Jobs at NCTJ

The NCTJ has a friendly working environment with a team-working and goal-orientated culture. Find out more about working at the NCTJ.

The NCTJ has a dedicated team of staff based in a converted granary in the lovely North Essex village of Newport, near Saffron Walden. We have a friendly working environment with a team-working and goal-orientated culture.

Everyone is very committed to the organisation’s values, achieving high standards and implementing new ways of working. All staff are flexible in their approach and adaptable to change. As a charity, we are cost conscious and efficient. We take great care over recruitment and training as we regard our staff as vital to our success.

The NCTJ is an equal opportunities employer and believes in investing in staff.

We also employ examiners and rely on volunteers who are committed to professional journalism and our charitable activities.

Opportunities manager

Salary: Circa £40,000 per annum, depending on experience
Hours: Full-time, office-based
Location: The New Granary, Station Road, Newport, Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 3PL
Closing date: Friday, 13 November 2026

Help more people discover journalism and build their careers

Journalism needs people from different backgrounds, with different experiences and perspectives. At the NCTJ, we want to encourage people who might never have considered journalism as a career, help those facing barriers to entering the profession and create opportunities for journalists to develop and progress.

We’re recruiting an opportunities manager to run and help develop the programmes that support this work.

The role includes managing the Journalism Diversity Fund, Community Reporting Fund, internship schemes, careers outreach and our network of ambassadors.

You’ll be responsible for the day-to-day organisation and administration of these programmes, working directly with applicants, bursary recipients, training providers, employers and other partners. The work ranges from processing applications, organising interviews and supporting participants to managing budgets, keeping accurate records and reporting on outcomes.

You’ll also contribute to developing new programmes and partnerships as we put the NCTJ’s ambitious five-year strategy into practice.

Who we’re looking for

We’re looking for someone with a strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, a genuine interest in journalism and the organisational skills to manage several programmes at once.

You’ll need experience of managing or co-ordinating projects or programmes, excellent administrative skills and the ability to work confidently with people from a wide range of backgrounds.

You should be comfortable taking responsibility, managing competing deadlines and dealing with sensitive information. Experience of bursaries, outreach, education or charitable programmes would be an advantage.

You don’t need to have worked in journalism, although this would be an advantage, but you do need to be interested in the industry and enthusiastic about helping people enter and progress.

Why work for the NCTJ

The NCTJ is an independent charity with a long-established reputation in journalism training and professional standards. We work with leading news organisations, educators and journalists across the UK.

You’ll join a small, friendly team where you can take real responsibility, build relationships across the journalism industry and see the results of your work. There will also be opportunities to develop your skills and contribute to new initiatives.

We offer:

A competitive salary
25 days’ annual leave, plus bank holidays and additional days off for team events and at Christmas
5% employer pension contribution and salary sacrifice options
Opportunities for training, professional development and progression
A supportive working environment at our offices in Newport, near Saffron Walden

You’ll be joining an organisation that is ambitious for journalism and committed to creating opportunities for the people who work with us.

To apply: email sarah.rix@nctj.com with your CV and cover letter by 13 November.

Opportunities manager job description

Use of AI in NCTJ recruitment

We recognise that artificial intelligence (AI) tools can be useful when applying for jobs, and we welcome their responsible use.

We want our recruitment process to be fair and accessible and, above all, we want to hear from you. Your application and interview should give us an accurate picture of your skills, experience and what you could bring to the NCTJ.

Applications

You may use AI tools to support you when preparing your application, for example to:

check spelling and grammar
improve the clarity or presentation of your writing
help organise or structure your application.

However, the content of your application should be your own. It must accurately reflect your skills, experience and achievements, and you should be able to discuss anything you include in it.

AI can help you communicate your experience, but it should not generate the substance of your application or be used to misrepresent your experience, skills or abilities.

Interviews and assessments

We want to hear your own answers and understand your experience, knowledge and approach.

You should not use AI to generate answers during an interview or to complete a recruitment task or assessment unless we have specifically said that its use is permitted.

If AI is permitted for a particular task or assessment, we will explain this as part of the instructions.

Interviews must not be recorded or transcribed, including through AI-enabled tools, unless everyone involved has been informed and agreed to this in advance. The NCTJ will follow the same principle.

Fairness and accessibility

We want our recruitment process to be accessible and give candidates a fair opportunity to demonstrate what they can bring to the role.

If you need a reasonable adjustment during the application, interview or assessment process, please let us know. Asking for or using an agreed reasonable adjustment will not disadvantage you in the recruitment process.

We understand that people will use AI tools in different ways. Our aim is not to prevent candidates from using helpful technology, but to make sure that what you tell us about your experience, skills and abilities is accurate and genuinely reflects you.

We look forward to hearing about what you could bring to the NCTJ.