Employment Opportunities at The BBC World Service, Lagos

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 positions below:

Job Title: Social Media Visual Artist

Job Reference: BBC/TP/653414/51630
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Reports To: Service Senior Broadcast Journalist Digital
Business Unit: News – W2020 Africa
Contract: fixed term until September 2021
Department: BBC Africa

Context / Vision

Here the vision is simple- join a new African digital innovation team of multitalented journalists and content creators with the mandate to innovate.
The BBC World Service has grown its multimedia operations in Africa by doubling the number of language services from six to twelve and investing in modern TV and digital production facilities. The BBC’s digital journalism in Africa is a growing field and our ambition is to reach underserved audiences – such as younger audiences. An increase in women’s audiences and a more diverse demography across Africa are among our key aims. Your role as Social Media Visual Artist will play a key role in helping our content reach underserved audiences – such as younger, more female and more diverse demographics in Africa.
We have an exciting opportunity to create new forms of digital storytelling and journalism that reaches 111 million people in Africa. As a Social Media Visual Artist you will join a new multi- disciplinary digital team in Lagos made up of news gatherers, designers, software developers and social media specialists who will be working with journalists working across 12 language services (English, French , Pidgin, Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa)
BBC Africa aims to make explain and connect African and global stories by providing a unique insight into the main stories of the day in original formats. The African service digital offer consists of websites, mobile sites and social media with all services providing multimedia content in text, video, interactive and audio for radio, online, TV, mobile and social media platforms.

Duties

To produce and develop illustrations/cartoons complementing the day’s stories in social media-friendly formats
To present visual storytelling ideas for special projects and long term series
To apply editorial judgement when illustrating stories of a sensitive/controversial nature and seek advice where appropriate.
To show agility reacting to breaking news stories or trending stories as and when appropriate
To work with other visual artists and social media teams across regions – identifying themes and opportunities for collaboration
You’ll be based in Nairobi and will report to local Senior Broadcast Journalist Digital and work with a social media editor in World Service languages.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

Demonstrable skill and experience in visual storytelling – illustration and or cartooning.
The ideal candidate may also have the ability to use motion graphics software, such as Adobe After Effects, to create simple 2D animations for social media platforms
Understanding of social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as a sense of what makes attractive visual design
Creativity and flair
A clear understanding of the needs and profile of the target audience and the ability to translate these into imaginative and compelling design ideas
Interest in news and current affair
The ability to plan and organise time and resources effectively and meet deadlines set
The ability to work quickly, accurately and under pressure.

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. Ability to take public comments on board and to make appropriate editorial changes to content.
Creative Thinking – able to transform creative ideas into practical reality. Evidence of innovation and the ability to devise creative solutions by developing novel ideas or adapting existing ones in new ways. Evidence of a desire to create beautiful, quality content.
Planning and organisation – able to think ahead in order to establish and efficient and appropriate course of action for self and others. Prioritises and plans activities taking into account all the relevant issues and factors such as deadlines, staffing and resources.
Communication – able to get one’s message understood clearly by adopting a range of styles, tools and techniques appropriate to the audience and the nature of the information. As well as the ability to motivate and deal sensitively with people who may be working to tight deadlines
Influencing and persuading – able to present sound and well-reasoned arguments to convince others. Can draw from a range of strategies to persuade people in a way that results in agreement or behaviour change.
Managing relationships and team working – able to build and maintain effective working relationships with a range of people. Works co-operatively with the ability to work with other teams in developing tools, features and services.
Resilience – manages personal effectiveness by managing emotions in the face of pressure, setbacks or when dealing with provocative situations. Demonstrates an approach to work that is characterised by commitment and motivation.
Flexibility – adapts and works effectively with a variety of situations, individuals or groups. Able to understand and appreciate different and opposing perspectives on an issue, to adapt an approach as the requirements of a situation change, and to change or easily accept changes in one’s own organisation or job requirements.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply

Click here for more information (PDF)

Note: 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

Job Title: Software Engineer (Web Developer)

