News Editor, Horn of Africa Languages

JOB DETAILS

JOB BAND: E
CONTRACT TYPE: Permanent, Full-time
DEPARTMENT: BBC World Service
LOCATION: Nairobi, Kenya

Local terms and conditions

We’re happy to discuss flexible working. If you’d like to, please indicate your preference in the application – though there’s no obligation to do so now. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

BBC World Service is creating a new Horn of Africa Language Services Unit in Nairobi, bringing together BBC Somali, BBC Afaan Oromo, BBC Tigrinya and BBC Amharic under a single editorial leadership structure for the first time. This is one of the most significant editorial leadership opportunities in the World Service: a chance to shape how the BBC serves millions of people across Ethiopia, Somalia and the wider Horn of Africa diaspora at a moment of profound political, humanitarian and digital change.

WHY JOIN THE TEAM
The News Editor, Horn of Africa Language Services, is the BBC’s single editorial voice for the region. You will set the strategic direction across four language services, lead a shared on-demand production hub and drive a digital-first approach that deepens the BBC’s reach and relevance — particularly among young women, who represent our most underserved and fastest-growing audience segment.  You will work through four Assistant Editors who hold day-to-day editorial responsibility for their services. Your job is to create the conditions in which all four services and the On-Demand Production Hub can produce journalism that none could achieve alone.
YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT:
• Set and implement the editorial strategy for the Horn of Africa Language Services, translating BBC World Service priorities into a coherent regional vision that each language service can pursue with confidence and ambition.
• Lead the transformation of the four language services to truly digital-first, video-led services, creating a culture of editorial ambition, personal accountability, mutual respect and continuous learning.
• Lead a geographically dispersed editorial team spanning multiple languages, cultures and working contexts, building a cohesive group identity without eroding individual service distinctiveness.
• Line manage four Assistant Editors and one Senior Journalist Team Manager, providing strategic direction, performance oversight, editorial mentorship and career development.
• Lead the unit’s digital strategy, developing a coherent, platform-specific approach to YouTube, social media, WhatsApp and BBC digital products that grows reach and engagement across all four services.
• Commission and champion ambitious journalism, including investigations, documentaries, data journalism and long-form and mid-form video, that individual services could not produce alone, using the Production Hub as the engine for delivery.
• Act as the BBC’s single editorial interlocutor for the Horn of Africa in senior internal forums and with external stakeholders.

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:
• Proven track record of editorial leadership at a senior level in journalism, with a strong record of producing ambitious, high-impact journalism in complex political environments.
• Demonstrated success in breaking down organisational silos and building collaborative cultures.
• Proven track record of developing and implementing successful data-led video strategies that delivered measurable digital growth.
• Experience of leading teams through significant organisational change, with the interpersonal skill and emotional intelligence to do so with transparency and care.
• Deep knowledge of East Africa, particularly Ethiopia and Somalia, their politics, societies, languages and media landscapes.
• Experience of driving audience growth specifically among young and female audiences, including through digital-first and video-led content strategies.  Deep understanding of audience analytics, search optimisation and platform performance metrics.
• Strong communication skills in English and at least one of the unit’s working languages (Somali, Amharic, Afaan Oromo or Tigrinya), both written and verbal, with the ability to represent the BBC effectively in senior internal and external forums.