Senior Journalist Team Manager Nigeria

Job Requisition ID: 48296

Job Closing Date: 15th July 2026

Lagos, NGA, 101233

Job Details

JOB BAND: D
CONTRACT TYPE: Permanent, Full-time
DEPARTMENT: BBC News, Nigeria
LOCATION: Lagos, Nigeria

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

The Senior Journalist Team Manager, Nigeria Language Services, leads the On-Demand editorial output of the hub, supporting the Editors to implement a future-focused digital strategy across all BBC-owned and operated platforms.
Working within the wider Nigeria Languages structure, the role reports to the News Editor, who sets the regional vision, while maintaining the editorial autonomy required to serve audiences with rigour, relevance and independence.
This role requires strong editorial judgement and courage, with the ability to uphold BBC Editorial Guidelines and defend impartial decisions under pressure.
It is suited to an experienced Senior Journalist with strong journalistic instincts and clear digital ambition—someone who can sustain momentum, grow audience reach, and deliver strategic goals.

WHY JOIN THE TEAM

BBC World Service is establishing a new Nigeria Language Services Unit in Lagos, bringing together BBC Pidgin, BBC Yoruba and BBC Igbo under a single editorial leadership structure for the first time.
These Language Services serve audiences across West Africa and a highly engaged global diaspora. They deliver independent, impartial journalism to a predominantly young audience navigating political uncertainty, widespread disinformation and ongoing challenges to democracy and good governance. The BBC’s editorial independence is central to the trust and value audiences place in the service.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT:

• Build and lead BBC Nigeria’s On-Demand Production hub, establishing workflows, standards, capacity and operating model from inception.
• Define and deliver a clear production hub strategy, aligning content priorities with the cluster’s growing digital ambitions.
• Serve as lead production advisor, working closely with the News Editor and Assistant Editors on develop and implement the digital strategy and deliver audience growth on all digital platforms.
• Improve digital video turnaround time while implementing video-first strategies, embedding video thinking into editorial planning.
• Lead production of impactful video journalism, including investigations, documentaries, data-driven and social-first formats.
• Lead live streaming for Nigeria Language Services production hub on website and relevant social platforms.
• Develop innovative video formats targeting young women in sub-Saharan Africa and the diaspora, with strong editorial and distribution strategies.

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

• Strong video vision, with a clear understanding of high-quality digital journalism, demonstrated through a proven track record of commissioning and delivering impactful content for a variety of digital platforms.
• Extensive experience in video production and post-production, including filming, editing, motion graphics and managing high-volume digital workflows.
• Proven ability to lead and develop teams, set direction, manage performance and foster a culture of creativity and collaboration.
• Deep understanding of digital distribution (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp and BBC platforms), with evidence of growing audiences.
• Experience delivering major production initiatives, such as launching formats, driving digital transformation or building operations from scratch.
• Strong track record of cross-team collaboration, coordinating shared resources and workflows across services.
• Strong communication skills in English and one of the three Nigerian hub languages, both written and verbal, with the ability to represent the BBC effectively in senior internal forums.

DESIRED BUT NOT REQUIRED:

– Proven ability to shoot, script and edit video stories using tools such as Final Cut Pro (FCPx) and QEdit, with the ability to deliver polished, engaging, audience-focused content which is optimised for digital platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook
– Excellent scriptwriting and storytelling skills for a variety of digital formats, including short, mid and long form video and audio (podcast) formats.
If you can bring some of these skills and experiences, along with transferable strengths, we’d love to hear from you and encourage you to apply.

Disclaimer

This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved.

Please note: If you were to be offered this role, the BBC will conduct Employment screening checks which include Reference checks; Eligibility to work checks; and if applicable to the role, Safeguarding and Adverse media/Social media checks. Any offer made is conditional on these checks being satisfactory.

Before your start date, you may need to disclose any unspent convictions or police charges, in line with our Recruitment policy. This allows us to discuss any support you may need and assess any risks. Failure to disclose may result in the withdrawal of your offer.

For any general queries, please contact: [email protected]

We are unable to accept applications via CV and only applications made online will be considered. Please click on the APPLY NOW button to proceed with your application.