Journalist – BBC (Tunbridge Wells)

Package Description

Extend: EX2324
Role: Journalist x 2
Job Reference:17249
Band:C
Salary: £27,300 – £35,150 depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.
Contract type: 12mths Fixed Term Contract – shift work
Location: BBC South East, based in Tunbridge Wells. This is a hybrid role and the successful candidate will balance office working with home working

We’re happy to discuss flexible working. Please indicate your choice under the flexible working question in the application. There is no obligation to raise this at the application stage but if you wish to do so, you are welcome to. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.

Excellent career progression – the BBC offers great opportunities for employees to seek new challenges and work in different areas of the organisation.
Unrivalled training and development opportunities – our in-house Academy hosts a wide range of internal and external courses and certification.
Benefits – We offer a negotiable salary package, a flexible 35-hour working week for work-life balance and 25 days annual leave with the option to buy an extra 5 days, a defined pension scheme and discounted dental, health care, gym and much more.

Freelancers are eligible to apply for an internal role if they are on a Worker Contract and they have worked continuously for 6 months. If they have worked for less than 6 months continuously or have a break of 3 weeks or more between engagements, they must seek Divisional HR approval to apply for an internal role prior to submitting an application.

Job Introduction

This role is advertised as part of our BBC Extend programme for disabled people. To apply for this role you should identify as deaf, disabled or neurodivergent and must meet either: the definition of disability in the Equality Act (2010), or the definition of disability in the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) if applying in Northern Ireland. You’re broadly defined as disabled under both acts if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative or adverse effect on your ability to do normal daily activities. This definition includes both apparent and non-apparent conditions and impairments, and medical conditions such as Cancer, HIV or Multiple Sclerosis.

We are committed to making the process of applying for this role as accessible as possible. If you need to discuss adjustments or access requirements for the application process, or have any questions about our Extend programme, please contact the BBC Extend team via the shared mailbox.
The BBC are fully committed to providing workplace adjustments to help eliminate barriers in the workplace that disabled people face. To do this, we have our own dedicated BBC Access and Disability Service that provides assessments and support throughout employment with us. If you are successful in applying for this role and require workplace adjustments, we will work with you to get your adjustments in place.

If you’d like more information on BBC Extend, please visit the BBC Extend webpage.
Job Application Requirements:

CV
Please outline as part of your application in no more than 300 words a story you’d like to work on if you’re successful in getting this role.

Do you relish getting to the heart of your community and telling stories in a way that grabs people’s attention?

Are you passionate about working across TV, radio and online?

Do you love telling stories in an engaging way?
We’re looking for ambitious Journalists who understand how to make compelling content which really makes an impact on people living in Kent, Sussex and Surrey.

Main Responsibilities

You’ll work as part of a multi-skilled news team, initially writing online stories for the BBC News website, but increasingly developing content for TV and radio.
You’ll need a strong understanding of how to make a story come to life and you’ll need to understand who our audience are and what matters to them. You’ll also need a good understanding of news and current affairs and how they affect people locally.
You’ll work as part of a team based in Tunbridge Wells, Brighton and Guildford creating content across the South East. As well as working on on-the-day content you’ll also at times work as part of our multiplatform planning team, setting stories up to work across online, TV and radio.
You’ll be able to draw on a huge range of sources for story ideas and you’ll need to be able to deliver original stories to surprise and engage our audience in creative ways.
You’ll also need to have a flair for writing great copy and scripts. In particular we’re looking for individuals with experience of a variety of production techniques across both linear and digital platforms, and those with a proven track record of working in journalism and production.

Are you the right candidate ?

If you have a passion for telling stories with the ability to look at stories and issues from a diversity of perspectives, and you’re bursting with creative ideas, we want to hear from you!
As an experienced journalist, you’ll have experience of working in a newsroom, hopefully with experience of working across online, TV or radio or all three.
You’ll be able to demonstrate a track record of strong editorial judgement which can be used across all aspects of what we do.
You’ll be brilliant at time management and you’ll know how to get the best out of your colleagues as part of a team.
In addition, you’ll have a good knowledge of the BBC’s editorial guidelines, our need for impartiality and a thorough knowledge of law.

If you’d like any more information or to talk about the role then please email Lee Gibbs, Senior News Editor, on lee.gibbs@bbc.co.uk