Our Media is a leading special-interest content business, based in the buzzing, creative city of Bristol. We're home to market-leading brands in craft, cycling, science and nature, homes and music.
We help our audiences pursue their passions through highly trusted, original content - in print, video and online. Our much-loved brands include BBC Science Focus, BBC Wildlife Magazine, YourHome, Gathered.how, BikeRadar and Cycling Plus.
We also have an award-winning content agency that works with major charities, brands and membership organisations to help them tell their stories and engage audiences better - in print, video, and online.
Position
BBC Science Focus is looking for a Staff Writer. They will be responsible for producing must-read news and feature copy that taps into what people are talking about.
The Staff Writer will use their editorial instincts - and the latest tech and tools - to identify trends, and write punchy, clear and concise copy that will help our readers feel informed. They will also have a sensibility about where their content will appear, and what it needs to reach audiences on any given platform.
Once their content is published, we're looking for the kind of individual who will dive into the analytics tools to understand what success looks like and strive for more leads in those areas. This is a role for someone equally passionate about science, journalism and digital content. It will suit someone who loves the feedback of seeing traffic numbers grow and enjoys creative problem-solving.
This role is all about ideas. A background in science isn't necessary, but it can help. More important is a sharp journalistic instinct, the ability to write clean copy quickly and, crucially, a genuine sense of what matters in science and the world right now - and how to make it compelling and understandable for anyone who picks it up.
Responsibilities
* Produce news stories and on-trend features on a daily basis, typically filing 2 articles per day.
* Report to the digital editor and support them in terms of the day-to-day running of the website.
* Generating ideas for timely news features and stories connected to the day's major topics.
* Meeting achievable targets, which will be set together with the digital editor for their content.
* Contribute to the podcast together with the entire team.
* Write long-form content as required by the team.
A bit about you
Essential Requirements:
* A driven journalist who can come up with brilliant, original content ideas and angles that will work well online on a daily basis.
* Web literate & digitally confident, with experience uploading and managing content on websites
* Strong editorial judgement and journalistic instinct, including understanding what makes a compelling science story and the angle Science Focus should take on it
* Able to swiftly write succinct, clear and informative copy that conveys complex topics simply
* A confident communicator who works effectively with a range of internal and external teams to produce high-quality content
* Tenacity to chase experts and interviewees, to get the access and insight our readers want.
* Able to interpret information visually, integrating data, imagery and infographics to enhance storytelling
* Experience writing for magazines and/or websites
* Self-starter: able to build and grow their own work streams in order to get new projects up and running
* Understanding of SEO principles and how to optimise content across different platforms
Preferred:
* Background in science or science journalism
* Familiarity with Photoshop and content management systems
Other information
We respect and value differences. We believe that when people from different backgrounds and with different perspectives work together, we can create the most value for our people, readers, customers, and society. If you are excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with everything listed in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway, as you may still be a good fit for this or other roles.
We're striving to create a more diverse and inclusive environment and to ensure our content is representative of all our audiences. We have established six internal D&I network groups to help our people feel supported and included, and to provide an open environment for people to network, mentor and exchange ideas, solutions, and experiences. If there is anything we can do to make our recruitment process more accessible for you, please do let us know at recruitment@ourmedia.co.uk.
Flexible and hybrid working
We know we create great things and have fun when we come together in person and collaborate. We also know that working from home brings great benefits in terms of being able to focus on our work, and manage our personal lives around our roles. With this in mind, we have established a hybrid working pattern, with 60% of the working week spent in the office.
Our people also benefit from a flexi time policy, and a flexi location policy which gives everyone the opportunity to work from another location for two weeks during the year.
We are open to discussion about flexible working requests for any flexibility needs not covered by these policies.
Company benefits include
* Pension contribution matched to 5%
* Season ticket loan
* Hybrid working pattern, flexi start/finish time
* 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, plus Christmas closure, plus your birthday off
* Option to buy/sell up to 5 days holiday a year
* Social committee, regular in-house learning events
* 4x life assurance
Our values
We strongly believe that work is not just about what we achieve, but how we achieve it. We want our people to thrive and develop, and we want to effect positive change in the world.
To put that spirit at the heart of our business, we created a set of values with input from everyone here. Our values are:
* Be kind
* Always curious
* Be the best we can be
We also have a sustainability strategy that is built on five key pillars: Research, Reduction, Recycling, Responsibility, and Reporting. We take pride in our strong partnerships across our complex supply chain to drive emission reductions. Additionally, our office building, Eagle House, is a zero-waste facility powered by solar and renewable energy.
Apply today to take the next step in your career with Our Media!