Journalism Researcher - 50:50 Project at BBC World Service

The BBC is an international multimedia broadcaster on radio, TV, online and social networks with a weekly global audience of 320 million. As part of an historic multi-million pound expansion of BBC Africa, the BBC World Service is introducing a wide range of new and exciting language and regional content to serve African and global audiences.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Journalism Researcher - 50:50 Project

Job Reference: BBC / TP / 2269572 / 56616
Location: Abuja (F.C.T) or Lagos
Job family: Journalism
Band: B
Job Category: Journalism
Contract type: Fixed term contract until 31 / 03 / 2022
Business Unit: News - WSG World Service

Job Introduction

• The BBC’s 50:50 The Equality Project is a grassroots initiative, started in the BBC’s London newsroom, with the aim of reaching a balance of 50% women contributors across all BBC content.
• Close to 700 teams in every division of the BBC are now signed up to 50:50, and during the last 50:50 Challenge month in March 2021, 70% of teams featured at least 50% women.
• As part of a 50:50 World Service Project, we are building a team to support the language services to achieve 50% women contributors.
• Each journalism researcher will support a different region to help the relevant editorial and production teams achieve and maintain gender balanced content in the run up to the next 50:50 Challenge Month in March 2022.

Job Purpose

• Assist programme teams with the production of news articles and content.

Role Responsibilities

• As the World Service 50:50 Journalism Researcher for BBC Africa, you will support BBC Africa TV, radio and digital teams to embed the 50:50 workflow.
• You will sign-up new teams not yet taking part in 50:50 and help existing teams to identify the barriers they are facing in achieving gender balance and possible solutions and tools to overcome those barriers.
• You will deliver best practice sessions and, alongside the other World Service 50:50 journalism researchers, devise a 50:50 toolkit of practical measures tailored to the relevant region and language services.
• You will gather, analyse and report on BBC Africa’s 50:50 data to monitor progress and help improve the representation of women in content and in audience figures.
• You will help develop and build a database of women with expertise in a range of subject areas from across the African regions and with the relevant spoken languages.
• You will source potential women contributors and organise internal and external networking events to promote and expand the 50:50 expert women database.
• This may also include producing content and using social media effectively to promote these events and the database.
• Generate ideas and stories; contribute to the creative treatment of an item or programme; provide clear treatments and proposals, ensuring consistency of content, quality and style.
• Carry out in-depth background/subject research for all media, ensuring complete accuracy and critically evaluating the relevance and suitability of information.
• Responsible for the simple operation of a variety of analogue and digital radio and TV equipment, etc.
• To work closely with the production team before, during and after the output production.
• Mentor and/coach new or junior members into the team, acting as buddy and giving direction.
• Build and maintain contact lists and databases; research and compile source data into briefs for journalists or presenters.
• Manage a range of research projects and resources.
• Identify and secure suitable guests and contributors, and brief them on arrival as requested.
• Delivering to tight deadlines while maintaining high editorial standards.
• At all times to carry out duties in accordance with the BBC health and safety policy.

Knowledge, Skills, Training and Experience
Essential:

• Proven record of contributing ideas for programmes, items and new treatments.
• Some experience in media research in televisions, radio, print journalism or online, including the ability to identify key ideas, debates and issues within a field.
• Ability to operate basic equipment for the capture of sounds and pictures.
• Ability to work well within a team as well as on own initiative.
• Able to build and maintain effective working relationships with a range of people.
• Demonstrates a commitment to improving diversity in the BBC and understands how individual differences can benefit the BBC.
• Effective planning and organising skills, ability to concentrate on several areas of work at one time, delivering consistently to deadlines and reacting positively to changes and conflicting priorities.
• Proven ability to locate relevant sources of information, contributors, guests and other assets using initiative, perseverance and persuasion and an extensive contact base. Has the ability to establish rapport quickly with a wide range of people within and outside the BBC either face to face, over the telephone or in writing.
• The flexibility and adaptability to sustain performance, particularly under pressure to meet deadlines and changing priorities and circumstances.
• An understanding of health and safety procedures and how they apply to broadcasting

The Ideal Candidate

• The ideal candidate will have previous experience in a similar capacity and be fluent in English and one of the following Nigerian languages - Hausa, Igbo, Pidgin or Yoruba.
• You will have strong organisational skills and have the ability to prioritise and work to deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal skills is also important to build/maintain relationships when working across multiple teams.

Job Impact
Decision making:

• Able to operate alone on items and other programme elements.

Scope:

• A role which supports the production of news articles and content by conducting research; also handling and distributing live and pre-recorded audio and video material.

Application Closing Date
31st October, 2021.