• Editorial Judgement - demonstrates balanced and objective judgement based on a thorough understanding of BBC editorial guidelines, target audience, programme and department objectives. Makes the right editorial decisions, taking account of conflicting views where necessary.
• Managing relationships – able to build and maintain effective working relationships with a range of people. Works co-operatively with others to be part of a team. Values individual's differences and demonstrates a commitment to knowledge sharing and informal learning, for the benefit of the team.
• Creative Leadership – Ability to lead a diverse production team, identify and nurture talent, and inspire others to realize an identified vision.
• Planning and Organization – Able to think ahead in order to establish an efficient and appropriate course of action for self and others; planning of activities taking into account all the relevant issues and factors such as deadlines, staffing and resources requirements.
• Developing Others - able to recognise potential (managerial, professional, artistic or otherwise) and is willing to foster the development of that potential. Creates a climate in which potential can be realised.
• Decision Making – Is ready and able to take the initiative, originate action and be responsible for the consequences of the decision made.
• Strategic thinking – Able to identify a vision and create plans for implementation of that vision to meet the end goal. Evaluates situations, decisions, and issues in the short, medium and long-term
• Analytical Thinking – Able to simplify complex problems, processes or projects into component parts, explore and evaluate them systematically. Able to identify causal relationships, and construct frameworks for problem solving and/or development.
• Change Management – Able to understand and anticipate the need for change and to build frameworks for planning and managing the continuous process of change.

Application Closing Date
16th November, 2014

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online