Senior Reporter – Ayrshire (Scotland)

Do you want to work with one of the best news teams in Scotland? We are now looking for an experienced Senior Reporter to join our dynamic editorial team working across the Ayrshire Post, Irvine Herald, Kilmarnock Standard and AyrshireLive.

This is a unique opportunity for an experienced reporter to write for fast paced regional print newspapers and an engaging digital news platform, delivering hard-hitting exclusives and covering fast-moving breaking news stories.

We’re looking for fresh ideas and new perspectives from people from a wide range of backgrounds, and we want you to tell us the stories you believe are important from our many communities so we can continue to diversify our content.

So, who are we?

We are Reach Plc, you might not have heard of us but we have probably met without you even realising it. We are home to Scotland and the UK’s most iconic digital platforms, magazines and newspapers. From the Daily Record and Sunday Mail to the Scottish Daily Express, Paisley Daily Express, Ayrshire Post, AyrshireLive, Glasgow Live, Edinburgh Live and OK!. We also own a huge number of regional titles across the UK such as the Daily Mirror, Liverpool Echo, BirminghamLive and the Manchester Evening News (plus lots more). Our brands and the stories we cover are as varied as our people.  We help all kinds of people share experiences through our stories because we believe this is what makes us human.

Oh, and we should probably also mention that with a monthly readership of 47 million people, Reach is the largest commercial publisher in the UK. At Reach, not only will you feel better understood, you will also feel you understand other people better too.

This role is home based and we are therefore open to candidates based in or around Scotland. There is also the option to work from our Glasgow office if preferred in a full time or hybrid manner.

What will the role involve?

You will pitch, research and write stories for both the print titles Ayrshire Post, Irvine Herald, Kilmarnock Standard and digital content for AyrshireLive. You will provide live coverage of breaking news and deliver exclusive off-diary stories written in a way that ensures as many people as possible see and respond to our work, helping us to have a positive impact on the communities we serve.

You will utilise your bursting contacts book to source stories, conduct interviews and take pictures whilst you are out on patch reporting, always thinking of how to scoop the next exclusive. This role operates on a Monday to Friday 9am-5pm basis.

Who are we looking for?

You are a passionate journalist with an NCTJ or equivalent journalism qualification and in depth knowledge of media law. You are a first class writer with excellent storytelling ability and a keen eye for what makes a great story. You have a proven track record of news reporting in a busy regional or national newsroom environment. You may be a senior reporter keen to step into a fast paced daily news team, or a reporter looking to use your demonstrable news reporting experience to step up into a senior role and work across both print and online.

You can create clean, crisp copy at pace whilst meeting deadlines with ease. You have an excellent understanding of our Scottish brands and know how to tell stories that will relate directly to our ever growing and diverse audiences.

What can we offer you?

We are offering a competitive salary and benefits including;

• Help saving for your retirement – join our pension scheme and we’ll match contributions up to 6%
• 25 days’ holiday per year when you join. After three, five and ten years’ service with Reach, you’ll accrue one additional day of annual leave. We also have a Holiday Purchase Scheme
• Giving back day – an additional day’s leave each year to support a cause close to your heart
• Enhanced family leave – including maternity, paternity and adoption – and you’ll be eligible after just six months’ employment
• Private Healthcare Cash Plan – free health cash plan so you can claim back cash for a range of medical expenses
• As one of the UK’s top 50 Inclusive Employers everyone’s invited to join our events, programmes and networks to celebrate diversity and build an environment where all our people can thrive
• Wellbeing support – including a 24/7 employee assistance programme (EAP) for you and your nearest and dearest
• Awesome career opportunities – you’ll have support from your line manager and a range of learning & development programmes
• We are also a member of the 30% Club, a global campaign aimed at increasing gender diversity at board and senior management levels

Reach plc believes diversity brings benefits for our customers, our business and our people. This is why we are committed to being an inclusive employer and encourage applications from all suitable applicants irrespective of background, circumstances, age, disability, gender identity, ethnicity, religion or belief and sexual orientation.