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: Data Journalist - Africa
Job Reference: BBC/TP/2368723/67304
Location: Nigeria
Contract Type: Fixed Term – Full Time
Job Category: Journalism
Business Unit: News - WSG World Service
Role Responsibilities
The purpose of the visual journalism team is to unlock the potential of multimedia storytelling across all our platforms - mobile, desktop, tablet and TV.
By using graphical tools and combining those of data and journalistic rigor, the team aims to produce powerful visual explanations that improve understanding of the news. Key responsibilities for this role:
To enhance and explain major news stories. To research, write, co-ordinate, manage and deliver to tight deadlines the production of high quality added value digital content including: information graphics, maps, graphical interactives, multimedia explainers, data journalism, data visualization and other bespoke-format web content
To generate ideas for data-driven stories and for how they might be developed and visualised for a variety of platforms
To collaborate with reporters, editors, and the fellow team's designer and developer to bring those stories to publication
To participate and contribute to the wider Visual Journalism Community, with the Central BBC News Visual Journalism team and the other VJ Languages teams
To make the most of data and visual journalism tools and workflows to create content of high editorial and technical standard
To be aware of relevant advances in web technology and how they can enhance the team’s output
Support fellow African Hub journalists to make the most of the available tools, to improve commissioning and workflows.
To represent the Africa hub within the BBC Visual Journalism community
To exchange regular notes and ideas with colleagues from the West Africa Languages Visual Journalism team
Are you the right Candidate?
The Ideal Candidate will have the following experience and knowledge:
Data:
Numerate – ability to understand spreadsheets and create them in Excel and Google Drive for stories data sharing
Knowledge of data sources and FOI procedure, if relevant, as it pertains to your region
A strong grasp of how to clean and query data
A good understanding of statistics and statistical analysis
Production:
Be able to use basic design software (like Photoshop) to make composite images as well as create and update and create basic templates for static content for social media – whichever platforms are most relevant
Good visual awareness and web production experience
Experience of visualising data and using visualisation tools
Demonstrable experience of working to tight deadlines
Also desirable knowledge, skills and experience
Digital mapping skills to produce maps for digital outlets (like use of Q-GIS to create heatmaps and pointmaps for output – which can be edited by design and shared with broadcast, CartoDB)
Knowledge of advanced features in Excel like pivot tables
Knowledge of Structured Query Language (SQL) and of script languages such as Python and/ or R to query databases
Knowledge of data visualisation tools such as Tableau, Refine, Flourish (or similar)
Knowledge of scripting data processing languages like R
Experience of video production and motion graphics software (like Final Cut Pro and After Effects) to create simple explainer videos and animations
Experience in the production of long form digital features (like http://goo.gl/GHdurD), with tools like Shorthand or similar
Experience of negotiating with public officials for data and open records
Experience of gathering information via Freedom of Information requests.