Assistant foreign news editor – 1 year FTC – The Times & The Sunday Times (London)

Assistant foreign news editor – 1 year FTC

We are looking for an assistant news editor to join the Times and Sunday Times foreign news desk on a one year fixed term contract.

You will be working with dozens of foreign correspondents based around the world producing hard news, features and analysis for digital and print editions.

Applicants must have experience working on a news desk at a national newspaper or major news organisation. You will have precise commissioning and copy-editing skills and the ability to conceive strong story ideas to present at news conference.

Apply with a covering letter and your CV by March 24.

Responsibilities

Successfully manage productive relationships with the editor, the foreign editor and the foreign news desk.
Work with editors, writers and reporters to conceive, commission and edit exclusive agenda-setting news stories for a print and digital audience
Use SEO, Inca, Pars.ly and Google Trends to help guide commissioning and construct headlines
Demonstrate an understanding of what works best for digital, offering content that is truly distinctive
Attend news conference as required and present the news list to the editor
Forward-plan, working with journalists on long-range projects and big campaigns
Use social networking and other digital platforms for content generation and to promote The Times and The Sunday Times foreign news content
Work a mix of day and night editing shifts

Skills and experience

Experience working as a news editor for a national newspaper or major news organisation
Demonstrable interest in foreign news and current affairs
An understanding of how audience data supports commissioning and how to promote a story on social media and through search engines
Knows how to attract and retain new digital audiences
An ability to work under pressure, to tight deadlines and with rigorous accuracy
Ability to communicate succinctly and effectively
Experience of working collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams
Persuasive presentation skills, well-developed interpersonal skills, with the ability to problem-solve
A strong understanding of editorial compliance and regulatory issues

We are News UK: One of the leading media businesses in the UK and Ireland. Our newsbrands include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun, The Sun on Sunday and The TLS. Our national broadcast brands include talkSPORT, Times Radio, TalkTV and Virgin Radio UK, and we have market-leading local radio stations across Ireland. Our world-famous brands provide news, analysis, opinion and entertainment to almost 40 million people each month. Spanning print and pixel, audio and video, events and experiences, our multiplatform brands are home to a plurality of opinion, representing the diverse communities we serve. News UK is wholly owned by News Corp.

Life at News

Driven by passion, guided by principles and acting with purpose. We represent, reflect and reach the nation, telling the stories that matter. We inform our audiences so that they can make decisions based on trusted information.

To do this, we believe our employees must represent different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences. We strive to maximise and encourage every individual’s potential and ensure everyone feels valued. We support this through our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy, which focuses on three main priorities – attracting talent from a wider, more representative pool, developing equity programmes to drive better representation in our leadership, and ensuring diversity and inclusivity in our workforce as well as the journalism and content we produce. We also currently have 12 employee led networks and groups that support our strategy and connect like minded employees socially.

Benefits

Some of our benefits include:

Maternity leave up to 18 weeks full basic salary & paternity leave up to 2 weeks
Wide range of training available, plus full LinkedIn Learning access
Private medical insurance including coverage for pre-existing conditions
Discounted gym memberships, free ClassPass at Home, weekly virtual yoga classes
‘Bikes for Work’ and ‘Electric Car’ scheme
Up to 60% discount on Harper Collins books
Access to exclusive events and competitions with exciting brands such as talkSPORT, Virgin Radio UK & The Times. Weekly virtual panel chats with top journalists and celebrities
Access to wellbeing benefits such as EAP, physio/massage and counselling
A generous pension scheme with employer contributions of up to 5%
30 days holiday, plus bank holidays and up to 4 volunteering days per year

We want to ensure that everyone we meet has the opportunity to perform to their best when applying for a role. Please let us know, at any stage, whether you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, and we will do our best to accommodate.