Job Reference: BBC/TP/653414/51628
Location: Lagos Hub
Job family: Technical Systems & Delivery
Grade: Local terms and conditions
Department: (Africa) Hub
Reports to: Senior Broadcast Journalist Digital, (Nairobi) Hub
Contract Type: Fixed term
Business Unit: News – W2020 Africa
Job Category: Technology, Systems & Delivery

Job Purpose

Responsible for implementing effective software and tools for given designs.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

Develop effective software that meets given specifications
Write appropriate tests using automated test-driven techniques for ensure code quality
Integrate the software with monitoring and support tools
Support system integration in its operating environment
Write and review technical documentation
Help to troubleshoot and resolve issues throughout the product life cycle
Participate in the team’s agile planning and delivery process
Effectively participate in the teams software development methodologies, such as pairing, code and documentation reviewing and continuous delivery
Learn new technologies and keep abreast of existing technologies.

Knowledge, Skills, Training and Experience
Essential:

Demonstrable experience writing and maintaining robust production software
Competence in one or more mainstream development languages and frameworks
Competence with one or more mainstream development and deployment tool chains (IDE, SCCS, CI)
Experience of database design and use in software applications
Knowledge of the web architecture and key technologies (HTTP, DNS, distributed design)
Competence test driven development
Competence in developing for operational concerns (monitoring integration, performance testing, security considerations)
Experience of project working and professional software development processes, including agile.

Desirable:

Worked in an enterprise environment on several projects (including experience in testing, design and release)
Experience of releasing their software to a production use case
Participated in reviews and inspections of code (sat with a peer or someone more senior reviewing your code)
Software Engineering or Computer Science Degree or equivalent.

Job Impact
Decision Making:

Reports to Principal Software Engineer or Software Engineering Manager
Tasks are allocated to the job holder by the team lead
Undertakes tasks independently
Independently writes tests to check quality of code
Assesses feedback from reviews and incorporates as appropriate
Troubleshoots independently or with the support of others where necessary
Contributes to the teams iterative and collaborative design and implementation decisions.

Scope:

Finance: No financial responsibility
Line Management: No line management responsibility
Ad-hoc Teams: Participates in departmental hack days and external ad-hoc events (typically 5 to 20 members)

Additional Job-specific Responsibilities and Accountabilities
Key Responsibilities:

Work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team and to proactively shepherd new features to live.
To write world class HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
To write server side code (mainly NodeJS, experience of Ruby/PHP desired)
To work to current good software development practices.
To write unit and integration tests using automated test frameworks.
To work well in a team context according to the team’s shared practices.

Essential Attributes:

Excellent front-end web development skills:
- HTML. Semantic markup patterns for flexible reuse and accessibility.
- CSS. Good understanding of modern techniques such as Responsive Web Design, recent CSS advances such as flexbox but also supporting legacy browsers.
- JAVASCRIPT. Excellent JavaScript programming skills, with knowledge of developing large, modular applications. Ability to write in ES6, and an appreciation of backwards-compatible / cross-browser JavaScript.
- BUILDING ROBUST EXPERIENCES. Using progressive enhancement and mobile first approaches to create experiences that work everywhere and for everyone.
Accessibility – support all browsers with core content, ensure compliance with screen readers, in accordance with WAI standards, etc
Great understanding of UX concerns. We want smart devs who can provide valuable feedback to designers to improve wireframes and designs.
Ability to create production ready code with tests in one of: PHP, Ruby, Python or NodeJS (training will be provided if you don’t know PHP or NodeJS).
Understanding of Service Oriented Architectures and consuming RESTful web services via HTTP.
Experience of working in an agile or collaborative way.
Familiarity in using GitHub workflows
A level of familiarity with AWS or similar Cloud Infrastructure and associated tooling.

A Big Plus Would Be:

An enthusiasm for News.
Healthy interest in emerging platform level technologies – queues, microservices, caches etc.
Understanding of CI, experience with using a CI system (Hudson, Jenkins).
Knowledge of strategies to improve performance (HTTP caching, language best practices).

