Senior Journalist BBC Hausa
BBC World Service is evolving its editorial team in Abuja while future-proofing its journalism to meet changing media consumption habits across sub-Saharan Africa.
JOB DETAILS
JOB BAND: D
CONTRACT TYPE: Permanent, Full-time
DEPARTMENT: BBC World Service
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.
Any offer of employment with the BBC is conditional upon the candidate having the legal right to work in Nigeria and having successfully completed the mandatory National Youth Service programme (NYSC) or holding a valid certificate of exemption.
PURPOSE OF THE ROLE
BBC World Service is evolving its editorial team in Abuja while future-proofing its journalism to meet changing media consumption habits across sub-Saharan Africa.
BBC Hausa is one of the most trusted international news providers for audiences across West Africa and a highly engaged global diaspora. With a strong editorial heritage, the service is entering an exciting new phase: transforming into a digital-first, video-led operation designed to reach a new generation of Hausa audiences who primarily consume news via smartphones, YouTube, and social media.
BBC Hausa is transforming into a story-led model built around two complementary editorial streams: On the Day and On Demand.
WHY JOIN THE TEAM
The Senior Journalist is the on-shift editorial lead and works closely with the Senior Journalist Team Manager (SJTM) and the Assistant Editor to make the calls, drive the commissioning, hold the output together and set the pace and standards for the digital and radio teams around them. The role demands strong news instincts, a clear digital-first editorial mindset, and the confidence to lead journalists and presenters through a fast-moving shift across multiple platforms 7 days a week.
The SJ role is also central to the production of visualised podcasts designed to attract young and female audiences who increasingly consume news through video and on-demand platforms. The podcast is a video-first editorial product, built from the ground up with a distinct visual identity, presenter format and editorial voice, published five times per week.
Alongside the podcast, the SJ role will lead BBC Hausa’s livestreaming capability on YouTube and other social platforms, covering major news events live and building the audience habits that make the service a destination for breaking and developing stories in real time.
This is a role for a senior journalist who is as skilled in production craft as they are in editorial judgment; someone who understands what makes video content compelling for young and female audiences, knows how to build and run a daily production pipeline, and has the technical confidence to manage live broadcasts in demanding and unpredictable news environments.
The postholder will work across morning, afternoon or night shifts, deputising for the SJTM and Assistant Editor as required.
YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT:
• Drive a digital first newsroom approach, ensuring every story is planned and produced for publication across digital, radio and video platforms from the outset.
• Oversee the production of short form video content for TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, turning daily news stories into high performing digital assets.
• Drive continuous publishing across the BBC Hausa website and social channels, commissioning and editing compelling news, video and audience focused content that grows engagement.
• Lead the development and production of BBC Hausa’s visualised podcast, delivering engaging content on trending issues and topics that matter to younger audiences.
• Use audience insights and performance analytics to shape editorial decisions, optimise content and identify opportunities for growth across platforms.
• Manage BBC Hausa’s live and visualised radio output, ensuring high editorial and technical standards while maximising opportunities for digital distribution and streaming.
• Coach and develop journalists in cross platform storytelling, digital production and video journalism, while fostering collaboration across teams to deliver innovative content.
YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:
• Proven experience leading digital first news operations, with a strong understanding of audience engagement, content performance and growth across digital platforms.
• Expertise in commissioning, editing and publishing content across multiple platforms, including news websites, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and other social channels.
• Strong knowledge of audience analytics and the ability to use data and insights to make real time editorial and commissioning decisions.
• Excellent news judgement and the ability to identify stories with strong digital potential, shaping them into engaging formats such as explainers, live blogs, Q&As and short form video.
• Experience producing or overseeing visualised broadcast content, with a clear understanding of how to create compelling experiences for both audio and on screen audiences.
• Strong leadership and people management skills, with the ability to motivate, coach and develop teams while maintaining high standards in fast paced and high pressure environments.
• Outstanding writing, scripting and editing skills in Hausa and English, combined with excellent communication, planning and stakeholder management abilities.
If you can bring some of these skills and experience, along with transferable strengths, we’d love to hear from you and encourage you to apply.
