JOB DETAILS
Job Band: D
Contract Type: 2 x 12‑month FTC
Department: BBC News Social
Location: Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow or Salford
Proposed Salary Range: £41,200–£51,200 depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range 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.
Job Purpose
As Senior Journalist in the BBC News Social team, you’ll help shape the future of news on social media. We’re on a mission to make BBC News the most trusted and used news brand on social media – reaching audiences globally, ensuring that our journalism reaches and resonates with the audiences who consume their news on social. Central to this is publishing our journalism with speed, accuracy and authority. You’ll play a pivotal role in shaping how BBC News appears on platforms like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. You’ll ensure our output is accurate, engaging and optimised for digital‑first consumption. You’ll work closely with teams in the BBC Newsroom covering some of the biggest stories of our time, from breaking news to global conflicts and deep investigations and bring their reporting to life in ways that connect with digital‑first audiences. This is your chance to help shape how BBC News shows up on social: bold, fast, creative, distinctive, and relentlessly audience‑first.
Why Join the Team
BBC News is supercharging our social and off‑platform strategy, with a clear mission to meet audiences where they are; particularly those who don’t have a regular connection with the BBC or News. You’ll join at a pivotal moment, shaping how BBC News looks, sounds and behaves on social platforms; championing innovation and strengthening trust. We have huge ambition to broaden and grow our activity on social in the pursuit of truth with no agenda, delivering high quality news to educate and inform audiences.
Your Key Responsibilities And Impact
* Oversee high‑quality social publishing across BBC News platforms, ensuring all output meets BBC editorial standards and lands with impact at key news moments
* Sub, refine and optimise copy, headlines, thumbnails and visual treatments to ensure clarity, accuracy and platform‑specific effectiveness
* Collaborate with correspondents and reporters to shape innovative, social‑native treatments of BBC journalism, supported by audience data and social listening
* Coordinate daily workflows within the social team, supporting junior colleagues and ensuring timely, accurate publishing during breaking news situations
* Contribute to forward planning, identifying upcoming moments and opportunities for distinctive coverage across political, domestic and global stories
* Respond to fast‑moving news, including early, late and weekend working, ensuring BBC News maintains speed, accuracy and trust around the clock.
Essential Criteria
Proven ability in writing, subbing and publishing news across major social platforms, with a strong eye for accuracy, tone and platform nuance.
A high standard of editorial judgment and experience covering breaking news at national or international level, with confidence making real‑time editorial decisions.
Collaborative and calm under pressure, able to work across teams, maintaining high standards and supporting colleagues with constructive feedback.
Deep understanding of audience behaviour on social platforms — including how content is discovered, moderated and shared.
Comfortable using analytics tools to interpret performance data, spot patterns and inform day‑to‑day decisions and longer‑term strategy.
Able to use tools like Final Cut Pro and Photoshop, with experience of overseeing the full production cycle of social or digital video content.
Desirable Criteria
* Knowledge of news consumption trends on social media platforms
* A background in innovative idea generation on social platforms
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
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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