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply

Click here for more information (PDF)

Note: There may be sub-sets of the generic job described above which require additional technical skills. This appendix to the generic job description can be developed to cover such situations.

Job Title: Senior Journalist, Gist

Job Reference: BBC/TP/653414/51827
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Contract: attachment / fixed term contract for nine months
Job family: Journalism
Business Unit: News – W2020 – Africa
Division: Gist Nigeria
Reports to (title): Omotola Adebanjo

Organisation Structure

The Senior Journalist will report to Omotola Adebanjo, our recently appointed Gist Editor.
Based in the BBC’s Lagos Bureau on Nigerian terms and conditions of employment this role will support The GIST department.
Gist is a co-production of BBC Africa with Channels TV in Nigeria to co-produce a lively, weekly current affairs programme for Nigerian audiences. It features an in depth look at strong African stories, look at issues that touch the lives of Nigerians at home and abroad, deliver original storytelling and hard-hitting studio discussions and interviews.

Job Purpose

Responsible for an area of output, including editorial control, reporting, selection and compilation of material, production, leading teams and planning and implementing effective use of resources.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

Responsible for originating and producing stories which may include scripting, editing, outputting, filming and presenting content across a range of BBC output.
Commission and select relevant materials ensuring they meet expectations of our audiences and adhere to the BBC’s editorial guidelines.
May be required to undertake on-air reporting, may be required to film and edit material for broadcast where appropriate.
May include the production and presentation of live or recorded programmes.
May be required to present live or recorded content on radio, TV or online.
As required, to allocate work to a team and check progress; ensure the professional contribution of staff and the quality of output.
Seek ways to increase diversity in our workforce and to ensure that our output reflects the audiences we serve.
Deliver journalism of the highest standard and within the required timeframe using available resources.
To act as a facilitator of change, clearly communicating and distributing best practices between teams.
Delivering to tight deadlines while maintaining the highest editorial standards.
At all times to carry out duties in accordance with the BBC health and safety policy.

Knowledge, Skills, Training and Experience
Essential:

A high standard of editorial judgment, writing ability and production skills based on substantial
broadcast journalism experience.
Maximises opportunities offered by existing and emerging technologies to their fullest extent.
Ability to work effectively as a member of more than one team. Resolving conflicts as necessary.
Ability to manage resources, staff, technical facilities and budgets, in order to make challenging
broadcasting in the most cost-effective manner.
Demonstrates a commitment to improving diversity in the BBC and understands how individual differences can benefit the BBC.
Prioritises and plans activities taking into account all the relevant issues and factors such as deadlines, staffing and resources.
Ability to write creatively in an engaging manner, adapt, produce and translate with accuracy, clarity and style appropriate to differing audiences and forms of media suitable for multimedia output.
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.

Job Impact
Decision making:

Significant level of responsibility. Uses initiative but seeks guidance where necessary.
No line management responsibility but may mentor more junior staff.

Scope:

A senior journalist covering a wide range of journalism activity, with significant experience and responsibility for programme/content creation.

Additional Job-specific Responsibilities and Accountabilities

Fluent in English, both in written and spoken form, ability to communicate effectively on a high level.
Exceptional knowledge of news, in particular news that appeals to a Nigerian audience and excellent news contacts.
Experience working across all platforms including TV, Digital and Social.
Proven skills in creating TV news programmes or visual news content to highest standards.
Strong digital understanding and awareness.
A full command and up to date knowledge of stories and issues relating to the West Africa region.
Experience of work in a similar position in a news environment.
Wide and up-to-date familiarity with the target area and an in-depth understanding of Nigeria history, politics, social issues and culture as well as the changing needs of WA audiences.
Extensive knowledge of the media situation in the target area and the way it is developing.
A thorough understanding of the latest developments in storytelling.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply

Click here for more information (PDF)

Application Deadline 24th January, 2021.

Employment Opportunities at The BBC World Service, Lagos

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